Don't do heavy exercise in the morning

[BDF]

As the title indicates. I know some people here have pro-healthy attitudes and it's good. Many people believe getting up early is healthy, and so is kick-starting your day with some exercise.

But it should be light exercise. Don't try to replicate in the morning the same amount of effort you'd put in if you were training in the afternoon. It totally screws with your immune system and leaves you vulnerable to getting sick very quickly and suddenly.

I felt like posting this advice. I rarely used to go in the morning, but have been over the past few days, and that's exactly what happened to me. I read-up about it on the internet, and no surprise the cause of my illness (cold to be exact) is simply overstraining myself in the morning.

[Justin Bieber]

What's heavy exercise considered?
What exactly does it do to your immune system? I've yet to get sick-- but now I'm curious.
Maybe the illness is because you changed your schedule?

If you can only 'light' exercise in the morning, then are you supposed to work out again in the afternoon?

[BDF]

Originally Posted by Santa

What's heavy exercise considered?
What exactly does it do to your immune system? I've yet to get sick-- but now I'm curious.
Maybe the illness is because you changed your schedule?

If you can only 'light' exercise in the morning, then are you supposed to work out again in the afternoon?

My heavy exercise involved doing 10-15 minutes running at a speed of 16 (where the max is 20), then doing weights for 45 minutes, with a short break in the middle. Heavy exercise in my opinion is just pushing yourself to the limit which you're capable of at the time.

As to what it does to your immune system, it simply weakens it. Any slightly heavier exercise does, temporarily, but it only needs to be weakened temporarily for you to get sick in that space of time. Your body will be using more of it's energy up during the exercise, and using more energy to "regenerate" after the exercise, especially weightlifting type of exercises, although extreme running can have the same effect.

Basically, some the energy that would otherwise be used to up-keep your immune system is used up during your exercise, and afterwards, to recover from the exercise, which is what compromises your immune system. As for why this effect is more severe in the morning... simply because you're body is still "half-asleep". Your metabolism isn't properly fired up in the morning, and significantly less capable of handling heavy exercise. Most people would have noticed that you don't usually just become ill in the middle of the day. It usually happens at night, and you wake up feeling slightly more groggy, and in the case of a cold, with some form of irritation in the back of your throat (beginning of a sore throat). It happens at night because your metabolism is lower and your body is more susceptible to becoming ill because of it.

I was getting up at 6:45am, having some orange juice, and then exercising from 7am until 8am, or even later, every day. Plus I'd go back in the afternoon sometimes. I don't think it's as much to do with change of routine as some might say... I've varied my routine loads in the past. From doing heavy exercise at noon, after lunch, after dinner, and sometimes during holidays I'd feel like doing it at strange times like 3am. It's usually during holidays that my sleeping pattern is scattered. It's doing heavy exercise after a long sleep (7 hours?) that has this effect on you.


Firing up your metabolism a little extra, is usually very good for your body. It speeds up various processes in your body, sweating out of toxins, more frequent passing of water (you need to drink more to stay hydrated when you exercise) which also flushes out toxins, and generally speeds up enzyme activity which is required for everything in the body, including producing white blood cells (for immunity). There's a point though where despite your metabolism working faster, more of the energy it outputs is simply being dissipated through exercise, in other words "wasted" (for simplicity's sake).

[PutYourHeartsUp]

Thank you for justifying my not going to the gym in the mornings

[BDF]

Originally Posted by CloserToTheClouds

Thank you for justifying my not going to the gym in the mornings

:P

Don't get me wrong. Morning gym can be very good for you. It just needs quite careful moderation, and takes some getting used to.

[craz33me]

Yeah, I agree.
I think you should just jog for a few mins, mile tops.
And do lighter stuff like yoga.

[escape_thereal_world]

I'm going to move this to Current Events and Debates - as when to exercise is a debate among scientists and doctors and there are no solid facts to when is the best time and if there is a bad time.

[BDF]

Originally Posted by escape_thereal_world

I'm going to move this to Current Events and Debates - as when to exercise is a debate among scientists and doctors and there are no solid facts to when is the best time and if there is a bad time.

Huh???? Most times I don't mind stuff being moved about because most times it's reasonable, but this I think is simply over-done, no offence.

Under almost every forum, in many threads at some point, people present opposing views, hence perhaps constituting a debate. I don't think that means that all those threads should be thrown in the debate forum. I don't particularly understand why this one stands out.