How many hours after eating can you train or play different sports? Why can’t you play sports or exercise immediately after eating? When is the best time to exercise before and after meals?

Nutrition before and after training - features. Consequences of violations of the daily routine.

A beautiful, toned body is the dream of a person of any age. Only constant training and a healthy lifestyle with properly selected nutrition will help bring it to life.

Successful smiling athletes are very serious about maintaining their daily routine and rest. Knowing the value of good health and exercise, they strictly adhere to nutritional rules before and after scheduled classes.

Why can’t you play sports or exercise immediately after eating?

There are several explanations and each of them is from practice:

• Heartburn. As a result of disruption of the digestion process, people with gastroenterological diseases experience increased discomfort in the stomach, including heartburn.
• Vomit possible if you ate just before entering the gym and did exercises that involved lifting weights or bending down.
• Low effectiveness of exercises. The desire to take a nap or at least sit quietly increases after eating. There is increased fatigue from training, laziness to complete the exercises to the required number of approaches, while they are performed with minimal effort. You may want to stop and talk to someone or check your phone.
• Preservation of subcutaneous fat. After food is ingested, an increased amount of the hormone serotonin is produced. On the one hand, it relaxes the body, and on the other, it blocks the process of fat breakdown. The last point is extremely important if your goal is to lose weight and get your body in good shape.
• Difficulty in digestion e - instead of the stomach, blood begins to flow to the muscles, which are under increased stress. The body tries to regulate this by constricting blood vessels. As a result, all tissues and organs suffer, especially the heart and digestive system.

How many hours after eating, breakfast, lunch can you train or play different sports?

Definitely do not go to the gym immediately after waking up. Have breakfast first. If you are short on time and don’t want to miss your morning workout, eat a couple of fruits, such as apples or peaches. They will be absorbed quickly, and you can start training in just a quarter of an hour.

In the case of lunch, do sports and physical activity at least an hour later, optimally after 2-3. The reason lies in the combination of different products, the digestion time for which is different.

The easier the sport is in terms of physical activity, the sooner you can start exercising after eating. For example, for a chess lesson, allow 5-10 minutes of time, but before training in hand-to-hand combat or boxing, maybe 3 hours will not be enough.

When is the best time to exercise before and after meals?

Consider your diet and the type of sport you do.

• If you prefer to eat heavily 3 times, then keep the interval before class as long as possible. Focus on your feelings - the absence of heaviness in the stomach indicates the absorption of food and future comfort from the workout.
• For an adherent of small and frequent meals, a 1.5 hour break before starting physical activity is enough.

After training, if you are not involved in bodybuilding, eat within 20 minutes. This time is called the anabolic window, when all food that enters the stomach is digested quickly and without harm to the figure. Of course, we are not talking about fatty foods and fast food.

So, we looked at the features of eating before and after training so that the latter has the maximum effect for your body, well-being and mood.

Be healthy, eat right and enjoy the activities you love!

Video: how many hours before training can you eat?

Let's understand what happens in the body during and after training, and what and when you need to eat to achieve your goal. By the way, proper nutrition before and after physical activity is no less important than the exercise itself, because it directly affects the processes of burning fat and gaining muscle mass.
First, let's define our goals. Usually, people start playing sports for three reasons:
1) Tighten your body and gain muscle tone (read, turn fat into muscle);
2) Lose weight;
3) Greatly increase muscle mass. We will not consider how to eat in this case. Building a body (bodybuilding) requires a very special nutritional system; This is a separate topic that goes beyond the scope of the blog. (Since we raised it, let me remind you: by doing my workouts, you are completely exactly Not turn into bodybuilders/w.)

Now everything is in order.

I. If your goal is to turn fat into muscle

NUTRITION BEFORE TRAINING
The best time to eat before training depends on your portion size. If you eat heavily 3 times a day, then it is better to start exercising 2-3 hours after eating. Eat foods that combine complex carbohydrates and proteins (grains and vegetables are suitable). Carbohydrates will charge the brain and muscles with energy (this is necessary for muscle endurance), and squirrels will provide working muscles with amino acids.
If you are a supporter of fractional meals (you eat often and in small portions), then you can start training within an hour. In this case, fruits are also suitable: for example, bananas, peaches. They will increase glucose levels, which will serve as a good source of energy for the whole body.
Remember three main rules:
– Immediately before physical activity there should be no heaviness in the stomach or a feeling of weakness.
– The pre-workout meal should not contain large amounts of fat: Fatty foods slow down the digestion process, stay in the stomach longer and can cause heaviness and nausea.
– Do not exercise in the morning on an empty stomach. If you don’t have time for a full breakfast, eat a couple of fruits (although for me, for example, this is the first breakfast every day :)). The fact is that after sleep, your metabolism is slower, and without breakfast you will burn fewer calories than you could.
Some people recommend drinking a glass of strong black coffee or green tea before training. This will increase endurance and also help the body mobilize fat from fat cells and use it as fuel.

POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION
It is recommended to eat within 20 minutes after training, no later: during this period of time the anabolic window for the consumption of proteins and carbohydrates is open. Everything that gets into your body will be used to restore and increase muscle mass, and not to fat, and the body will accumulate muscle mass instead of fat. (From my own experience, I advise you to make this meal light (after all, we only need to tighten the body and gain muscle tone), and after a couple of hours you can already eat the usual sized portion.)
Carbohydrates needed to replenish the supply of glycogen (sugar) in the liver. Moreover, consuming fast carbohydrates leads to a surge in insulin, which will help build muscle tissue. Good sources of carbohydrates in this case are rice, potatoes, pasta, vegetables, fruits, and juices.
Task proteins– replenishment of amino acid reserves – building material for muscles and more. Any cereals, grains, cereals with a high protein content, as well as meat, poultry, fish or eggs are suitable.
Fat will only slow down the intake of carbohydrates and proteins, so it is better to abstain from high-fat foods after exercise.
Within two hours after training, you should also exclude everything that contains caffeine: coffee, tea, chocolate. Caffeine inhibits the absorption of proteins and carbohydrates, which means it interferes with the process of muscle recovery and strengthening.

II. If your goal is to lose weight (burn fat without strengthening muscles).
Think about whether you really need it and read here. If yes, then move on.

NUTRITION BEFORE TRAINING
The last meal should be no later than 3 hours before physical activity, and it is better to avoid heavy carbohydrates. Eat vegetables and protein. Then glycogen (the main form of glucose storage in muscles) will be quickly used up, and the body will receive energy from fat deposits.

POST-WORKOUT NUTRITION
After training, it is better not to eat for 2 hours, but you can drink sweetened water (with a teaspoon of honey or jam) or juices. Metabolism remains elevated for about two hours after exercise, and if the muscles do not have material to build during this time, you will burn fat, but there will be no muscle gain.

Let's destroy another old common myth that you shouldn't drink during or after training. FORGET! Not only is it possible, need to drink!
With regular fluid replenishment, fat burning during training will be most effective, but if you are dehydrated, the effect of training will be small. Moreover, you should not focus on the feeling of thirst. During sports, it is most often dulled, so drink regularly, even if you feel like you don’t want to. When thirst receptors “wake up”, the body will already be dehydrated. This is harmful and slows down your metabolism.
You need to drink a couple of sips, and the frequency depends on the type of workout. If you are training with me, it is better to drink about every 3-5 minutes. If in a fitness club (where workouts are less intense but last longer), then every 15 minutes. After training, you also need to drink a lot of water. If you don’t like plain water, dilute it with honey or drink green tea.

Know that proper nutrition before and after training will help you get the maximum effect from it, and ignorance of the above rules can make all your efforts in vain. Finally, remember that results should not be judged by weight, but by the image in the mirror: muscle is heavier than fat, and therefore a slight increase in weight does not necessarily mean that you have increased in volume. Most likely, fat is finally turning into muscle!

Good luck,
Christina.

The information that after eating it is not recommended to subject the body to any physical activity has been known since school days. If you neglect this advice, you may experience a feeling of discomfort, fatigue and even nausea. That is why it is important to know when you can exercise after eating, so that the workout only brings benefits and is truly effective. It is worth saying that there are many different opinions about whether you should eat before exercising, and some even prefer to eat on an empty stomach. All these issues need to be sorted out once and for all.

Food is the main source of energy that a person expends, including during sports. In order to process food and obtain the necessary substances from it, the body needs time and exercise during this period, that is, it is not recommended to subject itself to additional stress.

Why you should not exercise after eating:

1. If little time has passed after eating, then any workout will certainly cause a feeling of discomfort and heaviness in the stomach. In addition, food provokes an increase in the level of serotonin in the blood and the person feels comfortable and a little sleepy, which means that the effectiveness of training at such a time decreases significantly. Experienced trainers, when talking about how long after eating you can’t exercise, most often give the same answer – 2-3 hours.
2. Exercising after a heavy meal slows down the digestion process. This is due to the fact that during exercise a lot of blood flows to the muscles, and in order to restore balance, the body constricts the vessels that take part in other processes, in this case, digestion. In such situations, many people complain of seizures.
3. It is worth mentioning another unpleasant consequence of training after eating - the occurrence of heartburn, gastroesophageal reflex and, in some cases, vomiting.
4. Many women train in order to get rid of excess fat, but training immediately after eating suppresses the body's ability to use up accumulated fat.

Many people believe that it is best to train on an empty stomach, since during the digestion of food the body uses up available energy, and this reduces performance. First of all, this concerns breakfast. A huge number of people, going for a morning jog, drink only a cup of tea or coffee. Experts believe that this is a serious mistake, since the level of glycogen in the blood decreases overnight, so it is mandatory before training. It is recommended to stick to the golden mean, that is, not to overeat, but not to starve. The morning meal should be light. Experts, thinking about how long after breakfast you can exercise, talk about a short period of time - 1 hour. This time is enough for the food to be absorbed.

How long after eating can you do different sports?

The time periods given above are average values, which may differ for different sports. After a heavy meal, you need to train no later than 3 hours. If the load during training will fall on the abdominal muscles, then it is recommended to increase the time even more. Breathing exercises and meditation should not be performed earlier than 3 hours after eating, and it is best to do this on an empty stomach.

As for when you can eat after a workout, it all depends on the desired result. If the goal is to lose weight, then it is recommended not to eat anything for at least an hour, and if you want to increase body weight, then your meal should be immediately after exercise and you need to eat something protein.

How long after eating can you exercise? This information will be useful to anyone who is interested in training. Playing sports, leading a healthy lifestyle and eating right are, perhaps, the three most important rules on the path to beauty and health.

How long after eating can you exercise?

When, where and how to exercise correctly so that the results from physical exercise are as effective as possible? Since childhood, we have known the fact that after eating we don’t need to run and jump, but rather sit quietly or lie down for a while.

Nutrition is a kind of fuel for the body. That is, people draw energy from food in order to spend it later. It takes a certain amount of time to process food and take the substances we need from it. When the body is busy processing food, it is better not to burden it with anything else at this time.

What is the best time to exercise? If you start exercising immediately after eating, you may feel a heaviness in your stomach. The more you eat, the longer it will take before you start exercising. Ideally, it is not recommended to exercise within two to three hours after eating. The discomfort and heaviness in the stomach that accompany the exercises will not allow them to be carried out efficiently. In addition, after eating you often want to sleep. There can be no effective good training in such a state.

When is the best time to exercise to lose weight? Exercising after meals slows down the process of digesting food. During exercise, muscles work and blood flows to them. In order for the blood to flow in a larger volume, the body constricts blood vessels for other actions, including digestion. There is no necessary blood flow for digestion.

The stomach and muscles begin to compete with each other for the amount of blood. This reduces the effectiveness of the exercises performed and impairs digestion. That is, there is no point in eating or exercising. Constriction of blood vessels during digestion of food can even cause convulsions, and this is in no way compatible with health.

If a person is susceptible to such an unpleasant sensation as heartburn, then most likely it will appear if he starts exercising after eating. Vomiting may also occur.

Many people engage in fitness to lose weight and lose weight. Workouts that are performed immediately after eating do not bring the desired effect, and fat burning does not occur. After eating, the body needs time to release adrenaline and slow down the production of insulin in the body. The function of insulin is to store nutrients, including fat.

Although it is recommended to refrain from exercising for two to three hours, everyone’s body characteristics are different. Some people have better metabolism, some have worse metabolism. Therefore, everyone should have their own duration of the break from eating to the start of classes.

What time of day is best to exercise?

What is the best time to exercise? There is an opinion that you can exercise on an empty stomach. However, this is not always the case. For example, if a person gets into jogging in the morning and does not eat anything before training, then this is a serious mistake.

It is necessary to have breakfast before training, since at night the level of glycogen in the blood decreases, the lack of glucose is not replenished and there is not enough energy for the body.

It should be said that you should not overeat in the morning. Breakfast should be light; the break between breakfast and sports should be no more than an hour.

At what time should you train to achieve good results?

Physical exercises can be performed at any time of the day, but there are a number of recommendations.

They depend on the types of sports. In the morning, an hour after breakfast, it is better to choose running, walking, swimming, cycling, etc.

When is the best time to exercise, what time of day is best for exercise? In the daytime, if your schedule allows, engage in any sport. The main thing to remember is that it is not recommended to eat carbohydrates at least two hours before training for better burning of fat reserves.

Within an hour or two after training, you should also not eat bread, sweets, or cereals, that is, we do not allow the muscles to feed on sugars. This is the main rule of nutrition during training. In the evening, playing sports is possible, but can provoke insomnia.

The effectiveness of the training itself largely depends on nutrition before and after physical activity. Should you eat before exercising or is it better to exercise in the morning on an empty stomach? What should be the diet for different power loads? Not only when, but also what is - another important issue that requires separate consideration.

Nutritional Features

The debate surrounding the advisability of eating before exercise continues. Proponents of an early breakfast rightly note: after intense training, the level of glucose in the blood sharply decreases, and along with it, the supply of glycogen decreases. The result may be a hungry faint. Opponents of breakfast before exercise argue that eating early slows down the process of burning fat, and you should eat after training. The veracity of this thesis is confirmed by research in recent years.

To find out how exercising on an empty stomach helps you lose weight, scientists from Harvard University conducted an experiment among three groups of volunteers. The first team first went to the gym, and then to the dining room. The morning of the second group, on the contrary, began with breakfast, followed by a half-hour training session. Still others did not try at all, but only ate. The result of the month-long experiment was weight loss among participants in the first two groups. The growth of muscle mass in active subjects was approximately the same. Those who started exercising on an empty stomach lost more weight, as they lost 30% more fat than those who had breakfast before physical activity.

You need to decide when to eat - before or after exercise - individually, based on the characteristics of the body and training. When the morning begins with 10-minute exercises, you can do without breakfast - drink a glass of slightly sweetened water. If you exercise for 20–40 minutes, glycogen consumption increases, so it’s better to start the day with a light snack. Breakfast can consist of a banana or a handful of dried fruits, a glass of juice diluted with water or herbal tea with honey.

After a morning jog or gymnastics, you must eat, but after 30 minutes. It is best to have complex carbohydrates and proteins for breakfast. An approximate list of products could be as follows: a slice of bran bread, a glass of drink, porridge with water or bran. Such a menu, on the one hand, will preserve the weight loss effect, on the other hand, it will charge the body with energy.

Daytime and evening sports are more intense than exercise, so it is not advisable to exercise on an empty stomach. At the same time, eating a large meal immediately before physical activity can trigger an attack of nausea and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. When is the right time to eat? Those who want to lose weight by burning fat should eat 3 hours before training. If for some reason you didn’t manage to eat a full meal on time, you can have a snack half an hour before class: drink a smoothie or eat a piece of fruit.

Before strength training for weight loss, preference should be given to protein products, since the amino acids they contain are involved in the construction and restoration of muscle fibers. Proteins need to be supplemented with complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. Vegetables (with the exception of potatoes and corn) and fruits are rich in such organic substances. There is a lot of both protein and complex carbohydrates in beans, lentils, chickpeas, brown rice, buckwheat, and cereals.

An approximate pre-workout menu might look like this:

• porridge with banana pieces and berries;
• salad with bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini.
• boiled rice with vegetable salad and herbs.

During aerobic training, the body needs complex carbohydrates more than proteins. Nuts, fruits and vegetables, brown rice or oatmeal help maintain stable blood sugar levels during exercise. It is also not worth giving up foods rich in amino acids. It is recommended to include them in the diet. Legumes are the most valuable.

After training, the main source of energy for the body is fat reserves, so it is better to abstain from food for two hours. You can curb your appetite with sweetened water (with the addition of a teaspoon of honey) or herbal tea without sugar. After the allotted time, you need to eat some protein. In this case, it is not recommended to eat sweet fruits and drink packaged juices.

When the goal of the workout is not to lose weight, but to transform fat into muscle, you can eat food closer to the workout. Athletes who are accustomed to 3 meals a day should preferably eat 2 hours before. The pre-workout meal should be complete, optimally combining proteins with complex carbohydrates. For supporters of fractional meals, it is advisable to exercise an hour after a light snack. Suitable for it: one large fruit or a handful of berries with a low glycemic index. You can also drink a cup of herbal tea to improve your stamina.

Approximate pre-workout menu:

• boiled vegetables with brown rice;
• baked potatoes with herbs;
• porridge with fruit.

After physical exercise to gain muscle mass, it is best to eat within the next 20–30 minutes. During this period, the so-called “anabolic window” opens - the metabolic phase most favorable for muscle growth. Protein-carbohydrate nutrition allows you to use it wisely. Immediately after the training, you can prepare a vitamin drink by diluting honey and rosehip decoction (1.5 teaspoons each), and lemon juice (teaspoon) in a glass of water.

Another cocktail will allow you to saturate your body. To prepare it you need to take:

• 600 g water;
• medium sized banana;
• some berries (cranberries, raspberries or others, if desired);
• crushed oatmeal - 2 tablespoons. l.;
• natural honey – 2 tables. l.;
• a pinch of cinnamon.

All ingredients are mixed with a mixer. The cocktail is drunk in small sips.

Carbohydrates in the post-workout menu should be quick. These are found in honey, brown sugar, raisins, and dates. There are enough simple carbohydrates in baked potatoes, brown rice, bananas, kiwi, and watermelons. There is no need to fear that sugars will be harmful, since during the “anabolic window” they are absorbed 3 times faster.

Drinking regime during training

You need to play sports according to the rules, for example, drink a lot even when you don’t feel like it. It is advisable to start training with a glass of water. Then drink a little every 15 minutes. Why is this necessary? When performing exercises, the body loses a lot of fluid through sweat. Due to dehydration, the overall health of the athlete worsens. Initially, there is a feeling of dry mouth and a feeling of thirst. Then there is a loss of strength and dizziness. With prolonged lack of water, irritability increases and appetite disappears.

Thus, it is not so important whether you exercise before or after meals. The main thing is to follow the rules of training and nutrition. In addition, you should pay attention to your food intake and the dishes on your table: the diet should be balanced, and the timing should comply with the recommendations of professionals.