If you want to lose weight faster, you might be tempted to do cardio on empty stomach. But not everyone is convinced that this is a good idea. Let’s examine the evidence for and against doing cardio on an empty stomach to see which side has it right.
There are many reasons why people engage in physical activity early in the morning before eating anything. Many people do this for religious purposes or as part of their morning routine, but some people just don’t have time for breakfast before they need to head off to work or school.
Doing cardio on empty stomach might help you lose fat faster. First, let’s talk about what is fasted cardio and how it can benefit you.
What is the Fasted Cardio?
Fasted cardio is a workout strategy in which you perform an intense cardiovascular exercise for periods of time without eating first. It works by increasing your heart rate without the need for glucose. When you start your workout without sugar in your system, it forces your body to burn fat instead of carbs.
The purpose of fasted cardio is to increase the amount of fat burned during exercise. This is accomplished by boosting levels of adrenaline, which increases heat production. This means burning more calories over time. Over the course of the day, you’ll burn even more calories just by raising your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It can be an extremely effective way to lose weight!
Cardio is an integral part of any fitness routine. It builds your endurance for aerobic activities and helps reduce your risk of weight gain. But even the most devoted exerciser has trouble coming up with new ways to work out their heart rate. That’s why we put together this section about fasted cardio!
We’ve got all the facts on what it is, how it works, and what you should know about doing it yourself. Also, we’ve included a bunch of tips to get you started.
If all this reading isn’t enough to convince you, then join the hundreds of thousands of people who have already done fasted cardio. It can be just as effective as traditional cardio, sometimes even more so! And the worst that could happen is that you don’t see results. But, your body will be happy with the increased energy and vitality it gets from doing fasted cardio!
Does Doing Cardio On Empty Stomach Makes You Lose More Weight?
Yes, it does seem like a no-brainer that doing cardio on an empty stomach will help maximize fat burning and weight loss. And yet the idea that doing cardio before eating would be better than after eating has been hotly debated for years. The evidence seems to suggest the number of calories you burn will depend on whether or not you work out on a full or empty stomach.
Regardless of what your preference is; it’s important to always remember to eat light and healthy foods before and after your workout. This is because working out doesn’t only cause the body to release endorphins. It also causes stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to spike, which can interfere with good health and nutrition habits.
It’s also important to eat as much as you can comfortably after your workout. This will prevent the body from storing excess calories as fat, which would otherwise be stored as muscle tissue. The more lean muscle you develop, the more calories you burn even while resting. The more calories you burn during physical activity — whether it be cardio or weight training — the less fat and carbohydrates (glycogen) your body will store.
Stress and Starvation: A double-edged sword?
In order to lose weight effectively, it is imperative that you want to lose weight fast, not just slow down your metabolism by exercising on an empty stomach.
Working out before eating will stress your body in a manner that is similar to that of a fast, which is the opposite of what the body needs when it needs calories from food to provide energy to muscles.
The stress hormone cortisol rises, which gives you a boost in energy. It does this by targeting fat cells and converting them into usable energy for your muscles. In this way, cortisol works in your favor when you need help burning fat. But when you don’t need it — for instance, when you’re trying to build lean muscle tissue — cortisol can work against you by inhibiting fat breakdown and increasing fat storage.
Your muscles are resilient to stress when they need to be — such as when you’re exercising — and sensitive during rest periods. The more your body becomes accustomed to stressful situations, the less sensitive it is to the negative effects of stress later on. This is why people who work out regularly can handle stressful situations with ease.
On the flip side of this, not eating enough — or fasting — will put your body into a catabolic state. Making it nearly impossible for you to build and maintain lean muscle mass. A catabolic state occurs when the body breaks down more muscle tissue than it creates. Which reduces your metabolism and makes it harder and more time-consuming for you to lose weight.
Is it Safe to Do Cardio on Empty Stomach?
Yes, for some it is. Cardio for empty stomach is safe if you are in one of the following categories:
- Healthy people who are not on any medications.
- Not at risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or high cholesterol.
- Normal weight (BMI between 18-25) without excess body fat (BMI > 30).
- Exercise frequency and intensity are more important than exercise timing with regard to weight loss and health benefits.
If you fall into one of these categories, then it’s safe to cardio on an empty stomach. If you don’t fall within these categories, it may be more harmful than helpful to do cardio on an empty stomach.
It’s generally advisable to do your routine at least 30 minutes after eating because your body will be digesting food. When you eat too close or too soon to cardio, your body will be fighting the food and not fully focusing on burning fat.
That said, if your day includes multiple things to fill up on (meal, coffee, shake), it’s generally acceptable to do cardio first thing in the morning or last thing before bed.
In these circumstances, you want to keep your raise in heart rate at a moderate level so that your body can still digest the food you ate earlier.
If you have a hectic morning and the last thing before bed, do cardio in-between so that your body can fully focus on fat loss.
Conclusion
Cardio on empty stomach is a great way to lose fat for most people. However, if you have a health condition, doing fasted cardio might do more harm than good. Controlling your stress levels is the key to losing fat in a healthy fashion.
Here is a cardio program you can do at your home:
Awesome Cardio Workout at Home – Lose Weight Quick and Effectively!
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