The Truth About Cardio

There is an established misconception that cardio is most effective first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. The theory is that you won’t have eaten in 8 to 10 hours, so there will be less blood sugar available for fuel, which will force your body to draw on and burn more of its stored energy. This is absolutely untrue. A calorie is a calorie no matter what. It doesn’t matter if the calories are from fat or from carbs — as long as you are burning more of them than you are taking in, you will lose weight. If anything, working out on an empty stomach could make you feel weak and could inhibit your performance. The best advice is to do your cardio whenever you have the energy for it, whether it’s morning or evening, on an empty stomach or following a snack. All that matters is that you are putting as much into every workout as you can — do that, and you’re guaranteed to get the most out of it.