Exercise Timing

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paradog
paradog Posts: 378 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is it better to:
A. Spend a solid 60 minutes doing various exercises
B. Spend 2-30 minute periods one in morning and one at night
C. Exercise 3 times a day for 20 minutes each

Is there a benefit to exercising before meals or after? which is better?

Replies

  • nurse_carolyn
    nurse_carolyn Posts: 348
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    bump.......want to read the advice:)
  • Juleswithaplan
    Juleswithaplan Posts: 21 Member
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    bumping - great question!
  • jamielise2
    jamielise2 Posts: 432 Member
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    As far as spllitting up the workout, that is really up to you. My lifestyle does not generally allow me to do that, but the total calories burned is what matters. As far as eating...I usually have a small snack with some carbs about an hour before a workout, and a small snack with protein within 30 minutes after working out. If I eat too close before my workout I get heartburn or indigestions, but if I don't eat something before then I have no energy to work out or burn those calories. Make sure your snack calories are fewer than what you're burning, though.
  • Sadie98072
    Sadie98072 Posts: 212 Member
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    From everything that I have read, splitting the exercise up into smaller portions wont make a difference at all because you are still burning the same amount of calories.
    I prefer to eat after exercise.
    Do what works for you, if you only have 20min chunks of time to exercise in then do that. Remember, some is better than none.
  • SavCal71
    SavCal71 Posts: 350 Member
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    The best workout is the one you'll stick to ...
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
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    D. The one that makes you get your exercising done for the day.

    But in regards to all your other questions, fasted cardio first thing in the morning supposedly burns more fat than say cardio at other times of the day in a fed state, but sometimes you need energy - like a quick carb snack - before a long run, so just keep in mind you may not have as much energy for your work-out in a fasted state and may not work-out as efficiently.

    Speaking of efficiency... the best way to burn fat is to do High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Literally bursts of energy of your all out best effort for a short time (usually a minute) followed by a recovery period (usually about 2 minutes) of moderate exercise to recover your heart rate.

    This has been scientifically proven again and again to burn more fat than steady state cardio in the same amount of time. No more than 15 minutes of HIIT needed in a day. If you want to exercise longer, then switch to steady state after 15 minutes.

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