Cardio is one great way of losing weight and getting fit.
Combined with strength training, cardio can give you many benefits, and results.
Cardio exercises require energy and that energy comes from the food we’re eating.
It has many benefits, starting from:
- improved hearth health
- losing weight
- improved hormonal profile
- better recovery ability
- management of diabetes
- better skin
Many fitness athletes do cardio daily, and that is because cardio burns fat.
A lot!
Cardiovascular activity should be preformed right after the strength training, but I came up with something even better.
What about doing cardio in the morning?!
Well, many athletes do that, and we’re about to see why.
Actually, it works better.
Let’s get started!
1. Maximizes The Fat Burn
This might be the best way to lose weight!
If you’re wondering how to lose stomach fat, or lose a few pounds, well this might be the best way to do it.
And what is cardio, if not the best way to sweat it all off!
When we perform cardiovascular activity we use energy that comes from our food sources, and after this energy is used, ware starting to burn fat.
So here’s the thing, what if we do a 30 minute cardio in the morning, on an empty stomach?
Here’s what happens:
We force the body to use the fat stores, rather than the immediate food you consume, for energy.
That way, when we exercise without eating prior to the exercise, we allow the body to burn more fat.
We actually maximize the fat burn, and get better results.
If you have a heart rate monitor you can make it even better!
2. Boosting Your Metabolism
Morning cardio, has proven to boost your metabolism.
Actually, doing cardio in the morning, means that your body will burn calories for the rest of the day.
This morning cardio makes you feel good for the rest of the day, and gives you energy which will obviously help you carry out the rest of your tasks throughout the day.
It allows you to start your day happy and fresh!
Well, girls try to sweat it off in the morning with a 30 minutes cardio session and you’ll see for yourself!
3. You Make Healthy Habit
Did you know that when starting your day with a workout, you’re making it a habit.
After I found out about The Belly Grater Formula on one of my daily visited blogs – From Lovers With Love, I learned a lot about some really helpful morning habits, such as:
- drinking hot water first thing in the morning
- take a cold shower
- have healthy fats based breakfast
I’ve tried it, and it works great for me.
Together with the morning cardio, I’ve helped my weight loss efforts and definitely improved my morning habits.
Here’s what my morning looks like:
- I wake up
- drink a glass of warm water
- eat a handful of nuts or seeds
- do cardio and
- take a cold shower
And that’s how my day starts – fresh and new.
The warm water and the cold shower may sound a bit scary, but the filling afterwards is priceless (head on to the link to see the countless benefits)!
Also, exercising early in the morning makes sure that you don’t blow out, or skip your cardio that comes after the weight training.
It will make easier on you to repeat it every day.
It’s easier to become a habit, because it’s the first thing you’re doing in the morning.
And if you make it a habit, you’ve made the best fat burning exercise, one of your morning mates!
4. Controls Your Appetite
Do you know what is the healthiest way to control your appetite?
WORKING OUT IN THE MORNING!
Since it’s not a good idea to do strength training for breakfast, because you need to fuel up with a full meal for the weight room, it is a great idea to do a session of cardio!
Doing cardio, at the beginning of the day, not only that controls your appetite, but it makes sure that you are eating right and healthy.
I know it helps me!
If you don’t have some home exercise equipment, you can go for a short run – it’s still the best cardio for weight loss, or even a 30 minutes fast walk at the beach.
You can also try some different versions of cardio, such as biking, rope skipping and even swimming.
You can do cardio workouts at home, we all know that YouTube is overload with videos that give you the opportunity to preform it in the comfort of your home.
Just remember to eat some proteins afterwards, so make yourself an omelette or eat a bowl of cottage cheese.
5. Better Sleep
Doing cardio, raises the body temperature and keep the brain active.
That’s why people who exercise at night, are probably having trouble sleeping.
On the other hand, the morning cardio has a positive effect on the circadian rhythm of the body, which contributes to better sleep.
So it cannot harm you for sure.
It can only provide you with many benefits!
So what are you’re waiting for, girl!
Set your alarm half an hour earlier and go for a run!
Now that you know the benefits of morning cardio, get ready for losing weight quickly!
If you like this, don’t forget to share it with your friends!
This is difficult to read because of the overuse of commas. I love the advice and find it very useful but it’s hard to take it seriously. Have someone proofread your work. You could remove 95 percent of the commas here.
I was just about to say the same thing! The grammatical errors are forcing me to question the credibility of this article.
Yes! I noticed that as well, but I am quite the grammar Nazi. Over all, this was interesting and informative… Thank you!
I’m not sure about the over use of commas comment.
I found it easy to read and made good sense. I also though the proof reader suggestion a little bit rude (sorry Shannon).
I try and run each day after work however my plans are often put to the side as things come up. I am going to switch to morning run as the benefits make good sense.
Thanks for good tip.
Thanks a lot for your amazing comment!
I appreciate it a lot!
:)
I agree with the comma comment. If you are exposed to English in classrooms or on professional levels frequently, then the commas can become a significant difference while reading the passage. Morning cardio tips are great though lol
Definitely read this for motivation to go to the gym this morning!
As an exercise physiology graduate, I should point out, your first two reasons are a little misleading. Research shows that exercising on an empty stomach will actually cause your body to conserve calories as it believes it is at threat of starvation. Due to this, your metabolism during your workout may not be as high as it could be if you were to eat a small snack before your workout. Because of this, your body will not burn primarily fat under these circumstances. Because it “believes” it is being starved, it will conserve fat as backup resource for energy. Instead, you’ll start to break down muscle – eeshk.
However, some people find that their stomach gets upset if they eat too soon before they work out and can only find time in the morning so obviously working out in the am for them is better than nothing at all!
Good article though! I’ve found your third and last reason to be true for myself :) Now off to the gym!!
I agree with this point. The brain primarily runs on glucose (the product of carbohydrate/sugar breakdown), so if you haven’t supplied yourself with carbohydrates in a long time (i.e. a few hours), your body will actually resort to breaking down protein from muscle and/or the liver for sugar energy (a process called gluceogenesis), which is obviously counter-productive to the fitness goal of building muscle and raising metabolism! Which is why I would definitely recommend having a snack before running! Nothing too loaded with fat or fiber (which would make your stomach uncomfortable), just a simple snack with carbohydrates to give your body and brain some temporary fuel right in the morning. -Biology major and I’ve taken several nutrition classes!
I am so happy to hear that I inspired you! Thank you for your great comment.
I agree, I cannot lie, fitness is a learning process, right? Also, there are different opinions on this subject, and on many other.
However, I agree, you should definitely fuel before workout!
All the best
If I do cardio in the morning should I still do it after weights? Is two sessions a day too much?
Your site is my motivation :)
Hi Gabrielle,
Oh I’m so glad that you find inspiration in my blog!
It really means a lot to me! <3
About the cardio, if you do 40 minutes cardio in the morning, there is no need to do it after strength training, although there is no harm in doing 20 more minutes right after.
It's up to you, and believe me it can't be too much when it comes to workout.
All the best
Monica
Thank you so much this is very helpful :)
For sure it can be too much, because body needs to restore energy and over exercising causes stress hormone release (cortisol ) in amounts that proved to be more harmful than helpful.. And fat burning slows down.. Same as overusing empty stomach exercising .. Sugar too low means stress .. Which leads to the same increased cortisol release..
Right here is the perfect blog for anybody who
wishes to understand this topic. You realize a whole lot
its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa).
You certainly put a brand new spin on a subject which has been discussed for decades.
Great stuff, just great!