In the pursuit of a beautiful and athletic figure, we use various types of physical activity. Jogging is one of the most simple and popular ones. You can run alone, with a partner or with a dog, at any time of the year or day. But the question often arises - is running in the morning the most beneficial? The answer is clear - of course, it is. However, some rules must be followed.
Running in the morning on an empty stomach
Many fitness instructors recommend running in the morning as a very good way to burn fat, but not everyone agrees. Most known bodybuilders are in favour of morning cardio training, which they believe should be done on an empty stomach. They explain this by the fact that then there are a greater fat burning and metabolism increases throughout the day. The opinions are very divided among scientists. Proponents give the following arguments in favour of such training
When you wake up in the morning after 8-10 hours of sleep, your body’s glycogen level is low. In this case, the body begins to use adipose tissue as a source of energy.
Food causes insulin burst and it prevents fat metabolism. Early in the morning, there is little insulin in the body, hence the fat burning process is more intensive.
When you do morning cardio training, your metabolism levels are raised for a while after training. Evening running also turns on metabolism, but usually, you go to bed a moment later and you do not benefit from increased metabolism.
Running in the morning - pros
You already know that running in the morning on an empty stomach has a positive effect on fat burning, but this is not the only benefit of it!
- 20 minutes of morning jogging works like a running hour at a different time of day
- strengthens the body and muscle endurance
- activates metabolism that has slowed down during sleep
- helps with depression, insomnia and improves appetite
- adds energy for the whole day
- prevents diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis and myocardial ischemia
Running in the morning - contraindications
Unfortunately, as in any physical activity, also not every one of us can participate in the running in the morning. You can’t train this way if you have:
- lung failure
- high blood pressure
- problems with the spine or endocrine and urinary systems
- non-insulin dependent diabetes
- heart arrhythmia
- hyperthyroidism
You should also skip such training during colds, and if you have recently had surgery.
How to start running in the morning?
Morning jogging should not last longer than 20-30 minutes. You should exercise this way 3-4 times a week. To achieve results, you need to run systematically. Of course, on the first day do not try to run for 20 minutes, it will be too strenuous for your body. Before training, be sure to do a warm-up consisting of simple stretching exercises - torso bends, head turns, squats. 5-10 minutes are enough. Your first-morning run should last 5 minutes. A week later, increase your training time to 10 minutes - and thus increasing every week by a further 5 minutes, you’ll eventually reach a continuous 30-minute run. Remember that morning running should not exhaust you physically and deprive you of strength, after all, you have a whole day ahead of you. Actually, it should add energy and improve mood and well-being.
For running, choose places away from the streets, the best solution will be parks or forest alleys. Thanks to the nature that surrounds you, you will be able to relax and breathe with the fresh air. It will also be great if you do not run on asphalt but on a more natural surface. Running on a hard, unnatural surface has a bad effect on the joints and may end in pain in the knees or ankles or a more complicated injury.
