Should you do aerobic exercise on an empty stomach or after a meal?

There is no universal optimal solution, it all depends on your exercise goals, body tolerance and daily routine.

I have seen too many people who have just made up their mind to exercise, and are stuck in this first step for half an hour - sitting in bed in a daze when the alarm goes off in the morning: put on your shoes and go out for a run, or should you nibble on a bread mat first? I rushed to the gym after get off work, clutching the purple sweet potato bun I just bought in my hand. I was afraid that I would get breathless when I ate it. If I didn’t eat it, I would faint from hypoglycemia in the middle of the workout.

Most of the people who do fasted aerobics are fitness enthusiasts or endurance athletes who need to clean fat. My friend Lao Zhou, who is preparing for a half marathon, trained for the first three months without stopping to run 10 kilometers at six in the morning. He ate nothing and only drank a cup of warm black coffee. In three months, his body fat dropped from 18% to 12%, and he ran the full marathon without hitting a wall. His logic is also supported by scientific research: in a fasting state, the body's glycogen reserves are less than 1/3 of those after eating, and the body will be forced to increase the proportion of fat as energy, which is 20%-30% higher than doing aerobics of the same intensity after a meal. If you want to quickly remove stubborn fat, it is indeed more efficient. But not everyone can replicate this. Last month, my colleague Xiao Wu followed suit and climbed stairs on an empty stomach. She climbed to the 4th floor and sat on the ground with black eyes for ten minutes before she recovered. She has a problem with hypoglycemia, so moving on an empty stomach was just looking for trouble. There are also people who have chronic gastritis and hyperacidity. Long-term exercise on an empty stomach can easily stimulate gastric acid secretion. They may suffer from acid reflux and nausea for half a day after running, but the gain outweighs the gain. And to be honest, don’t be too mythical about the fat-brushing effect of fasting aerobics. Many studies have proven that as long as the difference between the total intake and total consumption of a day does not change, the extra fat burned on an empty stomach can be easily made up when you eat later, and the difference is not much different.

On the other hand, it is not unreasonable to think that it is more reliable to exercise after a meal. Think about it, how can most office workers find the time to spare an hour of exercise in the morning? It would be nice if you don’t check in at any point. Most of the time, I rest for forty to fifty minutes after dinner, go downstairs for a three-kilometer run at night, or go for a two-hour bike ride after eating a light meal on the weekend. I have something to cushion my stomach, and my overall condition is stable. I can run five kilometers without getting more and more drifting. Many people worry that moving after meals will cause gastroptosis? In fact, as long as you don’t just eat three kilograms of hot pot and then go jump on the trampoline, ordinary low-to-medium intensity aerobics with an interval of more than 40 minutes is absolutely fine. My mother has been dancing in the square for almost ten years. She always takes a half-hour break after dinner before going out. Her stomach is better than that of many young people who mess around every day. Not to mention people with unstable blood sugar and diabetics, doctors will recommend moderate exercise half an hour after a meal, which can help stabilize blood sugar and is much safer than exercising on an empty stomach.

I am too lazy to decide whether to eat on an empty stomach or after a meal. It all depends on my condition that day. If you wake up early on weekends, you can eat half a banana, drink water and go out for a run. You won't feel uncomfortable while running because you are too full, and you won't suffer from hypoglycemia. It is a compromise semi-fasting plan. If you have to go to the gym after get off work during the week, eat a small purple sweet potato or a protein bar half an hour in advance. After exercising, ride the elliptical machine for 40 minutes. The battery life will be full and the movements will not be easily deformed.

If you really want to give a reference standard, there is no need to memorize those complicated rules and regulations. If you want to try fasting aerobics, start with low-intensity brisk walking or climbing stairs, with a candy in your pocket. Stop immediately if you feel dizzy and flustered. Don't push yourself. If you choose to do it after a meal, don’t eat too much or too much. If you eat too much high-fat and high-sugar food, you will easily suffer from acid reflux and gas reflux even if you rest for two hours.

To put it bluntly, the most useless thing about exercise is to stick to other people’s “standard answers”. Try it on your own for a week, two days on an empty stomach and two days after meals. Whichever one makes you feel comfortable and can last for a long time is the most suitable choice for you - after all, it is really useful to be able to keep moving instead of worrying about the insignificant difference in energy supply.