Eating a nutritious meal before a workout may seem like a wise choice, but the question remains: how long should you wait before exercising after eating? Joining us are experts Joan Rogers, the head of studio programming at Pop Life in Cleveland and a certified ACE Personal Trainer, and Amanda Sauceda, M.S., R.D.
The ideal timing largely depends on the type of workout and food consumed. This emphasizes the importance of considering various factors before consuming your pre-workout meal or snack. Amanda Sauceda explains that for optimal digestion, it is crucial to be in a state of “rest and digest mode.” Consuming a substantial meal right after exercise may not facilitate proper blood flow to the digestive tract, potentially causing discomfort.
Sauceda advises prioritizing meeting your basic nutritional needs before focusing on timing your meals with exercise. Addressing macro and calorie goals is fundamental before becoming fixated on timing. Here, a personal trainer and Sauceda elaborate on the ideal waiting times after having a snack, meal, or rich foods.
Joan Rogers suggests avoiding overeating before a workout. She recommends waiting at least 30 minutes before exercising, irrespective of the workout intensity or type. However, different workouts and portion sizes may necessitate a longer waiting period of up to three hours. Research supports this view, indicating that food takes two to four hours to move from the stomach to the small intestine.
Regarding snacks, Sauceda highlights the importance of timing to fuel and recover adequately. For snacks like an apple or a protein bar, a 30-minute wait suffices to stay satisfied during both cardio and strength training. For regular-sized meals, Rogers recommends waiting one to two hours to fuel the body effectively before a workout. Larger meals like pasta with cream sauce or steak and fries may require a waiting period of two to three hours due to their longer digestion time.
Exercising too soon after eating can lead to digestive issues such as cramps, nausea, and bloating, affecting various workouts from running to strength training. In weightlifting, in particular, performing squats on a full stomach can be uncomfortable.
“Your meal is coming right back up—no one wants that,” Rogers says. The reason lies in the fact that your body prioritizes blood flow during your workout: “After eating, particularly a heavy meal, your body concentrates on digestion,” she explains. When you begin exercising in the midst of this process, Rogers notes that blood flow shifts to your muscles to support their activity, diverting attention away from digestion. “This can leave you feeling weighed down, queasy, and generally not performing at your best,” she adds. Eating early enough to allow proper digestion before working out enables your body to effectively utilize the nutrients for the exercise at hand, warding off potential digestion issues. Moreover, the significance of consuming a post-workout meal should not be overlooked. Sauceda recommends focusing on small, easily digestible foods for optimal recovery. She advises having a protein-rich snack to aid muscle recovery and carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores, the body’s primary energy source.
Inadequate timing of meals and workouts can lead to side effects that impact performance, according to Rogers. These may include cramping, bloating, nausea, sluggishness, and heartburn. Ultimately, individual responses vary, but experts suggest waiting at least 30 minutes and up to three hours after eating before exercising to maximize performance.
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