How to Avoid Added Sugar

A good read. Added sugar, especially in drinks, account for half the calories in your diet. Like most of us, we know we have to cut calories, but we always begin by cut out foods to make extra calories for drinks. Wrong!!

How to Avoid Added Sugars in Your Diet

By Shereen Lehman, MS 

Marija Mandic/Stocksy United

When diet and nutrition experts talk about sugary foods, we mean foods that contain lots of added sugar, which is any type of calorie sweetener that's added to foods. Regular soft drinks sweetened with sugar or high-fructose corn syrup are sugary beverages. Soda, lemonade, sweetened iced tea, fruit drinks, and many sports drinks and energy drinks may also contain added sugars.

Frosted or pre-sweetened breakfast cereals, candies, sweetened yogurt, cookies, cakes, and pies have added sugars.

Ice cream and frozen yogurt are usually sugary, although you can find some made with non-caloric sweeteners. 

Diet soft drinks and snacks are not sugary; they're sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners, such as aspartame or sucralose.

The Problem With Added Sugars 

Sugar provides energy (i.e., calories) but no additional nutritional value. So, a little bit of sugar might be OK, but a lot of sugar leads to weight gain.

Some people believe high fructose corn syrup is worse for your health than regular sugar, but there isn't enough credible scientific evidence to back that claim. They're both made up of a similar combination of glucose and fructose, and both have the same effect on the body. 

The problem with sugary foods is eating or drinking too much of it. When you eat too much sugar, there's a good chance you're going to gain weight because it's high in calories. Plus, sugary foods aren't usually nutritious.

They usually don't have enough vitamins and minerals to make up for all the extra sugar.

Finding Added Sugars

Sugary soft drinks, pastries, cookies, candy bars, syrups, jams, jellies, and pre-sweetened breakfast cereals are all obvious sources of added sugars. But other foods such as salad dressings, flavored yogurts, instant oatmeal, and fruit smoothies can also contain added sugars.

Since there are several forms and types of sugars, it helps to know what you're looking for. Grab your packaged food and look for the ingredients list. If you see any of these, you've got added sugars: 

• sugar
• brown sugar
• high fructose corn syrup
• corn sugar
• syrup
• corn syrup
• fructose
• glucose
• sucrose
• raw sugar
• turbinado sugar
• honey

If any of these words appear on the ingredients list, be sure to look at the Nutrition Facts Label to determine how much of the added sugars are lurking in each serving. It may be just a small amount of sugar, or it might be a lot. 

Reduce Your Added Sugar Intake

Start by reading labels and choosing the products that have the least added sugar. You don't have to give up sweet foods altogether, just make healthier choices.

• Fruits and berries are sweet and contain no added sugars. 
• Buy plain yogurt and add sliced fresh fruits or maybe just a little honey.
• Skip the pre-sweetened breakfast cereals and add a little sprinkling of sugar, or use a zero-calorie sweetener like stevia or sucralose. 

What About Natural Sugars?

Fruits and fruit juice are naturally sweet, so they don't need any added sugar in most cases. They may be sweet, but they aren't classified as having added sugar. Well, unless they're turned into a fruit drink like most cranberry juice beverages that are a combination of fruit juices with sugar and water. 

Here's the thing with natural sugars. Fruits and 100-percent fruit juice are not sugary foods, but you may need to watch the calorie count. A glass of fruit juice may have as many calories as the same size glass of sugary soft drink. But that fruit juice also has vitamins and minerals that the soft drink doesn't have. 

Is Honey Any Better?

Honey is a natural sugar because bees make it, whereas regular sugar is made from beets, corn, or sugar cane. But honey is often used as an ingredient, so it's a lot like an added sugar. Nutritionally, honey is about the same as sugar or high fructose corn syrup, so foods made with honey are still considered sugary. Technically, honey does contain some nutrients, but it's just a tiny amount, which is not enough to improve your diet.

But I Love Sugar—What Do I Do?

Eat less of it. If you can't do without your favorite sweets, just be sure to watch your intake. About 100 to 200 calories per day are about all you should consume.

Some foods don't need the extra sugar or they can be sweetened naturally, like yogurt. So you can buy sweetened yogurt that's full of sugar, or you can buy plain yogurt and add fresh fruits or berries. If that's not sweet enough for you, you can add a little honey or sugar. But be careful—a tablespoon of honey has about 60 calories, and a tablespoon of sugar has about 50. 

Same with breakfast cereals. The pre-sweetened varieties usually have lots of sugar. Look for brands that have less than 5 grams sugar per serving, and choose the brands with the most fiber. Or make your own oatmeal or plain unsweetened cereal and add fruits and berries, or just a little sugar on top.

Zero-calorie sweeteners can take the place of sugar in some foods and beverages, but they'll alter the flavor a bit.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Is High Fructose Corn Syrup Worse For You Than Regular Sugar?

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and regular sugar are about the same, nutritionally. Both are bad for your health when consumed in excessive amounts because eating too much of either one might promote weight gain, and neither sweetener has any nutritive value beyond the calories. Some people believe HFCS is more dangerous to your health than regular sugar, but those claims aren't based on scientific findings.

First, I'll agree with part of this post, but what they don't tell you is the "regular sugar" they're talking about is refined sugar. The big difference in refined sugar and natural sugar is how it enters the blood stream. Refined sugar or the manufactured chemical like "high fructose corn syrup" will give you that sugar rush because it enters the bloodstream like a rocket ship and then it has that drop off effect like you might have with a drug addiction. Natural sugar that you find in fruit and vegetables will enter the bloodstream much slower and doesn't have that drop off effect you might get with a chemical dependence. So natural is better in my mind, but having said that, both have calories and both types of calories are bad for your diet.

First, a Little Sugar Chemistry

Each molecule of regular sugar, chemically known as sucrose, is made up of two single sugar units called glucose and fructose. Glucose is the sugar your body likes best for energy, and it's found in all the sugary and starchy foods you eat. Fructose is the main sugar found in fruits. Your body can use fructose as energy too; it just requires a little extra work.

All sugar, whether white sugar, brown sugar, turbinado sugar or honey is the same -- half fructose and half glucose.High fructose corn syrup is produced from corn starch, and it's also made up of fructose and glucose molecules. Not exactly half and half, like sugar, but close -- formulations range from about 42 percent to 55 percent fructose. The amount of fructose may be "high" in comparison with regular corn syrup (which is actually low in fructose) but actually is about the same as regular sugar. Therefore, both sugar and HFCS have about the same metabolism and the same effect on your health -- that is, if you eat too much, the extra calories get stored as fat.

So Why Is HFCS Demonized?

There are a couple of reasons for that, both having to do with misunderstanding research. One reason involves a little conflation of research studies and the other is about confusing correlation and cause.

First, the fructose conflation. Studies performed with lab animals indicated eating diets high in fructose could lead to excessive weight gain, insulin resistance, high blood pressure and high triglycerides -- all bad things.

Since "fructose" sounds a lot like "high fructose corn syrup" and nothing like "regular sugar," some people conflate the two and decide HFCS is dangerous, but that somehow sugar isn't so bad.

It's possible that getting a large percentage of your calories from fructose every day could cause more weight gain than calories consumed from other sugar sources -- at least if you are a lab rat (human studies haven't backed up that claim). But, what if you just eat too much fructose in general -- because you eat too much food? And what if a lot of that fructose comes from HFCS because it happens to be a common ingredient? That brings me to the second reason for demonizing HFCS, confusion between cause and correlation.

High fructose corn syrup is cheaper than regular sugar, so it's used as an ingredient in processed foods and beverages has increased over the past few decades. During that same time, rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes have also gone up in the United States and some people blame that increase on the concurrent rise of HFCS consumption.

Increased caloric intake from HFCS might be part of the problem -- not because HFCS is inherently evil -- but because Americans have increased their calories in general. In that case, HFCS is just a scapegoat, and there's no good reason to believe that sticking to sugar as an ingredient would make any difference.

Food Fight -- Who's the Winner?

There isn't a winner here -- HFCS and regular sugar are both okay in small amounts and both bad if you eat too much -- but about equally; one isn't worse than the other. Too much sugar or HFCS will have a negative effect on the body by increasing the levels of blood lipids like triglycerides and can contribute to weight gain when you consume too much.

How much is too much? That depends on your overall daily calorie needs, but you can probably have about 100 to 200 discretionary calories to spend on a few grams of sugar or HFCS every day.

This is a post that first appeared on VeryWell website and I have my own opinion on this debate. Sugar in it's purest form which is straight from the plant would be my only choice for a sweetener. Having said that, I don't use sugar or sugar substitutes and avoid processed foods totally. And I don't believe that a chemical substitute for a natural product like sugar cane is harmless to the human body.

I believe that over time the human race will find that replacing real food with manufactured food was a big mistake and manufactured food is what causes all our health problems.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Have You Even Heard Of The Keto Diet?

There’s a lot of recent buzz about the ketogenic diet, aka the “keto diet,” which has received a ton of praise from elite athletes (eh hem, LeBron James) as it is low in carbohydrates and high in good fats, and it provides a lot of energy. The idea is that by eating high-fat, moderate protein, and fewer carbs, the body goes into ketosis or the metabolic state in which ketone bodies (fat-like molecules) become the main fuel source instead of glucose.

How does that break down into a daily diet? When meal planning, you’re aiming to get 70 to 75 percent of your calories from fat, 20 to 25 percent from protein, and 5 to 10 percent from carbohydrates. You’re mostly allowed to eat whole, unprocessed foods—ones that are high in fat and protein, along with a few complex carbs. High-carb foods are completely cut out, though, so say goodbye to grains, potatoes, beans, syrups, pastries, fruit, and even milk. Basically, if it tastes sweet or has an “-ose” on the end, you’re going to have to ditch it. Why? Supporters of the keto diet point to studies that have found endurance athletes who eat low-carb and high-fat burn more fat during their performances compared to their carb-eating peers.

It all sounds pretty good, right? (Well, except for that whole no dairy and pastries part.) Before you drop everything, here are a few more things you should know.

It was not originally intended for weight loss. Although the keto diet is being used for weight loss and to help athletes perform better, it wasn’t initially meant to do any of that. Instead, it was created in the early 20th century to help children with epilepsy control their seizures. According to Paul Salter, M.S., R.D., C.S.C.S., before the keto diet was introduced most epileptic patients were advised to fast, but that proved to be difficult for many. “It was found that by eating high-fat and low-carb, it produced the same metabolic changes as a fasted approach, which meant increased liver production of three molecules (ketone bodies) acetone, β-hydroxybutyrate, and acetoacetate,” says Salter. It’s still unclear to experts why it helps, but for now, it’s working.

Its popularity is surpassing other diets. The keto diet does require a low percentage of carb intake, but it makes up for it by allowing dieters to eat higher fat content and adequate protein. In fact, the diet is becoming increasingly popular with those who are both active and overweight. Like many diets, though, some that don’t follow it correctly can be discouraged when they don’t see results right away. “Common mistakes include not reducing carbohydrates low enough, consuming too much protein, not sticking with the diet long enough [there’s a 4- to 6-week adoption period], and inappropriately introducing carbs regularly through weekly re-feeds,” explains Salter.

It can increase your energy—but requires a lot of effort. Joshua Shadle, founder and CEO of Fuelary, did the keto diet while training for a triathlon. “I had to really focus for the first few months while my body transitioned into fat burning because I experienced flu-like symptoms. But then I was instructed to add extra sodium [to help with the water loss you experience on the diet], and that helped,” he says. Once the temporary symptoms passed, Shadle says he eventually noticed a big increase in energy, which helped contribute to his losing 10 pounds.

It helps blast fat like woah. “By avoiding carbohydrates and minimizing the amount of protein you consume in a day, you effectively lower both your blood sugar and insulin levels, which promotes weight loss,” says Westin Childs, Ph.D. Matt Sauerhoff, owner and creator of the LIV method, says that unlike carbs and proteins, which contain 4 calories per gram, fats contain 9 calories per gram, giving you more energy per gram overall—making it easier to control hunger pangs and feel motivated to work out. A carb-heavy diet, on the other hand, raises your blood glucose levels and signals insulin secretion, which can lead to fat storage and a more sluggish mood.

It’s not for those who hate planning. Salter warns that while this diet can be effective, it’s not for everyone. “Those focused purely on performance in high-intensity, anaerobic movements may benefit most from following a higher-carbohydrate diet, because high-intensity movements rely heavily on carbohydrates for strength and power,” he says.

It may not be a great idea for those who hate planning ahead, too. Salter points out that, other than the restrictions you have to be sure to keep in mind, hydration gets overlooked when it comes to this diet. That often leads to people giving up too soon (not to mention dehydration can have a negative effect on your health). So preparation is key. “Consistently restricting carbohydrates leads to depletion of muscle glycogen stores. And for every gram of glycogen lost, roughly 3 grams of water are lost,” he says. So be sure to always have a water bottle on hand, and make sure you’re getting in enough throughout the day.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you. Yes, there is a laundry list of health conditions noted that, if you experience any of them, you shouldn’t try the keto diet (including if you’re pregnant or have had gastric bypass surgery). But some personal trainers, like Sauerhoff, think it’s better to avoid the keto diet altogether and strive for a well-balanced diet instead. The golden rule: “Try to be mindful about the quality and quantity of foods you are consuming and staying away from processed foods,” he says. And at the end of the day, consult with your doctor and possibly a nutritionist to find a plan that works best for your lifestyle.

I have to agree with Sauerhoff on this one, This diet is way to complicated and it’s very easy to get into serious health problems. I’m still in favor of low-fat diets. Your body has to burn 30% of daily calories from fat and if you’re not eating that much, the body will take the stored fat and burn that.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You’ll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Is Your Workout Working?

Did you know that the average health club exerciser quits after just six months for one of the following reasons: not enough time or not seeing results?

Eight Common Reasons Your Workouts Don't Work

Sadly, most people become frustrated and quit exercising before they see any real results. But it's not too surprising, given the common mistakes many people make with their training programs. Are you making these workout mistakes?

1. All Quantity, No Quality

Take a look around the gym (if you haven't quit going yet) and see how many people are really getting a quality workout. I'm always amazed by how many people are wandering aimlessly, walking leisurely on a treadmill while reading a book, lifting weights so light that not one hair moves out of place, or simply looking bored. A lot of exercisers head to the gym out of habit, and as if on automatic pilot, put in some time and head back to work or home. If you are one of these people, ask yourself, "What do I want to get out of this?"

If you want serious results, you need to do serious exercise. That doesn't mean you can't enjoy it and have fun. But it does mean you need to focus on what you're doing and increase the quality of every movement. Once you start exercising with a real purpose and pushing both your aerobic capacity and your strength, you will find your workouts take half the time and yield better results.

Most exercisers are far too generous with estimates of exercise intensity and time, the amount of weight lifted, and the frequency of their workouts. To avoid overestimating, it's helpful to keep an exercise log and track these items.

Additionally, many people mistakenly believe that if they exercise at a moderate pace for 30 minutes, they've burned lots of calories and fat. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. While exercise does burn calories over time, and consistent exercise is one of the best ways to lose weight and keep it off, it's hard to lose body fat through exercise alone. Which brings us to the next mistake.

3. Underestimating Your Eating

Many people are in denial about the foods they eat, and particularly, the quantity consumed. If you want to lose weight, you need to be honest with yourself about what you put into your body and how that helps or hinders your weight-loss goals. To get real with yourself, write it down. Tracking what you eat in a food diary will help you break the cycle of food denial. You can also try using a calorie counter for more advanced diet support.

4. Doing the Wrong Type of Workout

Where did you learn your current exercise routine? By watching others at the gym (who may be exercising incorrectly)?

From your friends, coworkers, the web, TV, the newspaper, the latest research findings, or perhaps your 5th-grade gym teacher? What you're doing for exercise directly determines the results you will get. To learn what you should do, there's no better place to start than by writing down your goals and then working with a professional trainer to design the right workout to meet those goals. Haphazard exercise will provide haphazard results.

5. Never Changing Your Workout

When you do the same thing day after day, you get very good at it. In exercise, this is called the principle of adaptation. It means that we become very efficient by doing the same exercise over and over. This is great for sports performance, but not that great for weight loss, increasing strength, or physical fitness progression. If you always do the same workout for the same amount of time, you will eventually hit a plateau where you fail to see any additional change. One way of overcoming this plateau is to modify your workouts every few weeks or months. You can change the type of exercise you do, the length, the amount of weight lifted, or the number or reps. This is why professional athletes change their programs during the off-season.

6. Using Incorrect Form or Technique

Learning the right way to exercise is essential to getting results. Form does matter, especially when doing any strength training exercise. Incorrect form or technique also sets you up for potential injuries, pain, and soreness. To learn proper technique, there's no better place to start than with a personal trainer or coach.

7. Setting Unrealistic Goals

So, what are your exercise goals? Are they realistic for you? If your goal is to be the next Lance Armstrong, and you only have 30 minutes a day to train, or you want to lose 25 pounds in a month . . . Ask yourself how realistic are your goals? Again, it comes back to being honest with yourself about your abilities, your level of commitment, and your lifestyle. You need to set appropriate goals that start from where you are and progress at a reasonable rate, or you're sure to get frustrated and quit.

8. Measuring the Wrong Results

Many people think their workout isn't working because they don't measure the right things. Looking for proof in a scale is often a set-up for disappointment because some new exercisers build muscle and lose fat, but the scale doesn't provide information about body composition. Better ways to measure your fitness progress include tracking your heart rate at a given pace, measuring the distance you can cover in a certain amount of time, tracking the amount of weight you can lift, or even writing down how you feel -- physically -- at the end of each day. Many of the benefits from exercise are subtle and not visible by looking into the mirror, but things such as cholesterol level, blood pressure, and the ease with which you can do daily chores are every bit as motivating -- if you monitor them.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Why You Don't Need to Avoid Gluten or Dairy

By Shereen Lehman, MS - Reviewed by a board-certified physician

I like this post because some of us dieting have read about glutens in enriched flour and have snapped to a hasty decision to cut out glutens and were I do believe some of us should cut out gluten, be all don't have to.

Crezalyn Nerona Uratsuji / Getty Images

Going gluten-free has become a big trend, and a number of people think they should avoid dairy products as well. Most people don't need to avoid gluten and by doing so, you run the risk of suffering from some nutritional deficiencies. 

Problems with dairy products are more common than problems with gluten. The primary reason for consuming dairy products is to get enough calcium, and while dairy products are an excellent source of calcium, you can get it from other foods. True, and if you're trying to lose body fat, cut back on dairy. If you want to protein then try non-fat dairy. Actually, there are a dozen different alternatives to milk on the grocery store shelves. You don't need all the fat in dairy.

What's the deal with these conditions?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It helps give bread its shape. People with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity need to eat a gluten-free diet -- otherwise, they can suffer from some terrible digestive symptoms, weight loss, and other health problems.

Dairy products contain lactose a form of sugar. People with lactose intolerance can't absorb the lactose and have intestinal problems when they consume dairy products.

These conditions aren't all that rare, but they don't affect everyone.

Celiac disease affects about one person out of every 140. Lactose intolerance is more common, especially in specific populations. About 1 of every 5 Caucasians has it, and about 80 percent of Asians and Native Americans, 75 percent of African Americans and about half of Hispanics have it.

If you think you have any of these conditions, you should speak with your health care provider about your concerns.

If you do have a problem, a dietitian or nutritionist can help you set up a diet that takes these conditions into consideration and still eat a balanced and nutritious diet.

But I thought eating gluten made me gain weight?

It doesn't. Consuming more calories than you burn is the reason people gain weight.

There may be differences in your metabolism compared to other people, and certain health conditions can affect your weight, but ultimately it's calories that go in compared to calories burned.

Fad diets typically require you to avoid specific food groups such as grains or dairy products. Or they pick on specific foods that contain certain components like gluten or phytic acid, saying they are bad for you, or they may refer to them as anti-nutrients -- something that sounds much scary, but it's not.  

But there is a clear reason for not eating foods with enriched flour. It's the enriched flour that people are trying to avoid and it does contain gluten. It's not really the gluten most people are trying to avoid, it's the enriched flour that seems to be in everything that has flour except gluten-free products. Enriched flour has been proven to raise blood glucose levels the same as refined sugar. 

The best way to watch your weight and provide your body with all the nutrition you need is to follow a healthy balanced diet.

Choose a variety of foods from each food group to ensure sufficient intake of macronutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals:

• Fruits and vegetables: two or three cups of fruits and vegetables each day.
• Grains and cereals: at least half your grains should be whole grains.
• Protein sources: choose low-fat protein sources like lean meat, poultry, seafood, fish or legumes.
• Dairy foods: you need two or three servings of dairy or other calcium-rich foods every day. (non-fat dairy if possible)
• Fats and oils: get a little bit of healthful fat like omega-3 and monounsaturated fats.

It's also important to watch your portion sizes and keep your calorie intake to a level that lets you reach and maintain a healthy weight.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Is there a best time of day to exercise?

There might be some logic to this post, but I can't agree with the conclusion. I think the best time to exercise is the first hour after you wake up.

Two of the top reasons people give for not exercising regularly include lack of results and lack of time. So, for many people, the best time to exercise is the time that is most convenient and the time that fits into a busy schedule.

Research on exercise and time of day is growing, but still limited and not without controversy. In general, if you can find a time for exercise that you can stick with consistently, you will be much more likely to train regularly and get better results.

Human sleep and wake cycles follow a daily cycle called circadian rhythms. It's this cycle that regulates our body temperature, blood pressure, alertness, and metabolism, among other physiological functions. In general, these rhythms conform to our 24-hour day and may be reset based on environmental cues. The time of day that we typically exercise is one of these cues. Research by the University of North Texas in Denton found that although circadian rhythms are inborn we can reset them based upon our behaviors. For example, using an alarm clock, establishing meal times and even when we workout are all cues to help rest our rhythms. They found that people who consistently exercise in the morning "teach" their body to be most ready for exercise at that time of day. When they switched to evening exercise, they didn't feel as strong.

Also See: Does Jet Lag Decrease Athletic Performance?

The ability to adjust your rhythms is important for athletes training for a specific event. The message is to train at the same time of day that the event will occur. Research supports this advice. Studies show that your ability to maintain exercise intensity will adapt to your training time. Therefore, if you do your marathon training in the morning, you may perform better on race day (marathons typically start in the morning).

But if you train in the evening, a morning race day may leave you feeling weaker and slower.

Individual Differences and Exercise Timing

Some people are just naturally morning people. They have no trouble exercising first thing in the morning. Others don't get moving so quickly and are more likely to feel like exercising later in the day. If you have such an obvious preference it's pretty easy to decide what sort of exercise schedule you might stick with. The interesting thing is that research shows that no matter when you think you are better able to exercise, almost all of us are, in fact, physically stronger and have more endurance in the late afternoon.

Scheduling Exercise

Not everyone can choose to exercise when they feel like it. Work and family commitments often take priority and we end up squeezing in some exercise. If you find that the only time you have to exercise is when you least feel like it, don't despair. As we learned earlier, you can change your rhythms and your body can adapt to a new exercise time.

However, it may take about a month to reset your internal exercise clock. (get tips on adjusting your circadian rhythms during air travel).

Research and the Best Time to Exercise

While there is specific research being conducted on this topic, unfortunately, the answer to the question, "What is the best time for exercise?" varies based on the specific question you ask, your training goals, and your exercise adherence. Here are some of the latest specific research findings:

Late Afternoon is Best for Exercise
Research shows that the optimal time to exercise is when our body temperature is at its highest, which, for most people is 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (body temperature is at its lowest just before waking).
Strength is Greater in the Afternoon
Dr. Hill reported that strength output is 5% higher at around mid-day; anaerobic performance, such as sprinting, improves by 5% in the late afternoon.
Endurance is Greater in the Afternoon
Aerobic capacity (endurance) is approximately 4percent higher in the afternoon.
Injuries Are Less Likely in the Afternoon
Afternoon exercise is the best if you want to avoid injuries for many reasons. We are most alert; our body temperature is the highest so our muscles are warm and flexible; our muscle strength is at its greatest. These three factors make it less likely that we will get injured.
Morning Exercisers Are More Consistent
Even though afternoon exercise might be optimal from a physiological standpoint, research also shows that morning exercisers are more likely to stick to it than late-day athletes.
Evening Exercise and Sleep
Most research supports the idea that exercise can improve sleep quality. But does exercising too late in the evening keep you up? Studies have shown improvements in sleep from both morning and afternoon exercise, so it's not yet clear if evening exercise keeps you up. One study even showed that vigorous exercise half an hour before bedtime did not affect sleep.
One thing that is agreed upon is that sleep deprivation can hinder sports performance.

The Bottom Line
The good news is that you get to decide the best time for you to exercise based upon your personal goals, schedule, and lifestyle. Ideally, you will pick a time that you are able to stick with consistently and make part of your daily or weekly schedule. If you are training for competition, it's wise to modify your training to accommodate the event start time, and it's always wise to warm up before any workout. Also See: Why Your Workouts Don't Work.

If you really want to lose your body fat than look for my Ebook at the websites listed below. You'll get information on Healthy eating, exercise, and diet.

“How Bad Do You Want To Lose Weight?”, is available at all the online bookstores selling for $1.99. Go to any of the websites and search the title to find my Ebook. This book gives you all you need to lose weight without spending money on gym memberships, diet plans or meal plans. Look for my book. at Amazon.com, B&N.com, iBooks, Kobo.com, Scribd.com, or Gardner Books in the U.K.

Heart Rate Wristbands Often Inaccurate

Any of us that workout will tell you that you have to stay at your target heart rate during the workout to burn fat. So the best way to do that is with a heart monitor.

Watch-like wristbands that monitor heart rate may not offer true readings during exercise.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic's Heart and Vascular Institute tested four different wrist-worn heart rate monitors.

"All worked pretty well at rest," said Dr. Marc Gillinov, the Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgeon who led the experiment. "But as people exercised, the accuracy diminished."

None of the four devices achieved the accuracy of a chest strap monitor. In treadmill tests, the Apple Watch and Mio Fuse were the most accurate.

The other two devices fell short: Basis Peak, which is no longer being manufactured, overestimated heart rate during moderate exercise, and Fitbit Charge HR underestimated heart rate during more vigorous exercise, the study found.

Intel Corp. issued a safety recall last summer due to incidents of the Basis Peak overheating, causing burns or blisters on the skin. Intel and its Basis Science Inc. unit urge people to stop using the device and return it for a full refund.

In a statement, Fitbit defended its "PurePulse" technology, saying it performs to industry standards for wrist-based optical heart rate monitors, with an average absolute error of less than 6 beats per minute (bpm) and an average error of less than 6 percent.

"Fitbit devices were tested against properly calibrated industry devices like an EKGchest strap across the most popular activities performed worldwide, including walking, running, biking, elliptical and more," the company said.

For Fitbit, the findings follow other disappointing reports on its products. Earlier this month, a report in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology found that fitness trackers, including one marketed by Fitbit, fail to boost activity levels enough to improve health.

Fitbit said its trackers "are not intended to be medical devices."

But, the Cleveland Clinic team noted that cardiac patients increasingly rely on wrist-worn monitors to gauge heart rate during rehabilitation and exercise.

These watch-like devices retail from roughly $70 to several hundred dollars, based on prices quoted online.

Dr. Mitesh Patel is an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He studies the impact of technology-based interventions on behavior but was not involved in the new analysis.

Despite growing interest in so-called wearables to measure heart rate, there has not been much evaluation of their accuracy, he noted.

"For the general consumer, wearable devices may still be able to give them a general sense of their heart rate trends," Patel said. "However, further study is needed to determine which devices are more reliable for use in clinical care." 

An adult's average resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute; maximum heart rate is about 220 bpm minus the person's age, according to the American Heart Association.

An electrocardiogram records the heart's electrical activity. It's the "gold standard" for measuring heart rate, Gillinov said. A chest strap, which also monitors electrical activity, is just as accurate, he added.

Wrist-worn heart monitors use optical sensing technology to detect heart rate. They emit LED light to measure blood flow in and out of tissue, and a sensor picks up that data and converts it into heart rate readings using proprietary algorithms, Gillinov explained.

In the study, published online Oct. 12 in the journal JAMA Cardiology, the Cleveland Clinic team recruited 50 healthy men and women, with an average age of 37. Participants wore a Polar H7 chest-strap monitor and were randomly assigned to wear two different wrist-worn monitors during 3-minute intervals of exercise on a treadmill.

Heart rate readings were recorded when participants were at rest and at the 3-minute mark of each exercise. Participants exercised at increasing levels of intensity, from 2 to 6 miles per hour (mph), with rests between each exercise.

The researchers also measured people's heart rates at three points during their recovery.

Compared with electrocardiogram, the optical heart rate monitors varied in accuracy, the investigators found. 

At 2 and 3 mph, median differences of roughly 9 and 7 bpm, respectively, were recorded between the Basis Peak.

With Fitbit, researchers recorded median differences of approximately 7 and 6 bpm at 4 and 6 mph, respectively.

"We're not being nitpicky because as people moved, we had readings that could be off by 30 and 40 bpm, so it's not a small difference," Gillinov said.

His advice?

"If you're an elite athlete and you're using your heart rate to guide training, or if you're a cardiac patient who's been given specific heart rate targets or ranges, use a chest strap," he advised.

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