Another big mistake a lot of people make is exercising on an empty stomach in the belief that they're burning more fat that way. What it really does is make the workout less effective - how hard can you push yourself when you're weak from hunger? It's also hard to enjoy exercising when you're famished. Ideally you should have something to eat a couple of hours before you work out - that way your energy isn't focused on digesting the food, but you're still fueled up. What you eat makes a difference too - it's better if the meal before your workout consists of simple carbs, like bread, cereal, potatoes or pasta, and just a little protein and fat. Protein and fat are take more time and energy to digest while carbs enter your system as fuel pretty quickly, and you want your energy focused on exercise, not digestion. Save the meal with balanced protein, carbs and fat for after the workout. Don't eat a heavy meal before you exercise - make it something light (once again, you want your body to focus on the workout, not digestion). If you're exercising intensely, or going for more than 45 minutes or an hour, you may want to take a sports drink, gel, or at least some honey along - it'll offer an extra hit of energy if you start to poop out. If you're worried about the calories in all of this, just make sure that your overall daily caloric intake doesn't go over what you need. This may mean you'll have to skimp a little at dinner to make up for that 150-calorie bottle of Gatorade, but so what? You're just going to be sitting in front of the television anyway. Fuel your workouts and you'll exercise harder, better and ultimately burn more calories in the long run.

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