Q: Hi Dr. Phoenyx, how long should I wait after eating before I workout? I want to run right after breakfast, but wasn’t sure how much time I should give myself to digest. – Sidney
A: Hi Sydney, that’s a good question that I’m sure many others have had too. And the fact of the matter is the answer really isn’t very cut and dry. But I’ll try to make things as simple as possible by explaining why the average person should wait a bit after eating before they exercise. So let’s start off with what happens to our bodies after we eat.
Shortly after we’ve eaten a meal, our body will begin to use a good amount of energy to digest the food we’ve just eaten. First, to facilitate the digestive process, the body directs more blood flow to the stomach and other internal organs like the pancreas, gallbladder and colon. This is one reason people often feel sleepy following a large meal. Because all that blood flow that is now being directed to our internal organs for digestion means that there will be less blood flow available to our large muscle groups, like our legs and arms. And when we exercise, the opposite occurs – blood flow is redirected from internal organs to our muscles to provide the necessary energy for muscle contraction. So basically, our body is not designed to do both digestion and exercise at the same time. That’s why people can get things like stomach cramps and stomach aches when trying to run/exercise on a full stomach.
Now there are some athletes who do eat and exercise at the same time – particularly endurance athletes (like marathon runners) who have trained their bodies to eat on the run. Still yet, even with endurance athletes, you’ll hardly see them down a huge meal right before training because they may end up with the same stomach cramps and other digestive problems. So taking all this information in, my recommendation for the average person would be to wait at least 60 minutes to exercise after eating a large meal. And I define a large meal as at least 600 calories. Furthermore, if your exercise routine requires a lot of intensity, you may even want to wait up to 2 hours after eating a large meal. Now that said, I want to emphasize that my recommendations are not set in stone because every situation isn’t necessarily the same. Meal sizes vary and people train differently. So depending on how much you end up eating and the intensity of your upcoming workout, I would definitely encourage you to do a bit of experimenting to see how long it takes for your body to feel comfortable with exercising after a meal.
So now that I’ve offered my recommendations I want to open up the floor to other readers: How long do you wait to exercise after eating? – Doc
I have never liked eating before a work-out, so I generally have always made certain there were a couple of hours between my last meal and my workout. But, after I work-out, I try to make certain that I eat and take my vitamins within 60-90 minutes.
Why hello Shelly! Thanks for dropping in and sharing your regimen. And I’m curious, what do you typically do when you workout? What types of exercises and how long?
Right now, I am on a kick to work out every day. So, I’ve exercised for at least 10 min every day for the last 39 days. I’m working out first thing in the morning and usually for about 30 minutes, not including stretching. I’m in my 5th week of C25K (from the couch to a 5K), which is treadmill intervals building up to longer runs. I do that 3 days a week and alternate that with a 10 min. ab routine and a kettlebell workout 3 days a week (there is a 12 min. workout and 40 min workout. I alternate between doing 1 set of the 12 min., 2 sets of the 12 min. and the 40 min when I have time). Then, I do hot yoga for 75 min. 1x a week.
In the past, I worked out after work for 1-2 hours 5-6 days a week. Just don’t have the time nor the energy for that with my work schedule and demands. So, switching it up for the time being. I would like to be able to get some more weight training in, but the gym has lost its appeal. So, just this morning I thought, “It may be time to get a Bowflex!” LOL!! I don’t even know if those are still around and don’t think I’d want one. But, I may start researching options in order to incorporate some heavier weights. I used to bodybuild and could squat and deadlift 225 in my youth. So, I have a healthy appreciation for weights. I love the kettlebell, but I might like some other compact options. 🙂
That’s a great regimen Shelly. And I hear you, the gym can get a lil’ boring. Just gotta mix it up and stay committed. Right now I’m heavy into classes like cardio kickboxing. Keeps me engaged and sweating hard. So you might want to check that out too. Anyhoo, thanks for sharing and keep up the good work!
Hello Shelly I bought a bowflex 3 yrs ago. They take up a lot of room and are very expensive. The one I got was $4000.00. Yes I know crazy right!! It also was big and bulky. Took up a lot of livingroom space. I sold it 6 months later because I lost my job. Please consider buying dumbells instead. It will save you a lot of money.
Hi Kyia, thanks for the suggestion. Never knew Bowflex was that expensive. Wow. But hey, I have to say that I’m of the mindset that if you can’t make it to the gym, and if the equipment works, then it’s def worth the investment.