Is it OK to Exercise on a Full Stomach?

Exercising is one of the components of a healthy lifestyle. So is following a healthy diet. Knowing when to eat in relation to when you work out can be difficult to figure out. Whether exercising on a full stomach is OK is largely a question of personal preference. Only you know how you feel during a workout. The answer might change depending on your fitness goals and the type of foods you routinely eat before exercising. Speak to your doctor about eating before exercising if you have chronic medical conditions, to determine what is best for your health.

Athletes who do not eat much or at all prior to a workout could experience drops in energy and symptoms associated with hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Glycogen is the term used for the energy stores that you use when you exercise. Neglecting to replenish glycogen before working out can contribute to fatigue, dizziness, headaches, trembling and poor coordination. Combat the unpleasant symptoms of hypoglycemia by eating a small snack of protein and foods rich in complex carbohydrates an hour or so before you work out. Peanut butter on whole grain crackers or toast is a healthy combination of these two nutrients. Put in a metabolic perspective, fasting before exercising can increase the concentration of proteins that are involved in fat metabolism, according to "Journal of Applied Physiology."

Exercising on a full stomach is not necessarily detrimental to your health, but according to the Mayo Clinic, it could give you an upset stomach and contribute to an overall feeling of sluggishness. However, the foods you choose play a role in how you will feel when exercising after eating. Light snacks such as yogurt, cheese and whole grains may not affect you negatively, but heavier fried, fatty or fast foods may wreak havoc on your digestive tract as you work out. Schedule larger meals for at least two to three hours before you plan to exercise to allow time for digestion to begin.

Regardless of whether you exercise on a full or not-so-full stomach, hydration is an important part of every athlete's training schedule. Drink water before, during and after a workout to replenish the fluids you lose through sweat and to prevent dehydration. Dehydration, like hypoglycemia, can lead to lightheadedness, fatigue and other health problems. Begin your hydration routine a couple of hours before your workout, drinking at least two cups of water. Continue to imbibe up to a cup of water every 20 minutes during a workout, and follow up your exercising with two or three cups.

People who want to lose weight may consider exercising on an empty stomach rather than a full one. Studies published in the journal "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" show that training with low levels of muscle glycogen, i.e. fasting, metabolizes fat more quickly than when you work out after having eaten. According to the study, training with or without food did not affect the intensity of the workout, but did have a marked effect on how much fat was burned. The increase of fat metabolism can be translated into weight loss in some people.