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Should I work out on an empty stomach?

FAQ

Short answer: There are benefits to training both fasted and fuelled but it really depends on your individual goals.

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Should I work out on an empty stomach?

To eat or not to eat? This is the question among many exercise enthusiasts. The most important question is, what is your goal? Is it to either burn more fat or kilojoules, or to improve performance?

With that in mind, here are a few things to consider:

When do you train?

If you train first thing in the morning when you wake up, you can benefit from training fasted as glycogen stores are depleted and your body will lean more toward fat burning. But, training with depleted glycogen stores means you are unlikely to be able to train at as high an intensity as if you eat prior, therefore burning less total kilojoules.

What is your training intensity?

If you train at a higher intensity you will need more carbohydrates for energy so if this is your style of training, and you want to get the most out of your sessions then fuelling before training has its benefits. But, if you are exercising at a low-moderate intensity, your body will use a higher proportion of fat as fuel and you are unlikely to feel any performance effects from not eating.

What is your goal?

Establishing your exercise goal will helpyou decide whether to eat or not beforehand. If your goal is weight (fat) loss, then fasting before exercise can help to burn more fat and also keep your total kilojoules down for the day. If your goal is maximising your performance gains, then fuelling prior may be recommended.

How do you feel exercising with or without eating prior?

You need to consider how fasting or eating before exercise makes you feel. If training fasted makes you feel nauseated or dizzy, then this option is not for you. If you feel bloated or heavy when fuelling before exercise, then perhaps you should consider eating less or not eating before exercise.

The Bottom line:

There are benefits to training both fasted and fuelled but it really depends on your individual goals. Perhaps including a mix of both throughout your workout week can help to maximise both fat burning and sports performance.

Your Personal Healthy Eating Quiz

What you eat or don’t eat affects how you look, feel and perform. Take our short quiz to find out what foods you could introduce to help you be your best.

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What is healthy eating?

Eating healthy is making sure you enjoy a wide variety of foods from each of the five major food groups daily, in the amounts recommended. The five major food groups as recommended by the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating are:

  1. vegetables and legumes/bean
  2. fruit
  3. lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans
  4. grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties
  5. milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat.

Foods are grouped together because they provide similar amounts of key nutrients and eating a variety of foods from the list above helps to promote good health and reduce the risk of disease.

How do I improve my diet?

If you want to improve your diet you have come to the right place. By completing the Healthy Eating Quiz you’ll receive instant personalised feedback and a report on your diet quality to highlight any areas where you can improve your overall eating habits. Your score is based on the frequency and variety of the foods consumed from the five major food groups mentioned above. No Money No Time can help you improve your score by providing tips, goals and suggestions. On top of this we will provide quick, cheap and healthy recipes as well as credible answers to diet hacks, myths and FAQ’s.

Is my diet healthy?

Dietary habits are different between people. Some people choose to follow a particular diet (i.e., Keto diet or vegan diet) while some have to make changes due to certain food restrictions or health conditions. If you want to know if what you usually eat is healthy, then do the Healthy Eating Quiz today to give you the answers in less than 10 minutes.

Why is healthy eating important?

Your HEQ score and personalised feedback report is based on the frequency and variety of healthy core foods you usually eat. This is important because no single food contains all the nutrients we need to stay healthy. Some foods are higher in nutrients than others and people who have a lot of variety in the foods they eat are more likely to be healthy and to stay healthy. In other words, if you can eat a large variety of vegetables as opposed to only 2-3 types of vegetables, the benefits are much greater. This type of diet also helps you to feel better, think better and perform better during your usual daily activities.

Take the Healthy Eating Quiz