Up and at ’em

To eat or not to eat, that is the question. Some say eating before exercising in the morning gives you necessary fuel for a long workout. Others say that you burn more fat if you exercise before eating. A small study just released out of the UK agrees with the latter. Thirty overweight men who exercised before breakfast burned twice the fat as men who ate breakfast before they worked out. This is because exercising with no fuel forces the body to burn stored carbs, and when those are gone, the body burns fat cells. Skipping breakfast before exercise also made the men’s muscles more responsive to insulin, reducing the risk for diabetes and heart disease. This new data doesn’t end the debate, but the results are intriguing. Experts do suggest to eat within 15 to 30 minutes of exercising, and don’t forget to drink your water.