Is walking a workout?

[Minky]

I just started Whole30 yesterday. I was already primal, so not a huge change, but wanted to clean up my habits. I have ordered the book and it should arrive this week.

I am used to doing a lot of IF'ing, so eating 3 meals a day is a big change for me.

Some days I walk about 3 miles shortly after I get up in the morning. It's a good pace, but just walking. Is this considered a workout? I really would rather walk and then eat breakfast when I return, but not sure if my situation requires a pre-workout snack.

I am not a morning eater, so to add a preworkout snack and breakfast doesn't feel natural to my body!

Thanks!

[Tom Denham]

Walking 3 miles briskly is a workout. You are okay to complete your walk before eating. However, your body might do better on the walk if you ate one boiled egg before setting out. Try it one day and see how it goes.

[Minky]

Okay. Thank you. I will try it. If I feel fine without it, then I won't be messing up the rebalancing of hormones, etc?

To be truthful, sometimes, by the time I walk, I've been up for an hour and had a couple of cups of black coffee. Depends on the day.

I like eggs, but they don't agree with me in the early morning. Would a handful of nuts be recommended? Then breakfast around 10:00?

[Tom Denham]

A handful of nuts make a decent pre-workout snack. The ideal would be to get up, complete the 3 miles, and be eating within about an hour of waking up.

If you drink coffee and take a few hours before you eat, your hormones will not get into their ideal rhythm. It Starts With Food lays it out in helpful detail, but the basic thing is that when your hormones are in their proper rhythm cortisol is low at night and you get sleepy. As morning comes, cortisol begins to rise and you wake up hungry. There are other players like insulin and leptin, but you can check the book for those. When you don't eat in the morning, your hormones stay off track and you may experience things like waking up hungry at night and not feeling hungry when you wake up. The way to get things straightened out is to eat at the ideal times even when you aren't especially hungry. Your body tends to adjust to your behavior and then things work in a more coordinated fashion overall.

[Minky]

Okay. Thanks for the info. I am looking forward to reading the book!

Now that my kitchen is in full swing, I should be able to eat some leftover dinner in the morning with my coffee (nuts if there's nothing leftover) and then I'll have my regular breakfast right after my walk or workout.

Thanks again!