Each year, millions of us commit to new exercise regimens in search of a quick way to shape our waistlines.
But what if the secret to effective fat burning lies not just in what you do, but in your exercise choices?
Scientists are increasingly aware that the circadian rhythms, or body clocks, within each of our tissues play an important role in how efficiently the tissues function at different times of the day. I am discovering.
For example, studies show that athletes tend to perform best in the late afternoon and early evening.
Dutch sports scientists studied the performance of swimmers at the Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio and found that they achieved their fastest times around 5pm. These principles are believed to apply to all of us.
Scientists are increasingly discovering that the circadian rhythms, or body clocks, within each of our tissues play an important role in their efficient performance at different times of the day. Masu (file image)
Dutch sports scientists investigated the performance of swimmers at the Olympic Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio (file image)
“Exercise timing may play a role in fine-tuning some of the outcomes of exercise,” says Professor of Integrative Physiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and author of the link between body clocks and biology. One person, Julien Zierath, says:
“Many of our physiology operate in 24-hour cycles, from body temperature to heart rate to the genes that control fat metabolism.”
Scientists are beginning to learn how every tissue and organ has its own schedule in response to various hormonal fluctuations.
Because our muscles are at their strongest and most flexible later in the day, new research shows that exercising in the morning burns fat more efficiently.
Professor Zeeras says there are thousands of genes that produce enzymes that help convert the fat stored in your cells into the energy you use during exercise. And these genes seem to be most active in the morning.
So while you may not be at your strongest and fastest then, it’s the perfect time to lose weight.
In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Gelas and his colleagues investigated this for the first time in mice.
The researchers found that the body fat in mice had much higher levels of enzymes used to metabolize fat when they exercised on a treadmill within the first three hours of waking.
The same amount of exercise much later in the day resulted in much lower levels of these enzymes.
“This means that if you’re exercising regularly in the morning, your body is likely more sensitive to breaking down fat and using it for energy,” says Jelas. says.
And what that means is that I could potentially lose a little more weight. Exercise also helps maintain weight, so morning exercise may prevent weight gain. ”
Scientists suspect that the body’s drive to burn fat after a morning workout may be related to a natural pattern of hormones called glucocorticoids that control the body’s maintenance and storage of fat. I’m here.
Glucocorticoids are present throughout the body, especially in adipose tissue. Their natural pattern is to reach a peak around 8am when we’re physically active and turning on our appetites, followed by a lowest level around 3am when we’re fast asleep.
Morning exercise fits well into this daily cycle because your body doesn’t produce additional fat cells because your glucocorticoid levels are already elevated.
However, exercising in the evening causes a spike in glucocorticoids, triggering the body to produce new fat cells to replace some of the fat cells you just burned, with minimal effect on your waistline. .
This may help explain why shift workers are more prone to weight gain. Because their nocturnal patterns are stressful and active, glucocorticoids rise significantly during times when the body is normally asleep, leading to the production of more fat cells.
As a result, shift workers are more likely to gain weight than those with a normal circadian pattern, even for the same daily caloric intake.
This is the result of evolution, explains Dr. Mary Teruel, an associate professor of biochemistry at Weill Cornell Medical School in New York and the world’s leading authority on glucocorticoids. She points out how our bodies evolved around a pattern of being awake during the day and sleeping at night.
“Fat is strongly influenced by hormones,” says Dr. Teruel. “Disturbances in glucocorticoid levels have a profound effect on fat.
“If you slow down your exercise, you’ll start having more of these hormones in the evening, which is not good,” she explains.
Scientists believe the body’s drive to burn fat after a morning workout may be related to a natural pattern of hormones called glucocorticoids (file image).
“Your body needs rest at this time of day, and if you stimulate it, you’re staying up late and not sleeping.”
Rather, Dr. Teruel suggests that exercise in the morning has a greater effect on weight loss, regardless of the length or type of exercise.
However, working out after lunch has many benefits. Gieras says exercising in the afternoon keeps blood sugar levels more stable. That means the afternoon is the best time of day for people with type 2 diabetes, or at risk of developing it.
This is important because when blood sugar levels become too volatile, excess sugar begins to be stored as fat.
“Studies in people with type 2 diabetes have shown that high-intensity interval training in the afternoon provides the most optimal improvement in glycemic control compared to exercise in the morning and evening,” said Prof. Zeeras.
She also points to a study of more than 92,000 people published in the journal Nature Communication in February that found that those who exercised between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. They found that they were less likely to die of heart disease than those who exercised later. This is probably due to the link between blood sugar stability and heart health.
But she stresses that while exercising in the morning or during the day may yield the most optimal results, exercising all the time is better than not doing it at all.
A study in Nature Communications demonstrated that people who frequently engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity live longer than those who do very little.
“You have to listen to your body. Many people prefer night runners, and some prefer morning runners,” says Professor Gieras.
She says there may be some evidence to suggest that morning workouts have a short-term effect on weight loss, but she thinks it’s better to have a routine that keeps you exercising consistently.
“It’s really important,” she says. “However, doing exercise at specific times may enhance the beneficial effects of exercise.”
Under the microscope…
87-year-old singer Engelbert Humperdinck takes a health quiz.
Can you run up stairs?
I actually enjoy going up and down the stairs. It’s part of my fitness routine. The house also has a treadmill and rowing machine.
Can I get 5 per day?
I am a really healthy eater. When I was a kid in Leicester, my dad always said, “Eat slowly, eat well.” It stuck in my mind.
Have you ever been on a diet?
Many times.I’m currently in 15th place [he’s 6ft 1½in] But many years ago, when my weight was over the 17th, I followed one of the new fad diets that was circulating among the Hollywood crowd, and it was too restrictive and made me sick. rice field.
A few years ago, I became very conscious of what I was eating and exercising for a TV special in Hawaii, and have been doing so ever since.
How has the pandemic affected you?
My beloved wife, Patricia, was not feeling well. [she had dementia] — but while the pandemic temporarily put a stop to my outings, it gave me precious time with her.
I was with her every day for a year and a half until God called her [in February 2021].
Are there any vices?
I love wine in moderation, but I like to drink the occasional Cuban cigar for celebrations or when friends come over to my house.
When I was 18 and in national service, everyone smoked, but I developed tuberculosis, so I quit when I was around 23.
I spent six months in the hospital, and at some point my condition got so bad that I had my final rites.
Do you have family illnesses?
My father was very strong and lived to be 91 years old. His mother had heart disease. I think it was because she had many children. We had 10 people.
Yet she died at the age of 88. Her family is long-lived. One of my sisters had reached the age of 99 and the other was over 100.
What is your worst illness/injury?
In my late 30s, I had a skiing accident in Austria. His leg wasn’t broken, but he twisted badly. It took years to get it back in shape.
do you take pills?
A multivitamin as you may not be getting the same nutritious foods when you are out and about as you are at home.
Have you ever had plastic surgery?
In the event of an accident it will, but otherwise it will not. I use really good creams and drink lots of water to prevent wrinkles.
Have you tried alternative therapies?
About 40 years ago, during a stressful time, I was introduced to acupuncture.
Dr. Ha, who provided me with beneficial treatment, is still one of my closest friends.
what wakes you up?
Streaming TV series you can’t stop watching in bed.
do you want to live forever?
I am grateful for my life. If God calls me, I hope I can get a backstage pass to Heaven’s Gate.
Eneglbert’s new album ‘All About Love’ has been released.
