Science project

Should You Eat Before Or After Exercise?

Introduction

Exercise is important to health. It burns calories, trains your muscles and bones, and refreshes your spirit. It also helps prevent serious illnesses like heart disease and stroke. In this experiment, we'll find out how eating before or after affects the benefits of exercise.

Research Questions

  • How does eating right before or after working out affect the benefits of exercise?

Terms to Know

  • Calories
  • Exercise
  • Food energy
  • Health

Materials

  • Food
  • Calorie counter
  • Heart rate monitor
  • Breathing rate monitor
  • Test subjects (at least 10)
  • Pen and paper for notes

Experimental Procedure

First Test

  1. First step is to check that your test subjects haven't eaten anything prior to exercising for at least five to six hours.
  2. Second, we will apply a heart rate monitor and a respiratory monitor on them. This is to monitor in numbers their performance.
  3. Have them run in place for as long as they can. Also check how many calories have been burned with a calorie counter.
  4. After the session, ask your test subjects how they feel and record the response.

Second Test

  1. After your test subjects have recovered from the prior test. We will perform the second part of this test. Be sure to ask them if they feel the same way as Day One of the test for accuracy.
  2. Check that your test subjects have eaten two to three hours prior to the exercise, but not immediately before (that will cause health problems.) There should be time to allow food to digest.
  3. Apply the heart rate monitor and respiratory monitor. Check that the starting rate is the same rate as the previous test before proceeding.
  4. Have them run for as long as they can in the same fashion they did in the first test.
  5. After the session, ask your test subjects how they feel and record the response. Also check how many calories have been burned with a calorie counter.
  6. Compare the difference in duration and any other differences and record your results.
Chart

 

Starting Heart/ Breathing Rate
Ending Heart/Breathing Rate

Calories Burned

Comments/ Notes

Test subject #1

 

 

 

 

Test subject #2

 

 

 

 

Test subject #3

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/3306.html

http://exercise.about.com/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/weight-loss/calorie.htm

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