According to a recent study, the best time to work out may be right when you wake up. There is some evidence that working out on a completely empty stomach — or, as scientists call it, “in a fasted state” — prompts the body to burn more fat and potentially stave off weight gain, compared to exercising at other times.
Researchers in Belgium persuaded young, healthy men to stuff themselves for six weeks with a diet consisting of 30 percent more calories and 50 percent more fat than the men had been eating. Some of the volunteers remained sedentary while gorging. Others began a strenuous, midmorning exercise routine after they had breakfast. The third group followed the same workout regimen, but before they had eaten anything.
At the end of the six weeks, the sedentary group was predictably unhealthy, having gained about six pounds each. The men who exercised after breakfast had also packed on pounds, about three pounds each, and developed insulin problems. But the men who had exercised first thing in the morning, before eating anything, had gained almost no weight and retained healthy insulin levels. Their bodies were also burning more fat throughout the day than were the other men.
Of course, the early-morning exercise prevented weight gain, which is not the same thing as inducing weight loss. But the results are encouraging for those who hope to shave off a few pounds, said Peter Hespel, a professor in the Research Center for Exercise and Health at Catholic University Leuven in Belgium and the study author.
“The optimal strategy to prevent increases in body weight is obviously to combine a healthy, well-balanced diet with a physically active lifestyle,” he said. But if you are cheating on the healthy and well-balanced diet part, “we demonstrated,” he said, “that early-morning exercise in the fasted state is more potent than an identical amount of exercise in the fed state” for maintaining healthy waistlines.
So set your alarm early tomorrow morning and do a FitStar session first thing to get the most out of your workout!
How do you motivate yourself to wake up and exercise? Share in the comments below!
FitStar is part of the Fitbit family. FitStar Personal Trainer and FitStar Yoga are two top-ranked apps that offer personalized video-based exercises. You can find more FitStar tips on the FitStar blog.
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or condition. Always check with your doctor before changing your diet, altering your sleep habits, taking supplements, or starting a new fitness routine.
I love the fact that this article was supported by a lot of quality research to bring across and answer a very important question. Thanks for sharing the info.
I encourage myself by seeing another female models having the perfect body so I wanna be like them and to I always think about what I’m going to wear if its something tight ill try to workout throught the day to get the perfect look!