The "Golden Rule" of Exercise + Diet will help you lose weight faster!

Many people rely on exercise to lose weight, but they're also confused about when is the best time to exercise?

How should you plan your diet before and after exercise?

First of all, there's no absolute "optimal" exercise time for weight loss. It depends primarily on your lifestyle, physical condition, and exercise goals. However, exercise at different times does vary slightly.

• Morning Exercise:

Advantages: After a night's sleep, your body is fasting and your glycogen stores are low. Exercise at this time (especially moderate to low-intensity aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking or jogging) may mobilize more fat for energy. Exercising in the morning can also boost your metabolic rate throughout the day and help you develop a regular exercise routine, reducing the chance of distractions.

Note: Avoid high-intensity exercise on an empty stomach. Eat a small amount of carbohydrates (such as half a banana) beforehand to prevent hypoglycemia. Also, muscles and joints are stiffer in the morning, so warm up thoroughly to reduce the risk of injury.

• Daytime Exercise

Advantages: During this time, body temperature is higher, muscle strength and flexibility are better, and cardiopulmonary function is relatively active. This results in more stable performance and is suitable for high-intensity training (such as strength training, interval training, and freestyle boxing), which helps burn calories more efficiently.

Note: Avoid exercising immediately after a full stomach and wait 1-2 hours after a meal to prevent gastrointestinal discomfort.

• Evening Exercise

Advantages: For office workers, this time is easier to schedule exercise. Post-exercise stretching and relaxation can also relieve the day's stress and help improve sleep.

Note: Choose moderate to low-intensity exercise (such as yoga and jogging) to avoid excessive fatigue that can affect your physical condition the next day. Also, avoid high-intensity exercise within an hour of bedtime, as it may interfere with sleep due to nervous excitement.

Those seeking weight loss can choose their exercise time based on their individual needs. For example, if you feel energetic after waking up in the morning, then morning exercise is suitable. If you tend to feel sleepy in the afternoon, exercise can be a boost. If you have ample time and can persist in the evening, then choose evening exercise instead of forcing yourself to exercise. However, I still want to remind everyone that maintaining a regular exercise frequency is more important than choosing a specific time to exercise. Regular exercise 3-5 times per week is more conducive to weight loss than frustrating yourself with a "best time." Once you develop an exercise habit, your body will gradually adapt and develop a metabolic rhythm.

In short, the best exercise time is the one that suits you and that you can stick to for a long time. The key to weight loss through exercise is to ensure the intensity and duration of each session meet the target (e.g., at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise combined with 2-3 strength training sessions per week). This, combined with dietary control, will help achieve your weight loss goals.

Now that we know how to exercise, let's talk about diet.

Before exercise, we recommend consuming a small amount of low-GI carbohydrates (such as a slice of whole-wheat bread and an apple). This not only provides energy to your muscles, but also prevents fatigue caused by exercising on an empty stomach and bloating caused by overeating.

If your exercise duration is less than an hour and the intensity is moderate or below, no additional nutritional supplements are necessary. However, if your exercise duration is longer than an hour, or if you sweat a lot and the intensity is high, you can take small, intermittent sports drinks to replenish electrolytes and sugars.

Within 30 minutes to an hour after exercise, you can promptly replenish your body with a combination of protein and carbohydrates, such as a glass of milk and an egg, or protein powder and a banana, to promote muscle repair and glycogen storage. Don't forget to supplement with trace elements, dietary fiber, and other foods. A well-balanced diet is crucial at this time.

The following recipes are provided for reference only, based on different exercise intensities.

• After low-intensity exercise (such as brisk walking or yoga, 30-60 minutes), there's no need for significant nutritional supplements. A light diet should focus on whole-wheat bread, fried eggs, cherry tomatoes, or oatmeal with milk, almonds, and bananas.
• After moderate-intensity exercise (such as jogging or swimming, 60-90 minutes), it's important to balance carbohydrate and protein intake. Recommendations include: brown rice, steamed fish, sautéed spinach, or a sweet potato and chicken breast salad with olive oil vinaigrette.
• After high-intensity exercise (such as HIIT or strength training, 60 minutes or longer), it's important to increase the carbohydrate content of your diet to help your body quickly restore glycogen stores. Recommendations include: whole-wheat pasta, lean ground beef, broccoli, olive oil or corn, a boiled egg, an avocado, and blueberries.

The above recipes are examples only. Specific serving sizes and combinations should be based on your height and weight. Please consult a professional nutritionist for details.