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Should I workout on an empty stomach to lose weight? Fitness fads exposed

Should I workout on an empty stomach? It’s a question Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Exercise Sports Scientist, Dr Annabelle Johnstone-Dougall, is always hearing – here she explains 

We can all hold our hand up high for having tried some kind of faddy diet or fitness regime promising your dream body and then feeling disappointed it hasn’t delivered the results we desired (sigh). Well don’t blame yourself if the scales aren’t budging, remember that saying, ‘if it seems to good to be true, it probably is’.

It only seemed right to find out what the top five fitness fads and myths are to help save yourselves from wasting hours in the gym, money and disappointment. This called for some expert advice from Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Exercise Sports Scientist, Annabelle Johnstone-Dougall in this five-part series revealing the fitness fads and myths not to fall for.

#4 – Fasted cardio

‘Move over HIIT training there’s a new cardio craze on the block. Now this one may be a little less common but I have had a couple of questions about it recently so here are the facts. Fasted cardio, as it suggests, is performing a cardiorespiratory exercise in a fasted state, usually first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Now the theory is that performing cardio in a fasted state accelerates fat loss, but does it actually work?

‘Unfortunately the answer isn’t that straight forward, with some studies indicating fasted cardio increases fat loss and others claiming there’s no difference whether or not you eat before you exercise. What the articles can agree on however, is that all individuals who performed consistent cardio across the trials experienced significant body composition changes with reductions in fat mass, increases in fitness levels and improvements in lean muscle.

‘So if your body works best with a little fuel in the tank then don’t be afraid to top it up before you get your sweat on’.

More fitness fads exposed:

#1: Is it possible to spot reduce?

#2: I’ve been to the gym, can I eat what I want?

#3: Will weight lifting make me bulky?

bio-pic-263x300Annabelle Johnstone-Dougall is an Australian Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Sports Scientist practising in London having completed her Honours degree at the University of Queensland in 2016.  As an Exercise Physiologist, Annabelle focuses on the prescription of exercise as medicine for a wide variety of conditions including metabolic syndromes, weight loss, cardiorespiratory and renal complications, musculoskeletal and neuromuscular conditions, mental health issues, disability, cancer, and geriatric care. Having competed in both triathlon and cycling at a national level, Sports Science is also an area for which Annabelle always had an intense passion and has been involved with sports performance, rehabilitation and strength and conditioning across a variety of sub-elite and elite sports.

 

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