A recurring question that we have when exercising or wanting to go to the gym is: “should exercise after eating?”. The biggest trainers and physical trainers recommend doing sports once or twice a day. However, it is not always clear how to establish the time intervals between meals and physical work. In this article, we will explain in detail how long to wait after eating to workout bodybuilding. In this way, you can clarify all your doubts and correctly distribute the training and feeding time without damaging your body. Let us begin!
How long to wait after eating to workout bodybuilding?
Nutritionists recommend resting at least 2 hours after the main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) as an immediate physical activity after eating food makes digestion significantly difficult.
While it is true that for many people, the main objective of exercising is to burn calories, doing so right after eating is of no use. The reason? Food is still in the stomach, so you will only cause an interruption in the natural process of digestion. This can be very dangerous, as a digestive cut can cause dizziness, severe headaches and nausea, among other things.
To burn as many calories as possible and for exercise to bring benefits, the body must complete the digestive process. In this way, by working your muscles, you can naturally get rid of the accumulated fat in the body.
So if you think that exercising after eating you will lose weight faster, forget it. The only thing you will achieve will be an indigestion picture that will possibly have serious sequelae in your body. The key is to eat in a balanced way and distribute the daily training sessions evenly.
How long to wait after lunch to go to the gym?
This information brings us back to the original question: so, how much to wait after eating to exercise? Experts in physical education and nutrition always recommend waiting between 2 and 3 hours to exercise after eating. Especially after breakfast, lunch and dinner. Once this time has elapsed, the body will have completed the digestive process and it will be feasible to burn fat and calories accumulated in the body without harming you.
To exercise after breakfast, for example, you should keep in mind that if you eat something at 8 in the morning, it is best to wait until 10 to go to the gym.
You should remember to stay well hydrated at all times, both before and during and after exercising. Likewise, if you want to know how much time you have to spend after training to eat, you should know that after 15 minutes after your workout, you can already eat fruits, juices, yogurts or natural smoothies to replenish energy and complement the training.
So, if you wonder how much to wait after eating to go to the gym, you should be clear that, at a minimum, you will have to wait a couple of hours, especially if you have eaten dense dishes and your training routine is usually hard.
What to eat before training?
Having cleared the doubt of how much to wait after eating for exercise, we will now recommend what to eat before training, as logically, some foods are digested faster than others.
Before, we remind you to make sure you distribute food rations well because if you eat a lot, it will take longer to digest food and when you increase the intensity of training, the feeling of fullness and fatigue will be inevitable. However, if you eat little, you will weaken more quickly and you may get dizzy. These are the foods that we recommend before training:
Eggs: Ideal source of protein to start the day. For breakfast or lunch, eggs are a fantastic complement to the main courses before training.
Oatmeal: Ideal for breakfast, either in the form of porridge, cereals or juice. Oatmeal is rich in natural fibers, so it is very digestive and significantly purifies your body, leaving it ready to burn calories. It is also highly recommended eating a bar of oatmeal (or any other cereal) before training.
Fruits: Salads and fruit juices are fantastic for breakfast. Papaya, apple, pear and banana are the best options to fill your body with vitamins and nutrients before training.
Avocado: Avocado is rich in fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants that promote digestion and help obtain more nutrients at each meal. Also, avocado is one of those foods that can be eaten at any time of the day, as it accompanies many dishes.
Rice: The ideal companion for your meals. Rich in carbohydrates, rice nourishes you avoiding prolonged fullness after lunch.
Red and lean meats: Red and lean meats are rich in protein, so they will give you the energy you need without affecting your digestion.
Lentils: Another great source of protein and minerals. Lentils are ideal for eating before training, as they facilitate digestion and combine with many other foods.
Salads: Vegetables give you vitamins and antioxidants that purify your body and relax the digestive process. Spinach, carrot, celery, cabbage, broccoli … these are some of the best options to complete the pre-workout menu.
