Training in the morning is a great option that you can choose to stay in shape and to feel better during the rest of the day, since it fills the body with energy. Of course, the benefits that a morning workout offers will depend a lot on the person. In the following lines you will know what advantages it has to exercise in the morning.
What are the benefits of training in the morning?
Having an exercise routine is beneficial no matter what time of day it is, but each hour brings certain advantages over others. If you do an exercise routine in the morning:
- You have more stored energy. If you have a lot of work and many things to do, sometimes you can arrive in the afternoon with a very tired body. But in the morning you have new energy after hours of rest.
- It will be easier for you to organize your days. People, when they follow a routine, in an organized way, are encouraged to maintain this order in their lives. Starting the day with sports will make you feel very good about yourself and will motivate you for the rest of the day.
- You will reduce blood pressure. In general, doing sports is ideal for lowering blood pressure and strengthening the heart. But there are studies, such as one made by a researcher at Appalachian State University who affirms that the benefit is even greater if the sport is done in the morning.
- You will be in a better mood. Sport releases endorphins, that so-called happiness hormone that allows you to be happier, curb anxiety and reduce stress.
- You will sleep better. You will go to bed tired. Training in the late afternoon, on the other hand, activates the body a lot in the face of night rest and that can be counterproductive.
How should you prepare to do a morning exercise routine?
There are certain aspects that you should take into account when you decide to train during the first hours of the day:
- Don’t fall into the trap of turning off the alarm clock. Sometimes coming out of the dream can be difficult. But think twice before you snooze your alarm clock and remember the benefits of being fit.
- Have what you need ready. In order not to have to lose hours of sleep to prepare your sports bag and what you need, leave it prepared the day before.
- As you will see later, one option is to train on an empty stomach. But if you decide to train after eating something, it is best to focus on high-fiber products such as cereals and fruit that also have healthy sugars. All this will provide the energy that the training may need.
- time. Set aside an hour or even a few minutes before you start your activities for the day. There are sports experts who say that with a morning routine of about 15 minutes, of high intensity (also known as HIIT), it already serves to improve physical fitness and health. But if you can dedicate a full hour to it, which can also include cardio exercises, much better.
- Warm up and stretch. It is always important to prepare the body for the exercise and then stretch so that the muscles do not suffer. If you don’t stretch well in the morning, you could injure yourself at some point during the day.
Is it good to do sports on an empty stomach?
Many people in the fitness world take advantage of this time of day to do part of their daily sport without eating anything beforehand, while others are totally against this practice. There is not really a consensus on this matter and there are investigations with disparate results. The studies that support that sport on an empty stomach loses weight more are based on these theories:
The body that has not eaten for several hours turns to fat for energy for sports
There is research that states that if a person has not ingested anything for many hours prior to exercise, the body will report directly to its energy reserves, which are the accumulated fats in the body.
At the same time, when the body does have reserves because the person has eaten recently, it uses the energies that exist with blood glucose. This is the mechanism by which training fasting would help us lose weight more than if we trained while eaten shortly before
A study that supports this theory and that is very recent was published in October 2019. And he concluded that you can lose up to twice the calories when training fasted. It is necessary to mention that the object of study, which lasted six weeks, were dozens of men who, before these tests, led a sedentary life and suffered from overweight or obesity.
Fasting increases sensitivity to growth hormone
Another study carried out in this regard suggests that if a person can lose more calories if they train before breakfast, sensitivity to insulin and growth hormone is increased, which is related to weight loss. This research dates from 2010.
In general, do sports when you do it and be it fasting or after having breakfast, the most important thing is that you listen to your body. Some people feel great doing their sports routines without having eaten anything for hours, while for others the opposite is true. Others have more energy at night, while for others the morning is the peak of the day.
And you, what do you prefer? Share your experience in the comments.
