When people find out that I start my day before 5am (wake up, oil pull, lemon water, poop, work out, eat, teach and start seeing clients), besides thinking I’m crazy, they say things like “that’s so good!” “I need to start doing that” “I’m bad I only get up at 6” “it’s better to work out in the morning right?”
I want to address this once and for all, in my opinion and experience: IT DEPENDS. Yes, the cop-out nutrition and fitness answer. And here’s why:
Some factors to consider include whether you are looking for overall fat loss or performance, are an athlete or exercising at moderate levels.
If you wake up feeling like shit, and you force yourself to exercise, how much do you think you’ll get done? It won’t be enjoyable and your performance won’t be optimal. You really have to see if this is realistic and suits your lifestyle. Are you getting 7-8 hours of sleep and fuelling properly the night before and maybe even morning?
When you exercise in a fasted state, your body will turn to fats for fuel, which is great, we want to burn fat right? But our bodies prefer carbs as fuel, and it will function so much better.
[Research suggests the body could adapt to regular gym dates, so if we hit the weight room every day at 4 p.m., eventually we might perform better at that time than at any other time of day. Other research found that sticking to a specific workout time can result in better performance, higher oxygen consumption, and lower perceived exhaustion]. – myfitnesspal blog
I wasn’t always an early riser, and some mornings I’m just FXCK this! But I do feel amazing after my work out, my mood, my mind, and my body are ready to rock! I started slow, one day a week, and gradually added more days, adjusted my sleeping patterns to make sure I get optimal rest. By the night time, I hit the bed HARD and I sleep like a baby. Now that I work for myself, I can fit a nap in here and there, but even when I had a full time job with no midday naps, I still felt great (whether I was happy about my job was another story).
Don’t force yourself to work out in the morning if it’s not your cup of tea. I know plenty of people who perform best in the afternoon or evening.
Morning pro’s
- get it done and over with
- Sleep better at night
- Positive start to the day
- Body burns more fat in a fasted state
- No evening commitments or excuses get in the way
- Hormones: cortisol and testosterone higher (men & women)= better performance
Bottom line – experiment and see what works into your schedule. It can change, and let it change! Make sure you have ample rest, recovery, and nutrition, and get it done! 🙂
references:
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/is-it-beneficial-to-fast-before-working-out/
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/is-morning-really-the-best-time-to-work-out/
https://www.bodybuilding.com/content/8-benefits-to-working-out-in-the-morning.html
