Trying to fit in all the things you need to do in a day often feels like an elaborate game of Tetris. Not only do you have to figure out how to fit diet and exercise into your schedule, you also have to figure out how to space them out so that you aren’t either starving or too full to be at your physical peak. All of those factors play into the question: How long after eating can you exercise?
Here’s a relatable scenario: You want to have enough energy to get in an after-lunch workout, but worry that a meal might make you nauseous. Is it OK to exercise after you eat, or should you fast until your workout is over?
Unfortunately, there’s not a one-size-fits-all answer to this question. It depends.
How long after eating should you wait to workout?
For many people, exercising strenuously on a full stomach can lead to reflux, hiccups, nausea and vomiting, said Dr. Daniel Vigil, associate clinical professor of family medicine and orthopedic surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. But there are some people who can eat a big meal and experience no issues when they exercise afterward, Vigil said.
Research, on the other hand, shows that eating before exercising is not ideal. The best time to work out, Vigil said, is before you eat. A post-exercise nutrition program helps recovery and minimizes muscle damage, Virgil said. Plus, a study published in The American Journal of Physiology found that men who exercised without eating beforehand burned more fat.
However, if your schedule demands you eat first, Vigil suggested waiting an hour or two after your meal before exercising. That will allow the stomach to empty out.
Of course, that rule changes if you’ve overeaten.
“If you’re going to sit down to a Denny’s Grand Slam Breakfast, it’s going to be in your stomach for a lot longer,” said Leslie Bonci, a registered dietitian and owner of Active Eating Advice, a nutrition consulting company in Pittsburgh. “My general rule…
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