Does A Late Workout Make Weight Loss Less Possible?

August 9, 2018 Ashley 0 Comments

“You burn more fat working out in the morning.”

I read this bit of fish hook bait yesterday and thought… Really?

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love my morning workouts. But was it really burning any more than the times I push perspiration back to the afternoon? Does our circadian rhythm really care when we do caloric torching? The simple answer: no. It’s not that you burn more ’cause it’s morning. What the concept’s assuming, rather, is that you’re waking up and working out before eating. When you do that, you’ve been fasting for six to eight (to twenty, if you’re a teen, mayhaps) hours. And, assuming you haven’t had breakfast (which I totally have, because it’s my only motivation to wake up some days), then you’re burning quickly through carbs and sugars posted up in your muscles and your liver. After that’s eradicated, it’s fat burning time. The conclusion’s that you burn more in the morning because of this. But, really, if you’re an intermittent faster (not championing or admonishing against that; you do you, boo) who goes foodless for most of the day, an afternoon’s just as effective. In fact, I inadvertently did exactly that yesterday and had one of the best runs of my life around 5 P.M. after a snackless morning and afternoon.

And, speaking of afternoon, there’s a legit reason why a lot of people prefer to save their blood pumpery for the P.M. hours. Once you’re all warmed up from the day, your muscles feel supple and ready to go. Trying that straight out’ve bed can feel like punishment. The workaround? Morning yoga. Unlike static stretching which can make your muscles vulnerable to injury, yoga’s nice and dynamic, slowly stretching you as you move, combining strength and flexibility, moving your fluids that’ve settled to the bottom of your body nocturnally, and warming you up for a workout you can actually enjoy. A mere six minute practice preps me beautifully for the elliptical or trail alike in the morning.

And then, when I do go about my day, I end up making healthier choices. I eat only ’til I’m full. I crave fewer bad foods. Now, is this because I initiated my day with yoga? Or cardio? Or both? That one’s tough to tell. I tend to think that it’s a bit of both. However, if avoiding an A.M. sweat sesh is because it takes too long or you just can’t handle all that dry shampoo you’ll require after, then I’d suggest sacrificing at least ten minutes from your morning series of snooze alarms to roll out’ve bed, roll out the yoga mat, and move through some basic sun salutations. Nothing fancy. Just enough to reconnect you with your body and relieve the night tightness. Because it’s when we’re stressed and disconnected that we end up reaching for that cream cheese pastry or cookie with pretzels and Oreos in it that Starbucks must’ve been pregnant or on meth (or both) when they created. Nix that proclivity physically ahead of time, whether by jogging or downward dogging, and you won’t have to view that afternoon workout as mandatory damage control after a day of anxiety induced diet homicide.

So, what’s the verdict? Would I suggest doing some morning moving versus an afternoon routine? You bet your slender bottom I would. But that’s just because it works for me. Either way, I stand by doing asanas (or some sort’ve dynamic stretching) in the morn. Ya gotta get in tune with your body or it’ll turn on you. That said, if you’re not down with a legit workout at sunup, don’t think that that afternoon sweat sesh is any less beneficial just because some desperate author thought it’d make a great clickbait article.

(“Oh, no. It’s 3 P.M. Guess that sweaty, intensity interval sesh was a waste of time” -No Person Ever. Esp. your scale)

My only protip?

Just get out there and move.

Because anytime can be cardio o’ clock or lift-thirty.