Day 25: What Happens if You Exercise Too Soon After Eating
The Pros
There are many perks to grabbing a pre-workout snack, making it something many registered dietitians recommend. A registered dietitian and founder of Brittany Model Nutrition and Wellness in New York City, you should treat your pre-workout foods as fuel. The right foods “can help prevent low blood sugar, settle your stomach and fuel your muscles,” she says.
If you’ve ever exercised right after eating only to feel nauseated, you’re not alone. “Some people can eat minutes before exercising and have no issues. Others must wait at least 30 to 60 minutes.
The Cons
While the body is still able to digest food during easy and moderately hard exercise, that’s not the case during more sweat-inducing sessions. “During intense exercise, there is a shift of blood flow from stomach to working muscles, which may create some gastrointestinal issues,” Modell says.
Examples include stomachaches, nausea, and heartburn. Because exercise can cause intra-abdominal pressure, it can lead to reflux and acid reflux-related symptoms during your workout. Sometimes it can even cause diarrhea, also known as runner’s diarrhea. That’s why it’s important to wait at least an hour or more before exercising after you’ve eaten a full meal. (But more on that below.