Is It Ever OK To Work Out On An Empty Stomach? The Answer May Surprise You.

You could actually be undoing all the progress you're making with exercise.

Whether you’re a regular at your local gym or are just getting back into working out consistently, it can be tricky to know if and when you should eat before your workout.

Maybe your preferred time of day to work out is the morning and you just want to get going before anything can derail you. Or perhaps you think that eating something before working out will make you feel nauseated. Maybe you want to lose weight and you would rather skip a pre-workout snack because you believe it will impact your calorie deficit.

These are all valid reasons someone may want to do a “fasted workout,” aka exercise on an empty stomach. But according to sports dietitians, fasted workouts aren’t always safe or effective.

Part of your answer depends on the type of workout you plan to do.

According to sports registered dietitian (RD) Michael Reavis Jr., whether or not a fasted workout is safe and effective depends on the type of workout you’re going to do. “The best workouts to do in a fasted state are low-intensity cardiovascular exercises, such as walking, jogging, light swimming, yoga, cycling or light- to medium-intensity weight training, all for up to 75 minutes,” he told HuffPost.