I am not sure when to eat breakfast, usually i work out first then eat about 1/2 hour later. what is the rules about eating before and after workouts. like i heard if you workout too quickly after eating you can strain your heart because your body is digesting. so i need to know actual times before and after eating that you should workout. connie

Hi Connie:

 My personal trainer tells me that you shouldn't eat within an hour before your workout because your body is already expending energy digesting and so it's harder to work out - you'll likely feel sluggish.  He tells me that when you eat after your workout, you replenish the energy you've just expended, helping your muscles repair themselves etc.  Of course, it's all in what you eat but if you follow the food guide (the Canadian version of the US food pyramid?) then you should see great results and feel great.

 Hope this helps.

I think you need to listen to your body.

 If after eating, when you try to exercise, you feel heavy and sick, like something is laying on your stomach, and possibly cramps, then you shouldn't eat that close before exercising.

 On the other hand, if you feel hungry, weak or dizzy when exercising, then you should probably have at least something light to eat a bit closer to exercise time.

Different people have different metabolisms, and different types of food take different amounts of time to adjust, so there wouldn't be one rule for everybody.