How long do you wait to exercise after you eat?

brassnuts · #1 06-21-2005, 08:30 PM

People usually say 20-30 minutes. I usually wait at least an hour.

Yeti · #2 06-21-2005, 08:31 PM

Exercise?

sublime · #3 06-21-2005, 08:31 PM

currently i have waited like a year. want to make sure i fully digested that meal from lasty may,

billyjex · #4 06-21-2005, 08:39 PM

it depends. if i'm just lifting i can go right after. if i'm running i want an hour+

Macdaddy Warsaw · #5 06-21-2005, 08:39 PM

I wait about an hour, but I usually exercise after breakfast which is usually cold cereal and it doesn't begin to sit well until about an hour after I've eaten.

brassnuts · #6 06-21-2005, 08:40 PM

[ QUOTE ]
it depends. if i'm just lifting i can go right after. if i'm running i want an hour+

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I meant cardio.

stankybank · #7 06-21-2005, 08:42 PM

I've heard from a trainer at Bally's that you should wait 1 1/2 hours after you eat before you exercise and to wait 1 1/2 hours after you exercise until you eat.

So don't eat before or after you exercise unless 1 1/2 hours have passed.

Personally, I like to wait 30 min for a light workout and 1 hr for a heavy one. Or else I start to feel lazy and want to throw up.

Blarg · #8 06-21-2005, 08:44 PM

I usually like to wait at least an hour, preferably more, unless it's just a "quick pick me up" meal eaten to keep from feeling like I'm starving. Like something easily digestible that charges me up, like an apple or an orange or something. I can eat that much, feel a little charged up and normal again, and still be able to exercise without feeling discomfort in under an hour.

Ideally, if it's a big meal or it's been a day since I've taken a crap, I like a couple hours to get my food working through my system and see if I can take a crap before exercising. I'm usually a lot, uh, "lighter on my feet" and energetic during a work-out, or all day, if I've pinched a loaf before working out. Plus, I'd rather do it at home than interrupt a run to take a crap or something. And finding a clean-ish public bathroom isn't always all that easy, either.

wacki · #9 06-21-2005, 08:46 PM

[ QUOTE ]
currently i have waited like a year. want to make sure i fully digested that meal from lasty may,

[/ QUOTE ]

Just curious how much do you weigh?

atnels · #10 06-21-2005, 08:46 PM

Simply put, it's all about blood distribution. Digesting takes up blood, which deprives other areas of your body (i.e. muscles) from getting oxygen. An hour each way is pretty standard.

Eating too quickly before you work out will decrease your workout efficiency, eating too soon after will make you sleepy because now there isn't enough blood to go around.