Is it okay to do aerobic exercise on an empty stomach?

There is really no unified standard answer of "yes" or "no" to this question. It must be judged based on your physical foundation, exercise intensity and daily habits. There is no need to use fasting aerobics as a magic skill for fat burning, nor as a scourge.

There are several fitness enthusiasts around me who maintain about 15% body fat all year round. Their habit for many years is to drink a cup of warm light salt water or black coffee when they wake up in the morning, then go directly to the gym and climb a slope for 40 minutes. The heart rate is controlled at about 60% of the maximum heart rate. They say that in this state, there is not much glycogen left after being consumed overnight, and fat is used for exercise. The proportion of energy will be much higher than aerobic after a meal. Using this method during the fat brushing period can indeed improve the efficiency. Moreover, they themselves skip breakfast all year round, their blood sugar is very stable, and they have never experienced dizziness or stomach pain. Existing research also supports this point - under low-intensity steady-state aerobic, the fat oxidation rate in the fasting state is indeed 10% to 20% higher than that after a meal.

However, if you just copy homework without this physical foundation, the probability of making mistakes is really high. I encountered this pitfall when I first started working out. I saw bloggers saying that aerobic exercise on an empty stomach will help you lose fat faster. I woke up in the morning and went for a 5-kilometer run without eating anything. At the third kilometer, my eyesight turned black. I vomited for a long time while holding on to a tree on the side of the road. I waited for half an hour before I dared to walk home slowly. Later I found out that I have a hypoglycemic constitution. I usually get flustered and my hands shake when I sit in the office for two hours without breakfast. How can I stand it? And my friend who has chronic gastritis followed the trend and danced high-intensity Pamela for half an hour on an empty stomach last time. In the afternoon, he suffered from stomach pain and broke out in a cold sweat. He went to the hospital for two days of fluids to recover. The doctor said that stomach acid itself on an empty stomach can easily irritate the gastric mucosa, and strenuous exercise can also reduce the blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract, which is simply worse for people with stomach problems.

In fact, it is very simple to judge whether you are suitable for fasting aerobics. First, it depends on whether you have the habit of long-term fasting, and then on the intensity of the exercise you want to do - if you are used to skipping breakfast, your blood sugar has always been stable, and the exercise is only low-intensity brisk walking, jogging, slope walking, slow cycling, etc. The duration should be controlled within 40 minutes. You can try it with confidence. Just put a hard candy in your pocket for the first time. If you feel dizzy and flustered, stop and take a bite to slow down. However, if you have poor blood sugar regulation, have stomach problems, or if you are going to do high-intensity, long-term exercise such as interval running, high-intensity aerobics, or long-distance cycling that day, it is best to eat light foods that are easy to digest, such as bananas and half a slice of whole-wheat bread, an hour in advance.

After all, we exercise to make ourselves more comfortable and healthy, not to follow the trend and complete some "standard homework". You can try it once or twice. After doing it on an empty stomach, you will feel refreshed and then continue. After you do it, you will feel dizzy, nauseous, and uncomfortable all over. Stop quickly. You can do it however you feel comfortable.