Im trying to loose body fat and have been running on a completely empty stomach before breakfast for 20 minutes, five times a week. Is that the best time of day to do cardio exercise if you want to loose fat?
I don’t think the empty stomach is going to contribute to the slimdown any. In fact, it’s unhealthy and could actually cause you to gain weight (you’re apt to eat more AFTER exercising than if you eat before you go running). Have a light breakfast and some orange juice or something before you go running. You’ll have more energy. Also make sure that you’re raising your heart rate enough for the exercise to be effective. I think they say you ought to get up to about 120 beats per minute and sustain that for at least 20 minutes to really get the effects of a cardiovascular workout.
Body for Life books say doing cardio on an empty stomach is best because it will burn body fat, then wait one hour before you eat because the metabolism is still running high and it’s most effective for burning fat whereas doing cardio after you eat will first burn the fuel from the food before body fat. I don’t know if it’s true, but that’s what I have read. They also say to eat 5 smaller meals a day so your body knows it will be receiving enough calories and won’t go into starvation mode and store that body fat.
Any time of day is the same for burning fat by exercising, however the morning is usually when it feels best to exercise. It is a bad idea to run on an empty stomach though, it will just make you hungrier and increase your chances of eating right afterwards. Eat a piece of toast before you run, then normal breakfast afterwards and you will see results. Remember, 3500 calories to a pound, and each mile you run is almost 100 calories, regardless of the pace.
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