I read recently that it's not a good idea to run on an empty stomach because it can lead to muscle wastage, especially for older people, of whom I am one. I presume the theory is that the body takes energy from your muscles if you haven't eaten. Since I started running last February, I've almost always run first thing - get up, run, shower, breakfast then on with the day - and I haven't noticed any ill effects. Any thoughts on this?
Is it harmful to run before breakfast? - Couch to 5K
Is it harmful to run before breakfast?
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The running takes glycogen stored in muscles for about 60-90 minutes and then makes more from blood sugar and carbs, and then fat. I’m thinking it would have to be a long run to do harm. Most runners eat little or nothing if running in the morning.
Thanks - that makes good sense to me.
The theory and I agree... it takes energy from the muscles😂. Dunno where else it would come from.... your body will fuel with the fastest method... turning a banana into sugars and then glycogen isn’t as fast as using the glycogen that was already there.
Ok... if you run a marathon on no breakfast you’re gonna hit a wall earlier than 20 miles, but I assume all marathon runners know about these issues.
I’m assuming the article used a very small sample and someone had an undiagnosed medical condition causing their results... or the test runs were stupidly long... of they went on blood samples and saw depleated sugars, and didn’t understand that this is normal as fat takes 40 chemical reactions to turn into sugar, sugar takes one, maybe two to become glycogen... so in the absence of carbs, blood sugars would dip. Maybe somebody was prediabetic?!
Thanks for taking the time to reply. The article isn't specifically about running but about exercise in general, particularly for people wanting to lose weight, and yes, I think it only used a sample of 12 people so not really representative. I have no intention of attempting a marathon! So I'll just stick with what I've been doing ☺
Ah... maybe they’re saying people who skip breakfast? Skipping breakfast causes weight gain for one of two reasons... either you go on to snack all day and overeat, or you don’t eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode and stores everything it can as fat. Either of these I could see being massively magnified by taking exercise.
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Hopefully not.. been doing it three times a week since 2015... ( I am 68 now)...om a cup of tea and two light digestive biscuits, about 45 mins before my run...
Breakfast is what I look forward to afterwards E,g. Avocado on home made bread toast... with a poached egg on top..yummy!!!
If you eat healthily and hydrate well all the time.. you should be absolutely fine...
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Not something that I have heard before, but my immediate response would be along the lines of UnfitNoMore
Can you give a link or reference to the article, please.
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There’s no way I could run after eating, so I hope that’s not the case! I have a bite of banana beforehand, the rest of it on the way home, then a lovely breakfast as a reward when I get there! 🏃♀️😋
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They did an experiment which seemed to suggest that it was different for men and women bbc.co.uk/programmes/articl...
also here - webcache.googleusercontent....
I’m no spring chicken and find that if I eat within a couple of hours before running in the morning I’m likely to get a stitch. I’ll have a cappuccino to wake me up and make sure I’ve been to the loo before heading out. When I get back I’ll have a protein shake first, then a normal breakfast e.g. yoghurt with a banana & granola.
I’m advised the protein shake is important to build the muscle and reduce cramp.
That seems to be working for me!
Protein shake? Mmmm - I might try that 🤔
They’re not cheap - best value can be found at Home Bargains. They’re rated in quality by how much protein is in 25g of powder - go for at least 20g per 25g. The protein is in the form of whey powder which you mix with water. I find they fill you up - reducing carb cravings - and seem to reduce muscle cramps too. Good luck! 🥛
Only water? What do they taste like? 😝
They don’t taste great to be honest, and tend to be artificially flavoured e.g. vanilla. But it’s a quick fix that you can do in no time and then have something more tasty afterwards🍰
I get a Kg bag online and use a banana and whiz it up and glug it down so not much 'tasting' done - I'm a veggie and go for the pea protein which is a bit less protein than the whey protein but not by too much.