Is it better to do aerobic exercise before or after a meal?

Should aerobic exercise be done before or after meals? In fact, there is no absolute standard answer. It all depends on your exercise goals, physical foundation and daily routine. The best solution is the one that suits you.

Speaking of this, someone must mention the fasted aerobics school that has been popular in the fitness circle for many years. Most of my friends who run marathons are fans of this genre. When running 20 kilometers on weekends, they usually get up in the morning, drink a glass of warm water, eat half a banana and go out. Even when I was brushing my body fat before, I also tried to climb 20 flights of stairs in the morning for half a month. It is indeed faster than taking off the scale after dinner at night. The core logic is also very simple: after a night of consumption, the body's glycogen reserves are at a low level. If you do low-to-medium intensity aerobics at this time, the proportion of fat energy supply can be 10%-20% higher than after a meal. It is really cost-effective for people who want to quickly remove fat. But there is really no need to be stubborn. A while ago, my colleague danced Pamela on an empty stomach for 40 minutes in order to catch up on the progress of wearing small skirts in the summer. At the end of the dance, his eyes were dark and he held on to the yoga mat for ten minutes before standing up. People who have hypoglycemia, anemia or stomach problems should not join in the fun.

The opposite of the fasting party, the after-dinner party actually has a wider audience. Look at the grandparents in the community who walk around the garden after eating, the fitness enthusiasts who walk slowly for 40 minutes to brush fat after doing strength training in the gym, and even many athletes who are preparing for high-intensity competitions. Basically, they wait until digestion is almost done before moving after meals. A fitness blogger I know never dares to do aerobics on an empty stomach. He already has large muscles, and exercising on an empty stomach for more than half an hour will easily break down the muscles, which is not worth the gain. Oh, by the way, many people say that exercising after a meal can lead to gastroptosis. It is really not that exaggerated. As long as you don’t jump right after eating hot pot and barbecue, if you eat light food or simple meals, you can wait 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you eat a meal heavy in oil and salt, wait 1.5 to 2 hours. It will not cause any burden on the gastrointestinal tract.

The controversy about these two options has never stopped on the Internet, and the two most commonly mentioned misunderstandings should also be clarified. First of all, it is a bit alarmist to say that "fasting aerobics will definitely cause muscle loss". If you only do 20 to 30 minutes of low-to-medium intensity exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, and climbing stairs, and your muscle mass is not particularly low, the muscle loss is almost negligible. If you are really worried, taking a sip of branched-chain amino acids before going out can solve the problem. On the other hand, there is no need to complain that "after-meal aerobics are all for nothing and will not help you lose weight." As long as you exercise for long enough, your heart rate reaches the standard, and the total calories consumed are there, the fat will still be burned. It is nothing more than a slight difference in the energy supply ratio, and it really doesn't have that big of an impact on ordinary fitness enthusiasts.

I have tried both modes myself. When I want to quickly lose body fat in the summer, I get up early and climb 20 floors, and eat a small piece of bread before going out. I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. The effect is really good for losing 1.5 points of body fat in two weeks. When winter comes and I can't get up, I take an hour's break after dinner and go jogging three kilometers in the park. After sweating a little, I go home to take a shower and go to sleep. The quality of my sleep improves. There is even a compromise route. Eat a protein bar before get off work, go to the gym and do the elliptical machine for 40 minutes. It doesn’t count as a strict fasting or just after a meal, but it is still very comfortable.

To put it bluntly, the core of aerobic exercise is first that you have to move, and secondly that you can persist for a long time. As for whether before or after a meal, there are really not so many rules. You can try it twice and choose whichever one is not uncomfortable and can still see the effect you want. You can't make up for the so-called "optimal time" by either making yourself dizzy with hunger or suffering from acid reflux in your stomach. Instead, you can't hold on for two days and then give up. That's really not worth the gain.