According to the article, if you start the day with some kind of exercise, you can jump-start your basal metabolic rate for the rest of the day. In the example given, simply light preparations prior to Christmas dinner can raise the metabolic rate by 20% (clearing tables, setting out cutlery, etc.), but if the woman started the day with a vigorous 45 minute jog for example can raise her total metabolic output by 70%.
So, on days when I get up and exercise, I raise the morning metabolic rate and trick my body into thinking it needs to maintain that energetic level for the rest of the day. As actual demand wanes, the total output peters out towards evening, but having been elevated for much of the morning I burn far more calories than I would otherwise sitting at my desk. The reason why this is less effective at night is that as soon as you go to sleep, REM metabolism drops to about a third of daytime metabolism, ablating much of the additive advantage.
Contrary then to popular belief and to comfort as well, it’s most important to exercise as vigorously as possible on the morning of holidays when we normally gorge ourselves on not only rich foods but also on higher levels of foods we regularly consume. Most American holidays revolve around food, yet we just sit around together and eat and store fat, truth be told. My grandparents thought I was crazy for running 4 miles on Christmas morning, but that’s why I managed to get through the holidays without gaining any weight.
2 comments:
That is actually really good to know. I can't seem to sleep more than 6 hours per night with a few exceptions. This leaves me wide awake at least an hour before I make my way to work. Being diabetic, this could really help me out and give me a reason to pick mornings over nights (which have failed more often than not) to work out.
I like how bluntly you stated the holidays.. I have thought on the same phenomena my self or similarly at least.. And to express a thought I had on thanksgiving, concerning thanksgiving, I must say that I really think that the meal should be special and good but that only enough should be made that really can be enjoyed because by the time you have stuffed yourself full and further it is a bit harder to be completely grateful for it.. and it is a day of gratitude.. any who, I thought that was an ironic phenomena.. lol well thanks that was fun.. to write.. :) have a good one.
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