The amount of belly fat that gathers along the waistline frequently increases as people age. Typically, this happens because as people get older, their muscle mass declines and their fat mass rises. You may feel self-conscious or find it difficult to fit into your favorite pair of pants if you have belly fat.
If Your Goal Is To Burn Belly Fat, Workout In The Morning
In essence, timing is just as important as what you do when trying to lose belly fat. The same is true of building muscle strength: Time of day has an impact on results, according to a study out of Skidmore College in upstate New York just published in the Frontiers of contemporary medicine. For men looking to gain muscle mass, evening workouts are marginally preferable.
What time is therefore ideal for exercise? Unexpectedly, the response differs for men and women. No doubt working out any time of day is better than none, so if you’re not a morning person or you work late and can’t get to the gym to jam in a sweat session after work, don’t sweat it. Whenever you can, squeeze in a workout. However, the best time of day to exercise for the best results in burning fat depends on your gender, according to researchers who examined this issue.
The Best Time Of Day To Workout Is Different For Men And Women
For 12 weeks, the effects of various fitness programs were observed in a study involving a relatively small sample of 20 men and 27 women between the ages of 25 and 55 who were all active and healthy.
Stretching, sprinting, resistance training, and endurance exercises were among the soft and hard workouts used in the study. It was discovered that men worked out best in the evening, while women burned more body fat in the morning.
The conclusion was: “In the women’s cohort, morning exercise (AM) decreased abdominal fat and blood pressure while evening exercise (PM) improved muscular performance. In the male cohort, PM decreased fatigue and systolic blood pressure while increasing fat oxidation. Therefore, ETOD may be crucial for maximizing each exercise-induced health and performance outcome in physically active people, and it may be independent of macronutrient intake.”
The researchers hypothesized that the hormonal, biological, and sleep-wake cycle differences between the sexes were the cause of this disparity. Any exercise, however, is advantageous and can be successful at toning up and losing belly fat at any time of the day, especially for beginners or those who are just beginning their fitness journey.
At the beginning and end of the 12-week period, the researchers measured the participant’s blood pressure, body fat, flexibility, strength, and aerobic capacity. No matter what time of day they exercised, every participant in the study improved over the course of the 12-week period in both health and performance. However, women who exercised in the morning had marginally better outcomes than those who exercised later in the day, while for men, the reverse was true: Working out after 4 p.m. was better for men.
Exercises To Help Belly Fat
There are many exercises available, but not all of them are equally effective at getting rid of belly fat. But both scientists and medical professionals concur that including physical activity in your daily routine is a great way to lose excess belly fat. Here are some belly fat-reducing exercises you can try to reduce your waistline.
Aerobic Or Cardio Exercise
Including at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise or cardio into your daily routine is the first step in losing visceral fat. According to studies, aerobic exercises for belly fat can reduce both belly and liver fat.
Some great cardio of aerobic exercises for belly fat include:
- Walking, especially at a quick pace
- Running
- Biking
- Rowing
- Swimming
- Cycling
- Group fitness classes
Make sure the cardio exercise you choose is something you enjoy doing. You’ll feel more motivated and eager to engage in your exercise routine as a result.
Turkish Get-up
Ramona Braganza, a well-known personal trainer, prefers the Turkish get-up, a 200-year-old full-body exercise that involves using a kettlebell. The total-body conditioning move, she claims, is extremely effective despite being a little complicated.
Turkish get-up instructions: Lie on your side in the fetal position while holding one kettlebell by the handle with both hands. Once the weight is stable on one loaded side, roll onto your back and press the kettlebell up toward the ceiling with both hands. Your palm should be facing down as you extend your free arm and free leg to a 45-degree angle. To firmly grip the floor, bring the loaded side’s heel closer to your butt.
Roll onto your free forearm and push through your foot that is on the ground to lift the kettlebell with the loaded arm. Avoid moving the shoulder of the supporting side toward your ear. Make sure to maintain a wide open chest. Lift yourself to a seated position by extending your elbow on the floor. Your front leg should pass through to the back. It is important to keep your back leg’s shin parallel to your front leg’s shin in order to protect your knees.
Arrange your arms so that the wrist is above the elbow and the shoulder is above the elbow. To make your upper body upright, raise your torso. Turn your back knee until your back shin and front shin are parallel. Take a deep breath, grab hold of the floor with your back toes, and stand up.
Burpees
According to Michaels, this exercise strengthens your core as well as your chest, shoulders, lats, triceps, and quads. Burpees will also increase your heart rate because they involve rapid, plyometric movement.
How to perform a burpee: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and push your hips back as you squat down to the floor. After that, step back with your feet until your chest touches the ground by positioning your hands directly outside of your feet. Jump your feet just outside of your hands after pushing your hands against the ground to raise your body into a plank position. Leaning heavily on your heels, leap into the air with your arms raised.
Hiit Or Interval Training
Exercise regimens called high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and interval training combine brief bursts of intense exercise with lower-intensity movements and rest periods. According to research, HIIT exercises for belly fat can help you manage your weight and enhance your general physical health.
Mountain Climbers
Michaels likes this moving plank exercise because it works your core as well as a variety of other body muscles, similar to burpees.
Put your wrists under your shoulders in a high plank position to perform mountain climbers. Maintain a tight core while pulling your belly button toward your spine. Bring your right knee back to plank after driving it toward your chest. Drive your left knee into your chest and then bring it back. Change sides once more.
Medicine Ball Burpees
Hold a medicine ball in both of your hands while standing with your feet shoulder-width apart. Swing over and sit your butt back as you extend the ball overhead and slam it as hard as you can onto the ground. Bend your knees as you lean over. Jump back into a high plank position, placing your hands outside of your feet. Keep your body moving in a straight line. After that, jump your feet back toward the tips of your hands to get into a squatting position. Taking a firm stance and extending your body, pick up the ball, and press it overhead.
Making A Workout Schedule
Personal preference is one consideration when making a workout schedule, but it is not the only one. Your choices are constrained by the times that your preferred classes are offered, as in the case of group exercise sessions at a fitness center. Finding the ideal time will need to be a group decision if you’re starting a neighborhood walking program.
There are other important factors to take into account, such as traffic and weather, such as the fact that you might not want to plan your daily bike ride for the evening rush hour and that you might not want to go hiking in the winter or summer at the height of the sun.
There are some clear benefits and drawbacks connected with morning, afternoon, and evening physical activity, though your main objective should be to establish a routine that allows for convenience and consistency. Continue reading to find out more about which might be ideal for you.
Timing Of Meals Matters For Losing Fat, Toning Up
An essential aspect of the current study was mealtime planning. Participants ate a quick snack of 250–300 calories an hour prior to their resistance and interval exercise training sessions. They fasted for at least four hours before working out on days when they were doing endurance (E) or stretching (S) training, but they were allowed to arrive well-hydrated and to hydrate with water or electrolyte drinks as needed.
Following their workout, participants in morning exercise routines ate breakfast; the rest of the day’s meals were then consumed at roughly 4-hour intervals.
For those who exercised in the evening, they ate every four hours beginning with breakfast and finished the day with their final meal an hour after finishing their evening workout.
On days without physical activity, participants ate breakfast within an hour of waking up, followed by their subsequent meals every four hours, with the final evening meal being consumed within two hours of bedtime.
Morning Exercise
Some people discover that by exercising first thing in the morning, their consistency and ability to establish a dependable routine are increased because their day’s events haven’t yet conspired to throw them off track. They frequently report that early exercise sets the tone for them to make healthier choices all day long, in addition to bragging about the energy boost and improved mood they experience as their days begin.
If they exercise first thing in the morning, many people report feeling more energized and less stressed. Furthermore, some people believe that the best way to burn fat stored in the body and lose weight is to exercise first thing in the morning and on an empty stomach, despite the lack of solid evidence to support this.
The main drawback of morning workouts is obvious: Getting up earlier is required if the rest of your daily schedule is to remain unchanged. Many beginners get caught up in the excitement and high levels of motivation they feel and will enthusiastically declare, “Five days a week, I’m going to get up at six and go to the gym before work!”
While that’s a great plan if it fits your personality and schedule, take a step back and ask yourself how long that can last. Try simply getting up early one or two days a week to see if that helps. If not, try it. As the weeks go by, you might discover that your body clock quickly adjusts, making those early-morning alarms easier to manage.
Afternoon Exercise
A good way to break up the workday is to work out during lunch or in the middle of the afternoon. By giving you a much-needed energy boost and mental health break, it can make you more productive in the afternoon. These advantages might be stimulated by even a brief walk.
Time constraints could be a drawback of afternoon workouts. In the middle of the workday, sneaking out of the office to get some exercise can be a little difficult. You may need to cut workouts short in order to allow time for showering and changing into new clothes before heading back to work, even if you can find the time (the best strategy is to schedule it and treat it like a meeting or appointment).
Evening Exercise
If you have the energy to exercise and don’t let fatigue prevent you from achieving your fitness goals, a late-day workout is most convenient for many people and can be a helpful stress reliever after a long day of work.
It may be simpler to find a workout partner who is available in the evening than one who is up for a 6 a.m. since gyms typically offer a wide variety of after-work classes. gym meet-up. Another significant advantage of evening workouts is that they frequently take the place of less healthy activities like watching TV or playing on your phone.
The likelihood of sleep disruption is the most frequently mentioned drawback of evening workouts. If you exercise too close to bedtime, the energy boost that physical activity offers might actually be counterproductive. Because of this, an evening activity that promotes mindfulness and reduces stress, like yoga or a stretching class, might be preferable.
In addition, most people’s willpower decreases throughout the day, which is why going to the gym in the evening can be more challenging, even if you wake up with the best of intentions. It can be simpler to follow through if you pay for a class or make a commitment to a friend.
Final Words
According to the findings, women who want to lose belly fat and lower their blood pressure should try to work out in the morning, advises Dr. Arciero.
This is crucial because abdominal fat, also known as belly fat, can be dangerous because it wraps around the body’s internal organs, including the liver.
However, he says women trying to improve muscle strength in their upper body as well as their overall mood and food intake, should take evening exercise,
The men in the trial improved their strength in the mornings and evenings because they were less sensitive to the time of day they exercised.