To Eat or Not To Eat!

And the answer is - of course! One must eat and eat often.  Clients frequently ask me if they should eat before a work out and/or how long after they workout should they eat.  There was a school of thought (I believe back in the 90's) that you should work out on an empty stomach so that you burn more calories.  Turns out that's not true.  Your body needs glucose for fuel (in addition to those fat stores). If you don't have any blood sugar available, your body will eat the muscles' glycogen. Plus low blood sugar will make you tired and sluggish during your training session.

Best to have a light meal approximately 45 minutes before your workout.  You'll have more energy for your workout, more endurance to work harder which will burn more calories, and improve muscle tone. After your workout there is approximately 45 to 60 minutes that your muscles absorb the most nutrients, and glycogen is replaced the most efficiently.  So it's just as important to eat something immediately after a workout.  Something with both protein and carbs - like yogurt, protein shake or peanut butter and banana.

Think of your body like a car.  You wouldn't (couldn't) run a car on a empty tank and your body is no different. Fill it up with premium food AND just like you wouldn't keep putting fuel in your car's tank once it's full , learn to also keep your metabolism stoked by frequent small meals so that you do not overeat.  Your body will thank you and the reward will be a sleek, smooth running machine.