Workout And Digestion: Should You Hit The Gym With An Empty Stomach?
There has been a rather lively debate as to whether you should workout with an empty stomach or not, and quite frankly it is a challenge to everyone’s workout plans. In the ways to lose weight, a lot of people opted to load up on a ton of caffeine before hitting the gym and only used that as fuel, this furthers their workout plans and hopes that they will lose weight faster by skipping the meal. I’ve written this article in the hopes to not end the debate, as that would be rather impossible given the two compelling sides, but at the very least I can shed some light into the information at hand and help you decide your workout plans as soon as possible.
Additionally please take the time to read through all the pro empty stomach workout and the anti-empty stomach practitioners and from there make your decision, keep in mind that both methods may differ in results for individuals depending on your genes and your workout plans. Best to check and test them both up.
Don’t workout on an empty stomach
Skipping breakfast – As many people know that in the ways to lose weight, skipping breakfast is a bad idea. Breakfast wakes up your digestive system and allows your metabolism to start working, so skipping it not only makes you sluggish during your workout plans, but it also wreaks havoc on your metabolism. Understandably this is one of the defenses of the people who do not believe in working out with an empty stomach.
No power – Not having enough fuel to workout is a scary thought, however if you have been at your workout plans for quite some time, chances of an injury is rather miniscule but you can never be too careful. Perhaps your workout plans call for you to start lifting more weight and your lack of food or ‘fuel’ could make you fail your target, so it would be ideal to eat a meal an hour prior to your workout plans.
Muscle tissue – The naysayers say that if you continue your workout plans on an empty stomach, since you lack food as energy source, it is believed that you will tear muscle tissue however there has been no research that has conclusively studied this, so quite honestly this is still a rather difficult point to trust for now but perhaps a word of caution in the meantime would be more than a warning for others who plan to find ways to lose weight.
Lack of nutrition – Skipping meals is never a good idea, and you tend to lose proper nutrition and the vitamins that are needed for healthy body. In the ways to lose weight, a number of people tend to skip meals altogether and as experience shows this is not a good idea and leads to the opposite of what they want. As the people who disagree with doing your workout plans on an empty stomach believe as well, you will lack the nutrition you need to build proper muscles.
Overall the naysayers strongly believe that missing a meal will not only lead to a poorer set of workout plans, but will also get in the way of weight lost in the long run, their ideal state is to eat a meal an hour before or even a protein shake before your workout plans in order to maximize out weight lost and muscle gain.
Do workout on an empty stomach
Improved insulin sensitivity – This is a little difficult to explain in my opinion so please bear with me. Insulin is a hormone that the body releases in order to absorb nutrients however having a lot of meals, reduces our capabilities of using insulin properly, thus the reverse could be said and done with regards to your workout plans. People who believe in working out on an empty stomach believes that by fasting from time-to-time you end up with one of the key ways to lose weight.
Growth hormones increase – The pro empty stomach people believe that fasting will promote growth hormones, which lead to muscle gain and fat loss. This hormone can be produced by fasting among other methods and leads to be able to burn fat thus leading to one of the many ways to lose weight, plus is a great arsenal to have for your workout plans altogether.
Muscle glycogen storage improvement – Muscle glycogen storage is the storage of the body’s energy. Pro empty stomach people believe that the body can better handle energy usage on an empty stomach, which is pretty much ideal for marathon runners or long workout plans. The belief is that the body will train itself to work better under a fasting state rather than a fed state. The pro empty stomach trainers believe if you want to get a better workout and lead to one of the ways to lose weight, this is the ideal path to go with.
Burn more fat – I’m sure if you are looking for ways to lose weight, this must have perked your ears as pro empty workout enthusiasts believe that working out on an empty stomach will burn fat reserves. Now I’m not sure about you, but for sure this is something a lot of people want to result in for their workout plans. They say by working out on an empty stomach, your body seeks out energy deposits and your fat deposits are a perfect source, or so they believe.
Overall the pro empty stomach practitioners believe that intermittent fasting is ideal for working out, but make sure to stay hydrated with not only water, but maybe green tea or even coffee. Additionally make sure that you don’t over-fast as this is a feasible event when fasting for a workout, make sure to have your last meal within 10 hours or so, no more to be safe. Your workout plans should include the last meal you had into account to be safe and to make sure you don’t injure yourself in the exercises that will lead to many ways to lose weight.
These are both compelling reasons to do either, and quite honestly it would be best for you to test both paths and see what works with you. You don’t need to stress yourself and force one path or the other, go with what feels natural. Remember that fasting is debatable, some believe that a true fast is 10 hours or more, while others who prefer to workout with a full stomach would want to do so an hour or so prior to your workout plans so that you don’t give yourself indigestion or such.
Again if you are looking for a good ways to lose weight, I’d be happy to share with you my other article: How to lose weight fast. Otherwise keep trying to weight our options during your workout plans and see if you would rather workout with an empty stomach or a full stomach, well not so full as of course it needs to be controlled and balanced with proper nutrition for your well-being.
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