When to eat, when to exercise? page

[fillyone]

After a year of dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis and some pretty ugly medications I'm finally upright and mobile again


That said, my body is in pretty sad shape to say the least. At this point an exercise bike and walking is pretty much it for me - I'll add more later as my body gets back to a more normal.

All that said - Eat before the bike/walk or after?

Thanks!!

[ToniWA]

I'm a big fan of working out/walking on an empty stomach. I actually fast almost everyday until after my workouts. The fasts are usually 16-22 hrs depending on work and whatnot.
It's up to you and what feels right, basically. Are you riding/walking in the morning? Waking up and going out on an empty stomach might feel fantastic! Or after work to shake off the day and whatever you were dealing with might feel fantastic! I'm betting the majority of your responses will be to not eat before your exercise and eat when you feel hungry.
But whatever you do, congratulations on feeling better and getting moving!

[schadowrider]

I also find *what* I'm going to be doing (intensity level-wise) makes a big difference. I definitely prefer to do an HIIT or lifting/KB workout on an empty stomach (and if it's not, it will be! ), but a nice low-cardio walk or easy bike ride feels great after a meal...

[eva]

im in the exercise when fasted and eat when hungry camp

[Beef Cake]

I work out at 5 or 5:30 a.m. on an empty stomach, other than a glass of water upon waking. I then have my morning smoothie about an hour after working out. Strength training (free weights) is done on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. HIIT is done on Tuesday and Friday all on an empty stomach.

[coach81]

Yesterday I had a very intense 40 min cardio session on an empty stomach.. then I fasted all morning.. it felt great, and when I did eat the food tasted sooo good!!!

[Lolly]

I too have RA and am in the process of weaning myself off Enbrel. Exercise is critical for the RA sufferer, no matter how bad the pain, i still did whatever i could do. Now that i have beaten it into remission/submission, I am attacking fitness with more gusto than ever.

I too strongly prefer to workout on an empty or near empty stomach. At most, i will consume a primal friendly carby food (like a small sweet potato) about 1-2 before exercise but i usually just do it first thing in the morning after rolling out of bed, which by default, puts me in a lightly fasted state.

[fillyone]

Congratulations Lolly on the remission!! I'm still on all the ugly medications though weaning off the Prednisone now and hopeful for a wean off Methotrexate and Humira in the future.

I've been exercising in the morning, but hope to got back to work in about 10 days and I'm not sure I can do morning exercise if my schedule is the same as it was before I got sick (up at 5:00 and in the office by 6:00) so it may be after work that I exercise.

Thank you all for your input, I do appreciate it!!

[BarbeyGirl]

If your goal is to lose bodyfat (I can't tell from your OP), it's helpful to do interval and strength training on an empty stomach and continue fasting for at least an hour afterwards to maximize the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) benefits.

If, however, you're already as lean as you want to be and are looking to build strength, it's best to take in some post-workout fuel. (To eat or not to eat BEFORE a workout remains a highly personal decision you have to make based on your own experimentation.)

[fillyone]

BarbeyGirl - First goal is weight loss (30ish pounds) but I'd like to build strength as well since my large muscle groups have been so impacted from taking Prednisone for the last year (tapering off now, down to 6mg a day from 10mg but will take about 5-6 months to get completely off).

I have very whimpy 1 pound wrist weights but that is it in my house