Running on an Empty Stomach - Should You Do It?

One of the common pieces of advice I hear around gyms is that it's not wise to eat for a few hours before you do cardio like running. This is due to a few reasons and theories which I'll cover in this article in which I'll try to see whether running on empty stomach is a good idea or a lousy one.

Here are some of the reasons why people claim that running on an empty stomach is the right thing to do:

1. Running when you're full is just hard and can make you sick - This is actually true and I can testify to that from personal experience. If you've had a big lunch 30 minutes ago, please don't go running. You may feel nausea. It can ruin your workout.

2. If you train on an empty stomach, your body will not have a readily available source of energy to tap into. It will have to go to your fat stores in order to get the energy it needs to complete your workout. It won't have a choice. This, according to people, is a way to force your body to burn more fat than it would have done otherwise. This sounds good in theory, but does it work?

Apparently not. Research has not shown any difference in the type of calorie being burned when working out on an empty stomach or after a small meal (I stress small). You won't be burning more fat just because you haven't eaten for a few hours. In fact, it may be the opposite.

In addition, have you ever tried working out after you've not eaten for hours? Unless you've actually overeaten before you went on this short fast, your body will indeed find it hard to find the energy to workout. It will be tired. You won't be able to do the kind of workout that you could have done had you eaten. You won't be able to stand the same intensity level. This will make your workout less effective and will results in fewer calories being burned.

Now, one way in which you can do a good workout on an empty stomach is by deliberately overeating sometime before. Some programs do that. However, this is not something I can discuss in this short article.

The main point is that runnning on an empty stomach is a bad idea. So is running on a full one. Eat a small snack more than 30 minutes before your workout for best results.

For a plan that uses overeating to lose more fat visit Cheat Your Way Thin. For more on this issue visit Cardio on An Empty Stomach. John Davenport lost over 30 pounds in his twenties after being overweight most of his life. He now runs a weight loss forum and publishes a diet and fitness newsletter.