Fuelling Early Morning Sessions Without Upsetting Your Stomach

Do you prefer to get out early in the morning for your session? Perhaps it’s the only time to fit in a run or workout before work, school drop off, or other commitments. With the days getting slightly longer as winter passes slowly but surely, lighter mornings could put that spring back in your step. But how do you tackle fuelling if you’re getting up and out early? In this article we’ll look at timing your fuelling and hydration for early morning sessions without upsetting your stomach.

Fasted vs Fuelled

Although it means getting up earlier, it’s worth allowing yourself time to fuel before heading out for your session. Training fasted means not having fuel in the system before heading out. This puts a stressor on your body. Taking on a small amount of carbohydrates before you go reassures the body that there’s fuel available for the run ahead, therefore reducing the stress levels. This also helps to prevent injury and helps with recovery.

With Active Root it’s easy to provide your body with the fuel it needs to head out. Our range of nutrition products are easy to consume plus gentle on your stomach. Each product is formulated to deliver easy-on-the-gut carbs, targeted sodium, and a consistent ginger profile for comfort and performance.

Easy-On-The-Gut Carbs

At Active Root we use a variety of natural ingredients that can be found in most of our products. Predominantly, we use Natural Cane Sugar as our fuel source, Natural Sea Salt as our electrolyte source, and Ginger to help settle your stomach. One of the key benefits of unbleached cane sugar is its ability to provide a steady release of energy. Its unique 50/50 combination of glucose and fructose results in a more gradual rise in blood sugar levels when consumed, which may help sustain carbohydrate delivery to working muscles without any harmful spikes. Unbleached cane sugar is readily absorbed and metabolised, providing immediate energy without causing digestive discomfort. This makes it an ideal fuel for athletes who need to stay energised without upsetting their stomachs.

This also means it can be ideal for taking on fuel before an early morning workout, to reassure the body that there’s fuel on board for the effort ahead and it’s not running on empty. A small amount of carbs in the form of our Sports Drink Mix or Energy Gel would be the perfect option for an early session, sending an important message to the brain and body that fuel is in.

Two of our flavour options are also caffeinated if you need that extra boost in the morning - our Green Tea Sports Drink Mix and our Citrus Energy Gel.

Warm Ginger Drinks

Did you know you can combine the stomach-settling properties of ginger and the fuelling benefits of natural cane sugar in a warming drink perfect for an early morning start? Although we’ve called this range our ‘Recovery Drink Mix’, there’s no reason why it can’t be used as a pre-session warm drink to kick start your day. Choose from three delicious flavours - Hot Cocoa, Hot Lemon & Ginger, and Hot Spiced Ginger - containing up to 32g of carbs per serving to boost those energy levels before heading out. Each drink mix also contains an invigorating blend of essential electrolytes and natural ginger, making them the perfect option for your morning beverage.

Avoid Nausea and Bloating

Ginger is well-known for its ability to soothe the stomach. Ginger contains the compound Gingerol, which can help contribute to soothing the stomach by relaxing the muscles in the gut. It also can have a calming effect, reducing bloating and stomach discomfort. The ginger in Active Root has been specially used because of the high gingerol ratio!

We take pride in our use of stomach-settling ginger, but our use of natural ingredients can also contribute towards a normal functioning stomach. As the body can recognise these ingredients more easily, they are less likely to cause an upset stomach, whereas artificial additives can sometimes cause unwanted side effects.

If you struggle with gastrointestinal distress during training, particularly on early morning sessions, then ginger could be the solution you are missing from your routine.