There are mixed opinions about running before breakfast. Some say that it’s safe and helps lose weight, while some believe that it leads to muscle loss. Let’s find out the truth in the light of science and decide if you should run before breakfast or not.
The Body Feeds On A Different Fuel When You Run Before Breakfast
Running After Breakfast: The rule of thumb is that when you go for a run after eating something, the energy from the food is stored in the form of carbs in our liver and muscles and is referred to as glycogen. This form of energy is utilized by the body and helps us do activities such as run. This is the normal case when we eat before running.
Running Before Breakfast: What’s the catch behind going for a run before breakfast? Where do we get the energy in this case if we do not eat anything? Is it safe? Let’s find out:
When there’s no stored glycogen in the body, our body switches to another source of fuel, fats. The stored fat in our body keeps us going when we are on an empty stomach.
How Does Our Body Switch To Consuming Fat Instead Of Glycogen?
There’s always some amount of fat stored in our body, and our fuel consumption source switches automatically when our body runs out of glycogen (food energy). So, this process will trigger whenever you run before breakfast or any time on an empty stomach.
Is It Safe To Run Before Breakfast?
It depends on your body. Several studies have been conducted on this matter and the outcome has always been the same. For instance, according to this study, burning fat as fuel is safe as long as you’re performing low-intensity exercises. By long-intensity exercise, we mean to take a slow and steady jog. So, to answer the question, yes, it is safe to run before breakfast.
What Are The Advantages Of Running Before Breakfast?
– Weight Loss: The first benefit of running before breakfast is that you’ll lose a hefty amount of weight, quickly. Why? Because your body is running on fat, not glucose (glycogen). So, the excess amount of fat in the body will burn fast.
– No Stomach Upsets: You must have felt the sloshing of water and food in the stomach after eating your breakfast when you go for a run. This often upsets the stomach and promotes nausea.
Thankfully, in case of running before breakfast, you feel 100% healthy and focused since there’s no food in your stomach.
– Possible Improvement In Performance: Surprisingly, you could run better without having breakfast before going for a run. To prove this claim, a study was conducted on cyclists where they were kept in a fasting state overnight. The results were rather promising in the morning when they went for a cycling session. It showed a drastic improvement in their performance.
Is Running Before Breakfast For Everyone?
Not really. Different people have different bodies. Some have a faster metabolism that helps them run without any issues, while some people can feel a bit dizzy due to faster stamina consumption and burning up valuable energy rapidly compared to others.
So, all in all, test-run yourself to figure out if running before breakfast is for you or not.
