Fasting exercise, should you do it?

Some people still promote fasting cardio first thing in the morning. The idea is that you’ll burn more fat on an empty stomach, but if you don’t eat after you awake, your cortisol will continue to rise, and if you don’t have any fuel to burn, you won’t have enough energy to give it your all. The harder you push yourself, the more calories you burn.

My pre-workout energy food of choice is a 200-250 calorie vegan fruit smoothie with protein powder that I drink on the way to the gym, and I bring along 20 ounces of green tea with ice and water in my water bottle. With that, I’m ready to do whatever crazy cardio/weight lifting workout my trainer throws at me.

Photo: Steve mountain biking. That’s serious cardio. You don’t want to do this without eating some carbs beforehand.