Is It Safe to Work Out On an Empty Stomach?
If you’re trying to lose weight, you might think working out or going for a run on an empty stomach is the way to go. If you’ve got no calories to burn, your body is just burning fat, and that’s what you want, right? But is working out on an empty stomach safe?
Working out on an empty stomach is called working out in a “fasting state.” Technically, waking up and rolling out of bed to go for a run first thing in the morning is working out in a fasted state. You’ve been asleep and have probably “fasted” for eight to 12 hours, depending on when you ate your last meal or snack before bedtime.
When you work out, your body starts off burning the glucose stored in your muscles and liver for energy. Once that stored glucose, or carbs, are used up, your body will then start burning stored fat. The thing about a fasted workout is that your body will already be low on carbs to begin with because the stored carbohydrates will deplete naturally while you’re fasting or sleeping. That means if you exercise as soon as you wake up in the morning, without eating, your body would need to start burning fat a lot sooner than if you had just fueled up with breakfast.
Excerpted from Baby Gaga
