EISPIRATEN

I saw this article, The Benefits of Exercising Before Breakfast, in the NY Times. I think it's pretty important actually. It's at least worth a read this holiday season.

HJ

it is interesting. I have been experimenting with different food timing scenarios and fasting. I'm not sure exactly how much to take from this study - their comparison of fasted vs non-fasted meant feeding people 700 kcal 90 minutes before exercise. That's too much. People won't (or shouldn't) eat that much so close to exercise. That's not the same as comparing

1) waking up and working out

vs

2) waking up, eating a bowl of cereal (200 kcal), and then workout in 1 hr

or

3) eating a meal at some point in the day, waiting 3-4 hrs to digest, then working out


Anyways, not eating before and during exercise will burn more fat, but reduce performance somewhat. If you can handle not eating before and during a long hike, it will definitely increase insulin sensitivity

The mere suggestion that it may lower my risk of diabetes was enough to get me interested.

HJ

sure, but things can get misinterpreted pretty quickly. this study does not show eating anything is worse than nothing before exercise, only that eating a large meal 90 min before is worse than no food at all. most people wouldn't do that anyways. is eating nothing better than having a bowl of cereal 1 hr prior, or a larger meal with more time to digest? this study does not address that.