The average person does cardio whenever they can fit it in their busy schedule. I would like to shed some light on the subject of the best time to do cardio and why. No matter what time of the day cardio is done energy will be expended and calories will be burned.
The best time to perform cardiovascular exercise to get the maximum results desired as far as fat burn is first thing in the morning. Doing cardio first thing, on an empty stomach, before anything is consumed, is by far the most effective way to go. Simply because when cardio is done a person is burning calories. If you do cardio after breakfast or after lunch all that is being burned is the calories from those meals. When cardio is done immediately in the morning, after sleeping 6-8 hours the body sees that there are no carbs left to burn and therefore turns to burning the stored body fat. Stored body fat is ultimately the fat that is most desired to leave the body.
There are many theories as to when cardio and weight training should be done in the same workout. Doing 40 minutes of cardio at a moderate pace will not deplete enough energy to prevent a person from lifting well as long as proper eating habits are executed. However, if you deplete some carbohydrate stores with an initial weight training session, your body is in the fat burning mode and the cardio that follows the weight training will burn fat and calories more efficiently.
Another point to consider when choosing whether to lift or do cardio first is the lactic acid that remains in the muscles after an intense weight training session that causes soreness. Cardio after weight training can help flush residual lactic acid out of the muscles after lifting to minimize soreness. Cardio after weight training can also be considered a good cool down method to restore the body back to its resting state if done correctly.
Which ever option is chose to do cardio, the benefits are endless. Weight will be lost in any case cardio is included in. Not only that, your heart will become stronger, lung capacity will increase, and you will naturally reduce your risk for heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. Along with all of those benefits you will get better sleep, reduce your stress level and feel better in all of your day to day activities.
When choosing which type of cardio to do remember to pick activities that you like to do. If you enjoy the outdoors running, cycling, hiking or walking are all good options. If you prefer a gym atmosphere stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical, rowing machine or stair steppers are available at most. However, if you prefer to sweat in the comfort of your own home, there are a vast array of home videos and DVDs that can do the job.
The bottom line is that it is not what you do, but how hard you work. Choose something that you can see yourself being able to do three or more times a week. Always remember to be flexible. If you change it up regularly you will avoid plateaus and boredom. Do something, you may just enjoy yourself!
