2023-09-19 21:45:00
“If exercise is the first thing a person does in the morning, they are more likely to do it every day,” experts agree (Getty)
Previous research has focused on the frequency, intensity and duration of physical activity. But few had focused on the best time of day to train.
A recent publication of the Obesity Society (TOS) journal Obesity found that early morning hours are ideal for improving the association between physical activity and obesity.
“Moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) protects once morest obesity. However, the optimal time of day to perform MVPA to control weight is controversial – the authors of the work acknowledged in the publication of their conclusions. “This study investigated the influence of diurnal pattern of MVPA on the association between MVPA and obesity.”
The results revealed a strong linear association between moderate to vigorous physical activity and obesity in the morning group (Getty)
That is why they determined that the time between 7 and 9 in the morning would be the most favorable time of day to exercise with the aim of losing weight, according to recent findings.
For the study, researchers used data from the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They cross-sectionally analyzed a total of 5,285 participants, and classified the diurnal pattern of objectively measured moderate to vigorous physical activity into three categories: morning, midday, and evening.
The data showed that people who exercised moderately to vigorously in the morning had lower body mass indexes than people who exercised at midday or in the evening.
For women looking to burn abdominal fat, exercising in the morning can be a good alternative, according to experts (Getty)
“A strong linear association between MVPA and obesity was found in the morning group, while a weaker curvilinear association between MVPA and obesity was observed in the midday and evening groups, respectively,” concluded the researchers, for whom “the “Promising role of morning MVPA for weight management warrants further investigation.”
Tongyu Ma is a research assistant professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and the lead researcher of the study and suggested that “people who choose to exercise early in the morning, before eating, might potentially lose more weight compared to exercising at other times of the day.”
For Ross Andersen, professor of exercise physiology, medicine and nutrition at McGill University in Montreal, who was not involved in the study, it is difficult to attribute the observed benefits solely to exercise. “People who exercised in the morning probably also practiced a number of other healthy behaviors that contributed to their lower weight and better health,” he said.
People who exercised between 7 and 9 am had a lower BMI than those who chose to exercise later in the day (Getty)
Andersen said he always encourages his patients to exercise early. While there are some physiological reasons why scientists believe this might be beneficial, there is also a logic. For him, “if exercise is the first thing a person does in the morning, they are more likely to do it every day.”
another study conducted in the USA evaluated, for 12 weeks, 27 healthy and active women and 20 men, who participated in a diet and training program.
The weekly routine involved four days of exercise, including sprints, resistance training, stretching and resistance training, plus three days of rest (Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday). Half of the group performed their daily hour-long exercises in the morning before breakfast, while the rest completed their routine before dinner in the evening.
Science has investigated more than once when it is best to do physical activity to maximize the benefits (Getty)
That is, the only difference between the groups was at what time of day they performed physical activity. After 12 weeks of analysis, the results indicated that, apparently, factors such as hormones, sleep cycles and other biological differences can affect the results obtained from the training.
Although all study participants showed significant improvements in their overall fitness and health, the results between morning and evening exercises were different, especially in women.
Female participants who exercised in the morning burned 7% more abdominal fat and lowered their blood pressure 7% more than those who exercised in the evening. The morning routine also resulted in greater strength in the legs.
Finally, regarding training on an empty stomach, sports scientists at Nottingham Trent University found that exercising before breakfast helped people burn around 70% more fat than those who exercised two hours following eating. Additionally, they found that participants who exercised fasted and fed in the evening did not overcompensate for the calories they had skipped earlier in the day.
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