Fat burning in a fasted state – Burn more fat in the morning

Morning workouts are extremely beneficial to fat burning and weight loss. We have all heard of these fat burning walks (FBW) but probably never really understood how exercising first thing in the morning is a whole lot better for you.

To put it as simply as possible our bodies preferred source of energy is glucose (carbs and sugar). Exercising of an afternoon or evening will most likely just burn off the food you have eaten that day rather than the body fat you are trying to shred. It will take you a much longer time to get to the point of fat burning. 

Over the day you have consumed a number of carbohydrates which are your body’s most convenient fuel source of energy. As you start exercising this is transformed into glucose which is then converted to energy with the help of insulin. This process is usually quite quick provided you are eating a healthy diet and the type of exercise you are doing.

Fat cells are a long term energy storage in contrast to glucose. Fat goes through a number of stages for chemicals and body receptors to turn stored fat into energy. Hence why you would need to work out for a long time of an afternoon/night to get to the point of burning that stored fat. If you exercise in a fasted state your body will burn fat rather than glucose.

First thing in the morning your body’s natural levels are at their best possible state for fat loss. You haven’t eaten in around 10 hours and your insulin levels are very low. The higher the insulin the harder it is to work off stored fat. When insulin levels are low your body is able to release and transport fat cells so you will burn off actual fat rather than glucose.

Because you can quickly get to the fat burning stage even moderate level cardio and weights is sufficient for an effective workout for the morning. Try a 40 minute walk/light jog or a half hour body weight exercise session for fat burning and toning.

Whilst you will start shredding the fat that is no means for consuming a poor diet throughout the day. That won’t work. In order to lose body fat you need to use more fat than you consume. Daily treats, processed foods and bad fats are no good. A clean diet of protein, good fats and carbs is ideal for weight loss and fat burning.

The timing of when you eat carbs throughout the day is also very important when using those to process as fat for fuel. To make your morning fat burning workout more effective do not eat high glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates late in the day. The higher the GI the faster the glucose is absorbed and used. Generally the more processed the food is the higher the GI. This means steering clear of refined foods such as white carbs like white bread, white rice and pasta. High fibre and high protein foods have a low GI and perfect for a healthy lifestyle. Think lean proteins such as chicken and fish with green vegetables.

So I think it’s about time you all became morning people!