For most people, the usual exercise time is concentrated in the morning and night, especially for office workers, which is basically before and after work. Exercise in the morning or exercise in the evening, which is better?
Recently, a research team from Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark discovered the "best exercise time" for fat loss.
Experts interviewed
Professor Lu Yifan, School of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Beijing Sport University
Qiu Xuqiang, deputy chief physician of the Department of Sports Medicine, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University
Exercise in the morning burns more fat
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that exercising in the early active phase (equivalent to morning exercise in humans) increased the breakdown of adipose tissue, thermogenesis, and gene expression of mitochondria in adipose tissue compared to exercise before late night rest, thereby increasing metabolic rate and bringing a better "fat-burning effect".
The researchers found that the effects of exercise on fat metabolism were time-dependent but did not interfere with the fat circadian clock. There are indeed different metabolic states between morning and evening exercises, and this difference is independent of food intake. In the case of morning exercise, fat decomposition will increase significantly, but late exercise will not have such a pronounced effect.
Morning training VS evening training, the advantages and disadvantages are at a glance
When to exercise, you should choose the most suitable time for yourself according to the external environment and your own state.
From the state of the crowd
A study published in the authoritative medical journal "Frontiers in Physiology" found that there is a difference in the recommended exercise time between men and women, women exercise in the morning to reduce fat and weight, and men to exercise late to reduce blood pressure and protect the heart.
The researchers conducted a 12-week study of 56 participants aged 25~55 (30 females and 26 males). These participants had daily exercise habits, did not smoke, and had a body mass index (BMI) of less than 25, and they were randomly divided into a morning exercise group that exercised at 6~8 a.m. and a late exercise group that exercised at 6:30~8:30 p.m.
The results showed that morning exercise reduced women's body fat by 3% and belly fat by 3% and 7%, respectively, compared with late exercise. For men, late exercise can enhance fat oxidation, improve metabolism and mood, reduce systolic blood pressure (9% lower than morning exercise), reduce fatigue, and thus be more beneficial to lower blood pressure and protect the heart.
From the outside environment
Advantages of morning exercise: the sun has not fully risen or there are clouds and fog in the morning, temperature and humidity are more suitable, taking running as an example, 30~40 minutes of medium and slow running sweat will not be too large, the body feels more comfortable.
Let people quit the habit of sleeping in, let the body completely wake up, and maintain a good mental state throughout the day.
Disadvantages of morning exercise: After a night of respiration, vegetation releases a large amount of carbon dioxide, and the relatively low temperature is not conducive to the diffusion of dust and particles in the air, and the air quality is poor, which is easy to cause respiratory diseases.
In addition, after getting up in the morning, the appetite is generally poor, unwilling to eat, if fasting or high-intensity exercise, it is easy to induce hypoglycemia.
Advantages of late exercise: the air oxygen content is high, the temperature is suitable, and the environment is conducive to exercise. The evening time is convenient and abundant, which does not interfere with work and study.
Disadvantages of late exercise: Office workers end a day's work, physical and mental fatigue, physical function and reaction ability decline, at this time high-intensity exercise is not conducive to physical recovery, but also increase the risk of injury.
In addition, high-intensity exercise stimulates the body's central nervous system, activates the sympathetic nerves, and even promotes the secretion of dopamine by the brain, which may cause difficulty falling asleep or insomnia.
A note for morning/evening exercises
Choose different times to exercise, each has something to pay attention to.
Morning exercise
Don't practice just after dawn
At this time, the outdoor light is dark, which is not conducive to identifying the foot and the surrounding environment, and it is easy to trip and other accidents. Especially in autumn and winter, the temperature before sunrise is very low, easy to get cold, it is recommended to go to the morning exercise after 9 am, the temperature is slightly raised.
Do not exercise morning on an empty stomach
If you start exercising without eating, you may experience dizziness and weak legs due to low blood sugar concentration and lack of energy.
You should eat some digestible foods to replenish energy before morning exercise, such as bananas, biscuits, rice porridge, etc., and pay attention to hydration, you can drink a glass of honey water. You can't eat too much, as long as you don't feel hungry.
A full warm-up is required
The body has not fully awakened after waking up in the morning, flexibility and coordination are poor, and sports injuries may occur if you exercise directly in the morning.
It is recommended to warm up for a full 15 minutes until there is a slight sweat, a slight tightness in the exhalation, and flexible lubrication of joints and muscles.
Late practice
Exercise one hour after a meal
It is best to start exercising at night an hour after dinner to avoid affecting digestion and absorption.
The intensity of exercise should not be too large
It is best not to do very exciting competitive sports, but should do monotonous exercises, such as brisk walking, jogging, etc. At the same time, it is advisable to avoid strenuous exercise and sweat slightly, because the body takes a long time to recover after overwork, which is likely to affect the sleep of the night and the state of the next day.
Don't be too late
Hormones such as endorphins produced by the body during exercise will be metabolized within 1~2 hours, grasp the exercise time, do not exercise too late, and will not cause insomnia due to body excitement. ▲
Editor of this issue: Deng Yu