Is it better to do aerobic exercise on an empty stomach or after a meal?

Is aerobic exercise better on an empty stomach or after a meal? The answer is that there is no absolute advantage or disadvantage. Which one to choose depends entirely on your physical foundation, sports goals and current status. There is no standard answer that is universally applicable.

I know a veteran who has been running the marathon for 8 years. He runs 10 kilometers on an empty stomach three days a week in the morning and only takes a few sips of warm salt water before running. He has been running like this for several years, and his marathon PB has reached 330. His body fat has been maintained at about 12% all year round, and he has never had a problem with hypoglycemia. Asked why he insists on running on an empty stomach, he said that firstly, his stomach is empty when he wakes up in the morning, so he won’t feel uncomfortable when running. Secondly, long-term fasting training can improve the body’s fat energy supply efficiency, so it is not easy to “hit the wall” after running 30 kilometers in the race.

This is not the metaphysics of old runners. Existing sports medicine research has indeed confirmed that liver glycogen reserves are lower in the fasting state. During moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, the proportion of fat oxidation energy supply will be 15%-20% higher than after meals. For those who aim to quickly reduce body fat or prepare for endurance events, the efficiency will indeed be higher.

But don’t just blindly learn it after watching other people running on an empty stomach. I met a little girl in the gym a while ago. She had just applied for the card for two weeks. I heard from bloggers that fasting aerobics would make her fall off the scale faster. She came to high-intensity Pamela jump without eating anything in the morning. After jumping for less than 20 minutes, she squatted on the ground holding on to the railing. Her face turned pale and she was sweating coldly. The coach quickly gave her half a bottle of glucose to calm down.

This is the most common pitfall of fasting aerobics: people who have no exercise foundation, poor blood sugar regulation ability, or are prone to hypoglycemia in daily life, will easily suffer from dizziness, palpitation, cold sweats, and even fainting in severe cases. Moreover, many practitioners in the bodybuilding circle have always not recommended that ordinary people do fasting aerobics, especially those with low muscle mass. When glycogen is insufficient, the body will not only burn fat, but also decompose muscles for energy. The rate of muscle loss may be faster than fat loss. On the contrary, it will lower the basal metabolism, which is not worth the gain.

Talking about post-meal aerobics, many people have the impression that it is "low fat burning efficiency", but they ignore that its universality is actually much stronger.

Many of my friends who have just started exercising, I recommend them to exercise after meals - after all, most ordinary people exercise not to improve their performance in competitions, but also to sweat and lose weight. They cannot blame themselves for the 20% fat burning difference. In the morning, eat a small bun and half a banana, rest for forty or fifty minutes, and then go for a brisk walk, climb stairs, or do aerobics. The whole process is down-to-earth. You don’t have to worry about whether you will feel dizzy, and it is easier to persevere.

Of course, you don’t rush to the gym right after eating. If you eat light food such as porridge and steamed buns, you can rest for 30-60 minutes before you can move.； If you have just eaten a heavy oil and protein meal such as hot pot or barbecue at noon, it is best to rest for 1.5-2 hours before moving, otherwise you will have a loud bang in your stomach while running, and you will also suffer from acid reflux and belching. Who can stand it?

In fact, there is really no need to worry about which one is "more correct". I also tried climbing stairs on an empty stomach during my fat loss period. I was able to hold on for the first three days. On the fourth day when I climbed to the 15th floor, my eyesight turned black. I held on to the wall for a long time to slow down. Later, I changed to eating half a banana every morning and rested for 15 minutes before climbing. The whole process was much more comfortable. I also lost 3% of my body fat in two consecutive months, which was not much different from the efficiency of climbing on an empty stomach before.

If you are really not sure which one is suitable for you, you might as well try each for a week: do three moderate-intensity aerobics on an empty stomach and three times after meals. Record your status, exercise duration and subsequent diet. Whichever exercise is not uncomfortable, can persist, and does not overeat after exercise, is the most suitable for you.

After all, exercise is always the best for you.