What if I told you that the best kept fitness secret only had to do with one thing – not your training method, not your level of fitness, and not one particular exercise, but time. Yes, time. According to recent studies, there is a most effective time to weigh yourself, to exercise, and to eat certain foods. Read on for the new fitness secret revealed: it all comes down to times of day.
First thing in the morning is best for: weighing yourself, eating breakfast, going grocery shopping, cheating on your diet with eating fats
First thing after you get out of bed, after you make a bathroom stop and take care of the essentials, weigh yourself to get your most accurate measurement. You will get the most accurate reading on your weight because you haven’t eaten breakfast yet, and you would have just gone to the bathroom and are wearing light clothing.
Next, eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. This will keep your metabolism running the most efficiently all day, and keep your meals spaced out so that you are less likely to over eat.
The best time to head to the grocery store? 10 in the morning, or a half hour to an hour after you eat breakfast. At this time you are still satisfied from your breakfaast, and because you have been awake for at least an hour your blood sugar levels are at prime stability, so you won’t be hungry and you will be less likely to buy extra or buy junk foods.
Also, if you are cheating on your diet, 10 is also a great time in the morning to eat fats. Fats are a source of energy, and when consumed in the morning your metabolism has all day to burn them off.
Mid-morning is best for: working out
The best time to workout is in the morning before you officially start your day. A recent study compared subjects who were put on a high-fat diet with subjects who were on a regular diet – the subjects on a high-fat diet worked ot before breakfast and had no weight gain after six weeks, while the subjects who workout out after breakfast had gained up to three pounds. Exercising in the morning, particularly cardio combined with strength exercises, your metabolism is jump started and will work more efficiently throughout the day.
Although I must say from my own experience I think doing cardio on an empty stomach can be a dangerous idea, having enough fuel to sustain your body for a workout will help you work out to a fuller potential. Just don’t overdo it!
Mid-day is best for: lunch, eating carbs or sugars
The best time to have lunch is about 4.5 hours after eating breakfast. If you’re trying to sneak in extra carbs, the best time to do so is at about 1 in the afternoon, because in doing so your average serotonin levels will increase enough to prevent you from snacking more later on in the day.
If sugary indulgences are more your thing, set your alarm for sugar intake for about 2 in the afternoon. This is the time of day when your body goes through a natural slump period, and it will give your body a natural energy boost.
Late afternoon to night time is best for: dinner, alcoholic beverages
Dinner is best had several hours after lunch, to keep your metabolism going and to keep on schedule with the intervals between your other previous full meals. The goal, according to Dr. Oz who was a frequent on the Oprah Winfrey show and has his own show currently, is to eat dinner more than three hours before you sleep so that you do not go to bed with a full stomach.
You know the old saying, it’s always five o’clock somewhere? Well studies have shown that 5 p.m. is also the best time to have an alcoholic beverage, because in small doses an alcoholic drink can be a stimulant, whereas in large amounts it acts as a depressant. So in drinking at 5, your body will have the drink fully metabolized by the time you go to sleep.
Original source can be found here.
What do you think?
Have you followed this schedule? What do you think about these health and wellness tips? Share with us in the comments section below.
