Lose Weight With Morning ExerciseWalk the dog, join a health club, get into running. But some days that hardly seems possible. Our days are overbooked already!
Whatever you do, you've got to move your body as much as possible if you want to lose weight.ByJeanie Lerche DavisFrom the WebMD ArchivesThere's no getting aroundit: To loseweightand keep it off, you need toexercise. Yet experts agree - exercise must become part of youroverall daily lifestyle. And starting the morning with exercise is the best habit of all."The key is getting exercise whenever you
can - whether it's morning, afternoon, or evening," says Cedric X. Bryant, PhD, chief exercise physiologist of the American Council on Exercise. "Your goal is to move your body as much as possible."But by starting your morning withphysical activity, you set the day'space, Bryant says."Morning exercisers tend to stick with their exercise habit," he says."By doing the bulk of exercise first thing in the morning, you get your exercise in before other distractions can intrude. We can all relate to that --because once the day gets going, it's hard to get off the treadmill calledlife."The Case for Morning ExerciseResearch suggests that morning exercise improvessleep, a benefit that could also promote weight loss, Bryant tells WebMD. One study ofoverweightwomen between the ages of 50 to75 showed that those who engaged in consistent morning exercise (about four hours a week) slept betterthan those who exercisedless. The evening exercisers had more trouble falling asleep - even if they fit in the four hours a week.Bryant explains the connection ofsleepand weight loss: "We know that if you have poor qualitysleep, it influencescertain hormones that control appetite. It is possible that by exercising in the morning -- instead of evening - theexercise affects the body's circadian rhythm (your internal body clock) so you get better-quality sleep. Good sleep helps control the hormonal balance that helps controlappetite."Brisk exercise (an hour ormore daily) has helped more than 4,000"successful losers" in TheNationalWeight ControlRegistry -- they've all lost30 pounds or more and kept it off for a year or longer. Many of them break up their exercise into shorter spurts throughout the day instead of doing a single, marathon workout session."Think of your morning exercise like a business appointment - one you can't easily cancel," says Gary Foster, PhD, clinical director of the weight andeating disordersprogram at the Unive
