Best Timings For Exercising!

As active urban individual living in a fast paced world where appearance is still a main concern, exercising is still one of the top priorities in our daily routine. But with unending workload on our shoulder, we can only fit in gym time whenever the time allows it. But is there actually good timings for exercise? Let’s find out here!

Cardio training is one of the most effective calorie burner, just as weight training is. The main difference is doing weight training can increase your body’s metabolism up until 24 hours after training. With cardio, your body is pretty much in the same state before and after exercise, because after exercise your body cools down and goes back to its initial state. The calorie burned is used up for forming oxygen. For the best results, it’s advisable for you to have an interval between cardio and strength training, or even make a combination between the two. You can have 1 or 2 days combination training, and other days of pure cardio training or strength training the rest of the week.

Did you know that when you stop moving for 1 – 2 minutes to rest between sets, you might sabotage the results you could have been getting? Too much rest between sets might diminish lactate acid, which helps growth and formation of muscles. It’s advisable for you to minimize rest and move on from one set to another fast to maintain the intensity of the workout. Of course you can rest in between sets while training, but make sure it’s not too long that your body cools down completely. It’s ideal to do the same number of repetition in every set.

For those of you who have a hard time finding time to workout, even just doing an hour of training is already good for your health and body. But you have to be aware of some hormonal conditions that might tamper with the result of your workout. For example, cortisol, a steroid hormone that regulates fat burning, is at its most effective at 6 – 8 AM in the morning. So if you’re aiming for fat loss you should workout at those hours. It’s advisable for you to have some breakfast prior to the workout, opt for a high protein and high car meal with 75 – 150 calories. If there’s no carbs in your system, your body is going to make it itself from its own muscle tissues. This carbs made from muscle tissue is going to be discarded through the blood vessels, which will increase the body’s insulin level and might hamper fat burning process.

You might always hear your gym buddy nagging you about the importance of stretching before every workout, but did you know this might not actually be true? Stretching before a workout is good but its importance might have been exaggerated. A study shows that the stretching done before workout doesn’t actually have any effect on injury prevention. Medical practitioners in America even went as far as saying that static stretching will only reduce your muscles’ energy so you’re going to get tired sooner. To condition your body prior to a workout, you’re better off doing warm up exercises like jogging in place for 5  -10 minutes, continued with walking around, jumping, or anything that can pump your blood. Stretching is best done after a work out, while your muscles are still warm and flexible.

In exercising, every little bit counts! When you work out, even in a lighter intensity, your whole body is given a chance to function the way it should. Exercise is the easiest and cheapest way to improve your blood circulation and pump your heart. A regular and routinely done exercise will generate better results than exercise that’s done once in a while. Ex-personnel of Spice Girls Mel B. said that we have to have a high commitment in exercising. With determination and commitment, not only will you reach the expected target – from a flatter abs to a more toned arm, you can also feel improvement in your life in general. You’ll get used to a more structured daily schedule. If you choose to workout in the morning, you’ll also get used to waking up earlier, which will make you feel more refreshed and ready to face the day with more energy!

Originally published on Fimela.com. Translated and edited by Gold's Gym Indonesia.