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It's only common sense that you need to burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. This means that upping your physical activity levels is just as important as watching what you eat if you want to tip the scales in favor of being slimmer. However, what's perhaps less well known is that taking exercise directly after your main meal of the day gives your dieting efforts a powerful boost, for the following five reasons.
Exercise Directly Boosts Your Metabolism
Your metabolism affects how quickly your body burns the calories you've taken in through eating. The higher your metabolic rate, the quicker you'll use up the energy in your food, and the easier you'll find it to lose weight; it basically works like legal steroids! Regular exercise raises your average metabolic rate in the long term, but it also has a vital immediate effect.
During periods of exertion, you'll burn calories up to three times faster than when you're at rest, even without taking into account the extra energy you'll use for the actual exercise. This is because your body has to work hard to convert your food energy into glucose to fuel your muscles, and that process uses up calories that may otherwise be stored as fat.
This effect continues for a while after your workout has ended, as your body uses up yet more energy replenishing your stocks of glucose, as well as strengthening and rebuilding your muscle cells after the stress they've been under. This means that exercising after your largest meal is a perfect way of burning off the excess energy before your body has had a chance to lay it down in the form of fat.
Increased Stamina
If you exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, you're more likely to tire quickly and so will not have as extensive a workout. However, after a meal, you'll have more immediately available energy to help you carry on for longer, and you'll likely burn more calories overall as a result.
Appetite Curb
Similarly, if you exercise on an empty stomach,... show more
you're likely to feel ravenous afterward, and it's easy to over-compensate by eating more food than you need. This is counterproductive and can be avoided by getting the best appetite suppressant pills and working out when you have more energy freely available after a meal. Then, even if you're hungry again after your exercise, a small snack will usually be enough to satisfy your appetite.
Improve Your Sleep
Many studies have shown that getting enough sleep is vital for efficient weight loss. If, like most people, your evening meal is the largest of the day, taking exercise straight after it will tend to make you sleep better, as your body takes the opportunity to recover from its exertions while you slumber. In contrast, setting your alarm for an early morning workout may leave you short of sleep, prompting your body to release increased amounts of hunger hormones, with obvious consequences for your diet.
The Advantage of Simple Habit
Most people tend to have their largest meal at a similar time each day. Using this routine to get into the habit of taking a little exercise at a regular time means you're much less likely to forget it or give in to the temptation of staying at home rather than visiting the gym like on anabolic steroids. Even a short 15-minute post-dinner walk can make a significant difference when you do it every single day.
Losing weight can be difficult and frustrating, with many conflicting theories on the best way of eating to achieve it. However, every little advantage you can gain will help in your long-term success. Getting into the routine of taking exercise after your main meal will have strong benefits, whichever particular diet plan you choose to follow. show more