Morning workouts most likely best to fight fat

You’ve no doubt heard the popular adage, “timing is everything.”

As passe as cliches may be, you can’t argue with the accuracy of this phrase. It holds true in almost every aspect of our lives – business, relationships, family and even exercise, particularly cardiovascular workouts.

When you do your cardio training maybe just as important as how intensely and how long you do it. This probably doesn’t shock you, you’ve likely read somewhere or heard from someone that cardio should be done first thing in the morning, or immediately after you lift, or before you lift, or on a totally separate days from your weight training.

Fact is, everyone seems to have an opinion on when is the key time to optimize the fat-burning potential of aerobic exercise. Yet most of this logic relies heavily on anecdotal evidence or individual interpretations of scientific studies. To help you determine your optimal timing for cardio training I combed through the scientific literature and interrogated a few scientific experts. Here’s what you should know before you miss your next window of opportunity to melt some serious fat.

Many fitness experts swear that the absolute best time to do cardio is first thing in the morning before breakfast because it enhances the fat-burning process. Others would argue that these so-called experts need a pretty big bucket to keep that anecdotal boat afloat. Even so, morning cardio not only appears to benefit fat utilization by the body but it also may be advantageous for several other reasons.

Those who preach the superiority of morning cario for fat-burning deserve a pat on the back by scientists. The theory that cardio exercise on an empty stomach first thing in the morning has the greatest potential for fat loss is firmly supported by science.

Several studies have also discovered that this increase in fat usage by muscle continues throughout the day, even while you’re just sitting around. When you eat breakfast after aerobic exercise, less fat from the meal ends up in fat cells and more is burned by muscle. This is a great way to nullify the fat content of a meal and keep it away from your love handles, but it won’t work if you eat a plate of bacon and eggs every day. The effect of greater post-meal fat-burning appears to be maintained even during later meals. In essence, you could sat that morning cardio boosts your fat-burning potential for the entire day.

When you wake up in the morning, you’re typically at your “lowest and slowest.” That means several of your body’s processes are still waking up, because your body follows a biological clock that cycles all bodily functions over a 24p-hour period. Each function, such as adrenalin release, has a peak and a valley at some point during the day. When your alarm clock buzzes in your ear, your body temperature is at its lowest – as is the release of adrenalin, which is related to your slower metabolism and heart rate at this time.

Aerobic exercise first thing in the morning will get that adrenalin flowing and kick-starts your metabolism for the rest of the day. Research show that if you get into a consistent morning-exercise routine, you’ll actually shift the phases of your biological clock. Before you wake up, your temperature, adrenalin release and metabolism will start to take off to prepare your body to awaken and get ready for the cardio bout to come.

Morning Cardio Tips

When starting a morning cardio routine, use caution. Start off easy, and slowly advance your intensity and duration over several weeks. This will allow your body to shift it circadian rhythm to benefit the early morning workouts. If you’re having difficulty waking up early, be patient. Once this shift takes place, waking up will be easier.

Always perform a sufficient warm-up before your workout. Even if you’ve been working out in the morning for years, your body temperature will still be relatively low compared to later in the day.

If you become dizzy during a bout of cardio, stop immediately and sit down. If the feeling persists, eat 15-30 grams of carbs before attempting any activity.

If you have glucose-related problems such as diabetes or hypoglycemia, consult your physician before starting a morning cardio routine.

If you have asthma, you should NOT exercise in the morning because there’s a greater risk of exacerbating the symptoms. This may lead to “nocturnal asthma” in the morning.

If you have heart problems or a family history of heart disease, consult your physician before starting a morning cardio program. Some research suggests a greater risk of acute coronary events in the morning, and exercise many increase this risk.

To prevent muscle catobolism, take an amino acid or protein supplement that provides higher concentrations of alanine and glutamine (egg proteins are rich in alanine and casein in high in glutamine) before your morning cardio session. This should prevent the exodus of these key amino acids form muscle for glucose synthesis, and keep them where they’re needed for muscle synthesis.