The best time of day to exercise is the time of day when you will exercise regularly. If you prefer the morning to exercise, there are a few considerations you should make in terms of injury prevention and ensuring you have enough fuel after you wake up to power through a strenuous workout.
Start with Breakfast
When you exercise in the morning, you are essentially exercising after a seven-hour or more fast. Your body needs at least a little fuel to have enough energy to complete a tough workout. Try waking up 30 minutes to one hour before your exercise session and eat a 200- to 300-calorie snack, such as half a bagel with peanut butter, a small cup of cereal or a banana. If you notice you feel lightheaded or dizzy while exercising, you may need to eat slightly more before your workout. If you have difficulty eating solid food before exercise, try making a protein shake or a fruit smoothie.
Eat for Recovery
What you eat after your exercise session can be as important as what you have before it. Because exercise can lower your blood sugar, it's a good idea to consume a post-workout meal that includes carbohydrates and protein. Your body digests the carbohydrates more quickly while the protein will give you sustained energy and repairs damaged muscle fibers. Examples of a post-morning exercise snack could be two egg whites, oatmeal with flax seeds, a protein bar and a sports drink.
Increase Your Stretching Session
Think of your body in the morning like starting your car in the snowy winter. It takes a few minutes for your car to get warm and going. Your body is the same way: it needs time to warm up and prepare for exercise. Because your muscles may be cold in the morning, it's a good idea to extend your warm-up to at least five minutes of walking, then a total-body stretch routine that involves stretching your body's major muscle groups. When your muscles feel warm and your heart rate slightly elevated, you are ready to begin.
Add Weight Training for Maximum Fat-Burning
The morning is the perfect time to rev up your metabolism and keep it going all day. While cardiovascular exercise helps you burn calories when you are exercising, resistance training will help to raise your metabolism for one to two hours after you finish your exercise session. By incorporating resistance-training exercises like push-ups, bicep curls, triceps extensions and squats into your morning exercise routine, you can experience the metabolism-boosting benefits of morning exercise.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Eating and Exercise: 5 Tips to Maximize Your Workouts: Dec. 18, 2010
- "The New York Times"; Ready to Exercise? Check Your Watch; Gina Kolata; Dec. 9, 2009
- CNN; Experts Disagree on Ideal Time of Day to Exercise; Stephanie Smith; Jan. 13, 2004
- Go Ask Alice: Does Exercising on an Empty Stomach Maximize Fat Burning; April 15, 2005
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