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Most trainers are happy with the fact that their clients do cardio any time at all, and almost all will live with the motto do cardio "whenever you get a chance." This is a great guideline if you’re a person who is not exercising as often as he/she should. However, there are some ideas on ways to increase your benefit so you get the most out of your time spent sweating.
Here are some examples of when people typically fit cardio into their daily routines:
- First thing in the morning
- During the middle of the day, such as during the lunch hour
- After dropping the kids off at school
- Before bed
- Directly after a weight training workout
- Before a weight training workout
The bottom line is: no matter when you choose to workout, you will receive those benefits. Get moving and you will get results.
It doesn't matter what time of day you get your cardio workout in. You are always burning calories every time, as long as you put in a good effort (see the article from last week’s newsletter).
BUT, what you want to know is, which of those times is the most effective?
Survey says (I feel like a game show host),
First thing in the morning! TA DAAAH.
The most recent findings show if you do cardio first thing in the morning, you are most likely on an empty stomach, and have not yet eaten anything. And that makes it, by far, the most effective. Doesn’t matter your cardio of choice (run, jog, walk, swim, jump rope, take an aerobics class, ride a bike, etc.), doing it first thing in the morning gives you the best opportunity for achieving maximum fat loss.
Why?
Simple.
When you do your cardio training, you are burning calories. Let’s take the lunchtime example. You wake up, eat breakfast. You have a snack at midmorning to keep your metabolism kicking, have lunch a little later in the day, and then a few hours after lunch, you do your cardio.
It is possible that all you will be doing during that time of hard working, high intensity cardio is burning the calories and carbs of the food you have eaten all day.
When you do cardio first thing in the morning, you haven't had a chance to eat anything for the last 7-8 hours. You were sleeping.
When your body sees that there are no carbs to burn as fuel, it goes directly to body fat stored throughout the body to get that fuel. You want to get rid of body fat, right? Well, why not give yourself every opportunity to make that happen.
Make sense? When you do your workout some other time during the day, not first thing in the morning, you spend most of that time burning off carbs that you have eaten all day long. But, when you do it first thing in the morning, there are no carbs to burn. So all that your body can burn is body fat!
Give it a try for a couple of weeks. Use your new found high intensity training advice as soon as you get up. You will find you not only burn more fat but you have more energy throughout the day and that your body will devour calories like a furnace.
Then the abs will show through and you will need to start buying new clothes for that slimmer sexier you.
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