Spice it Up Saturday: Meal Times

 Howdy :) Today's Spice it Up Saturday was kind of a minor change, but definitely impacted my workout!

I've been reading a little bit about how the timing of your meals affects your weight loss. I'm not totally sure if anything has been 100% proven here, but apparently, if you workout on an empty stomach, your body has to dig into it's fat "reserves" and burn an extra amount of body fat/calories. (If you're interested in reading more about this theory, here's an interesting article.)

I figured it couldn't hurt to switch up my eating times a little bit today. So I decided to workout before breakfast. But the thing is, I'm not really a normal person who gets up at a decent hour to workout and start the day. I got up at 11:30, worked on a paper for an hour or so, then began my workout. I figured since I was going to be awake for a while before my workout, I'd need just an itty bit of sustenence to get me through my paper writing. So, first thing in the morning I drank a glass of water and ate an ounce of mixed nuts.

When I was ready to workout, I was definitely hungry. My tummy was grumbling a little bit. I did a new 10-minute cardio video from YouTube that was very disappointing and probably burned like 70 calories. Boo. Then I did my regular 20-minute cardio video and 15 minutes of abs/arms/legs/random calisthenics. And I will tell you, I was sweating way way more than usual. But I was also getting tired way way more quickly than usual. I still did what I needed to do, but it took a lot more out of me. After I finished, I rushed upstairs to make a protein shake because I was sooo hungry.

Based on my experience today, I would say that yes, working out on an empty stomach probably does burn more fat. However, I prefer working out when I'm not on the brink of starvation because that way, I feel more energized and motivated to complete my workout.

Oh, side note. It's Memorial Day weekend. One of those food-based weekends where potato chips and burgers on the grill are the norm for most families in America (or at least mine!). It's really going to test my abilities to use portion control and to say no to foods I don't need! I already told mom I'd like a chicken breast while the rest of the family eats burgers. But I really can't go a full Memorial Day weekend without indulging in some of her amazing pasta salad! Maybe I'll step up the cardio so I can have a little more than two bites ;)

Balance + Moderation!

Enjoy your long weekend :)

-Ellen 

P.S. Here's the recipe for my protein shake if anyone is interested:

• 1 scoop Right Size lean cocoa bean powder
• 1 banana
• 8 oz. skim milk
• 1/2 cup ice

(221 calories, 12g protein)