Are your workouts causing bloating? Meal timing may be why

You’ve carved out time to exercise, put on your workout clothes and filled your water bottle. But one question remains: Should you eat first, or wait until after exercising to dig in?

Online advice is plentiful but often contradictory. Some fitness enthusiasts swear that working out on an empty stomach burns more fat, while others insist that eating beforehand is essential for maximizing energy and performance.

The truth is less absolute and far more personal. While meal timing can affect how you feel during a workout and how hard you’re able to exercise, it’s rarely the deciding factor in whether your workout delivers the results you seek.

Here’s what to know about when to eat, when to move, and why consistency matters most.

Metabolism encompasses the chemical processes through which the body converts food and stored nutrients into energy.

During exercise, working muscles need more energy, so the body adjusts which fuel it uses based on the workout’s intensity and duration, as well as the availability of nutrients, explained Keith Baar, a professor of molecular exercise physiology at the University of California, Davis.

For example, during lower-intensity activities such as walking, the body can derive a greater proportion of its…

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