SHOULD I WORK OUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

Should I Work Out on an Empty Stomach is a question that many people ask. Science has not always agreed. In the past the answer to the questions of Should I Work Out on an Empty Stomach, was Yes. Over the past 5-10 years’ science has shown us something different.

An entire meal before working out is a no-no. Digesting a full meal and exercise simply do not mix. When you work out, you want your blood flow to be focused on your muscles and extremities. When you eat a meal prior to exercise, your body has to focus its blood flow to the digestive system so it can process the food. So if you do eat a full meal it is recommended that you wait for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours prior to exercising.  

SHOULD I WORK OUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

As stated previously you should not workout on an empty stomach, but you also shouldn’t eat a full meal. This means your stomach should not be completely empty. Give yourself enough time to adequately digest the majority of your food if you are working out after a meal, have 100-150 calories of food, or eat, drink, or swallow a high quality Pre-Workout Supplement 30 minutes prior to your workout.

When you have a small amount of food in your stomach or a pre-workout supplement, it will be well into the digestive process 30 minutes later when you start working out and it will have charged up your metabolism. Therefore, you will burn more calories during your exercise versus having a sluggish metabolism.  A study published in the Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, states that when you have a small amount of food or a high quality pre-workout supplement in your system you will burn more calories because it allows you to have a greater output during your exercise and it will have revved up the metabolism. This fuel helps keep the blood sugar levels more even throughout your exercise, which helps keep your metabolism from shifting, which in turn keeps you burning more fat. 

SHOULD I WORK OUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

The question of Should I Work Out on an Empty Stomach is really a question of the past. Timing your pre-exercise feeding or using a small amount if you are just starting will keep you at your best. The general rule if you have a full meal, is to wait. If you are just getting your day started and want to get that workout done, have 100-150 calories or a pre-workout supplement to get you going. For more information on pre-workout nutritional supplements, click here.

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TIPS TO KICK THE JUNK FOOD HABIT

Our nation is exploding with the epidemic of obesity and diabetes. This explosion is coming from the massive consumption of fast food, sugary and fatty junk foods, and other processed foods that Americans continue to consume at increasing rates. We are a nation that has Junk Food Habits that need to be broken.

So how do we make a change? With a few Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit, and a little effort, you can get those Junk Food Habits back under control.

These Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit will help adjust the wiring in your brain. Unfortunately, by adulthood, most of us are a hodgepodge of neuroses and psychoses and we have developed habits that may have made junk food a security blanket, and unless we work on making some changes this urge to splurge will never vanish. Yes, we can consciously understand that our body does crave and want healthy food, but your psyche may never stop seeking validation of a junk food style.

TIPS TO KICK THE JUNK FOOD HABIT

Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit begin with training your body with clean nutrition. Eating correctly goes a long way toward helping a junk food mentality. When you spend significant time eating clean (consistently for 6-12 months), your digestive system will begin to lose its ability to handle the toxic effects of a sugar hit, not to mention preservatives and other synthetic additives.

Step 1 – Clean All Junk Food Out of Your Home

Out of Sight Out of Mind! If the ice cream is not in the freezer, odds are that you won’t go out late at night to buy some.

If you don’t have access to the junk, you’re more likely to grab something healthy, like baby carrots.

Step 2 – Eat Clean 80-85% of the Time

Just because your kitchen cupboard no longer looks like a candy and junk food aisle at the grocery store doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy those things once in a while. If most of your nutrition is super tight, you’re doing great, so cut yourself some slack, and relax 15-20% of the time. The biggest thing to remember is in the beginning it will be to your benefit to be really consistent and tight until you hit some or all of your goals.

Step 3 – Be Prepared with Healthy Foods at All Times

Being prepared is half the battle. Be sure to carry a purse or a backpack wherever you go. Always keep healthy snacks like apples or raw nuts with you. This will keep you from getting too hungry and making bad decisions. When you are prepared you don’t have that excuse.

TIPS TO KICK THE JUNK FOOD HABIT

Great Snack Ideas:

• Fresh fruit (Apples, plums, pears, and stone fruit travel well!)
• Dried fruit
• Raw nuts
• Whole-grain crackers
• A Shakeology packet

Step 4 – Try New Fruits and Veggies

There are plenty of different, healthy foods that many of us have never tried. You don’t always have to go for the same old boring oranges or carrots.  Look for fruits and vegetables that you have never tried, find new things you like, and look for new ways to use them in your meals.

Step 5 – Binge on Healthy Foods

If you just have the urge to use food as a security blanket because you have not quite broken that old habit, hit the fridge and binge on healthy foods, especially raw veggies. At some point you may still want to grab chips or cookies, but if you start with the healthy food, you are more likely to go light on junk food. Bingeing in any form isn’t a great idea, but it’s better if you overdo it with healthy food than with garbage.

Eating right when you have been a junk food junkie for so long can be difficult and won’t change overnight. If you are willing to choose your health, and use these Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit it will get easier, and the reward is your health!

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