Exercising After Eating

“How long should I wait to exercise after I eat?” This is a question asked to Liz Neporent on iVillage, and one which answers can be pretty useful to many of us. As a matter of fact, the general answer goes as follows:

Depending on how heavy a meal you eat, you should wait 30 minutes to two hours before exercising. The bigger the meal, the longer you will need to wait. If you just eat a light, high-carbohydrate snack like half a bagel or a few low-fat crackers, you should be good to go almost immediately.

This is, of course, a general guideline, and it truly depends on what exactly you eat, how “heavy” and “filling” it is, and how your body reacts. I’ve myself gone running one hour after a solid breakfast of whole-wheat bread and preserves, and I’ve never felt sick or weak. On other moments, though, it’s been like trying to haul myself out of a concrete-filled pit (not that it’s ever happened to me for real, mind you). I’ve also noticed that for me, “cardio” activities, such as biking or running, aren’t as much dependent on what I eat as sports that demand more raw power, so to say. There’s no way I can lift weights to full efficiency half a hour or one hour after lunch or dinner, no matter what I eat. In such circumstances, even average performances just don’t happen, period.

The fact is, when our bodies undergo the nice process of digestion, about 30% of our energy goes into that. Those who have trouble keeping their eyes open at 2pm after lunch probably know what it is well enough, although too heavy a meal is often to blame as well in these cases. It’s hard to be a powerhouse when we can’t use “all” of our energy, that is. On the other hand, it shouldn’t be impossible to exercise, as a lighter activity could then be doable, perhaps even with the added side-effect of “waking us up” a little.

In any case, better not eat too big meals, whether we’re meant to exercise after or not.