Cardio in Am ???

[mitch911]

I am new to this idea of cardio in the am. I have currently switched my cardio from doing intense runs to the 65% mhr for 1 hour. You guys here say that it is much better to do it on an emtpy stomach in the am and then eat 45 mins prior to the cardio. Wouldnt this be extremely catabolic because your body has fasted for the past 10 hours. The glycogen storage are depleted and now your requiring energy to perform the cardio...wouldnt it go to your muscles for protein..Im not saying that it is wrong its just how i understand it..Can some1 explain the process to me..thank you

[tycin]

cardio in the am on an empty stomach is best because u burn purely fat not wut u have eaten thru-out the day.

[jmillerdls]

"purely fat" may be a bit of a stretch, but the message is correct. You are not burning off the food calories you have consumed during the day, leading to this theory of burning a higher percentage of fat...which may be proven at this point, i dont really know for sure, but i believe it and have seen results from it as well.

[SwoleCat]

A.M. cardio is wonderful for pure fat loss, provided one knows how to correctly address nutritional needs the other 23+ hours of the day.

~SC~

[decadbal]

the scientific answer for why its best for fat loss is there are almost 0 carbs in your bloodstream for your body to burn as energy, so therefore it resorts to stored fat as energey..

[Blown_SC]

1. Over 90% of people who exercise *consistently*, exercise in the morning. If you want to exercise consistently, odds are in your favor if you exercise first thing in the morning.

2. When you exercise early in the morning, it "jump starts" your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours, sometimes up to 24 hours! That means you're burning more calories all day long just because you exercised in the morning!

3. When you exercise in the morning you'll be *energized* for the day! Personally, I feel dramatically different on days when I have and haven't exercised in the morning.

4. Many people find that morning exercise "regulates" their appetite for the day - that they aren't as hungry and that they make better food choices. Several people have told me that it puts them in a "healthy mindset."

5. If you exercise at about the same time every morning, and ideally wake-up at about the same time on a regular basis, your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms adjust to that. Physiologically, some wonderful things begin to happen; A couple of hours *before* you awaken, your body begins to prepare for waking and exercise because it "knows" it's about to happen. Why? Because it "knows" you do the same thing just about everyday. You benefit from that in several ways..

a) It's MUCH easier to wake-up. When you wake-up at different times everyday, it confuses your body and thus it's never really "prepared" to awaken.

b) Your metabolism and all the hormones involved in activity and exercise begin to elevate while you're sleeping. Thus, you feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake-up.

c) Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc.

6. For many people, that appointed time every morning becomes something they look forward to. It's time they've set aside to do something good for themselves - to take care of their body, mind, and soul. Many find that it's a great time to think clearly, pray, plan their day, or just relax mentally.

7. Research has demonstrated that exercise increases mental acuity. On average it lasts four to ten hours after exercise! No sense in wasting that brain power while you're sleeping.

8. Exercise first thing in the morning is really the only way to assure that something else won't crowd exercise out of your schedule. When your days get hectic, exercise usually takes a back seat!

9. If finding time to exercise is difficult, anyone can get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier to exercise (if it's a priority in your life). If necessary, you can go to sleep a little earlier. Also, research has demonstrated that people who exercise on a regular basis have a higher quality of sleep and thus require less sleep!

10. You'll feel GREAT! DO IT!

Author: Greg Landry, M.S. SOURCE