Exercise Before Breakfast: Is it really worth the early alarm?

Fitness instructors, personal trainers, and pretty much everyone else in the health and fitness industry get asked a lot of the same questions. But without doubt, one of the most frequently asked is whether it matters if you work out morning or night, before eating or after.

For years there have been differing arguments for both, and personally I am a strong advocate of fitting fitness into your lifestyle however and whenever works best for you. But there's no denying that there is a compelling case for exercising before breakfast.

Recent studies at Bath and Birmingham universities have shown that, on average, exercising before breakfast burns more fat than exercising later in the day. Not only that, but early morning fasted workouts boost your metabolism, helping you burn more calories throughout the day.

Skip the snooze button and take on an early HIIT class to get your heart pumping; you could burn as many calories in 30-minutes as you would in twice the time on a treadmill.

If the idea of interval training before you've eaten your cereal fills you with dread, try a more gentle pace with yoga or pilates — these stretch and flow-based classes wake your body and mind, relieving tension and leaving you energised for the day ahead.

Any form of exercise will boost those feel-good endorphins and help clear your mind, preparing you for a more productive day at work. The effects are long-term too: exercising before breakfast can help improve your overall health and wellbeing, helping reduce both stress levels and blood pressure.

Why not give an early morning session a try and see if it benefits you? At LC Fitness, we offer a choice of HIIT and Flow classes, as well as HIITBox — a high-intensity boxing-style workout. All morning classes start at 7.00am and last for just 30 minutes, leaving you plenty of time to get to work.

Still not convinced to set your alarm a little earlier? Don't worry, we do evening classes too! Click the red button below or find us on Facebook for more details.