Rethinking Routines: Choosing Sleep Over Early Morning Fasted Cardio

Let's break it down: Person A gets 5 hours of sleep each night and engages in two intense workouts, starting with fasted cardio at 5 AM and another later in the day. On the other hand, Person B prioritizes sleep, getting 7 and a half hours per night, and opts for a moderately intense workout once a day. Now, let's consider who is more likely to achieve better results.

In all likelihood, Person B is positioned for greater success. Sleep serves as the foundation for overall health, and when compared to proper nutrition and exercise, it deserves a higher priority. Recovery and stress often take a backseat in discussions about results, yet they are crucial elements.

The key regulator for managing stress and facilitating recovery is none other than sleep. In a persistent state of stress, the hormone cortisol remains chronically elevated. While cortisol has essential functions, such as waking us up, chronic elevation can lead to various health concerns. This includes challenges in weight loss, as elevated cortisol makes it difficult to shed pounds. The same principle applies when workouts are excessively intense or frequent, as seen in Person A's routine.

Despite Person A's higher activity level and calorie burn, controlling hormones is paramount for weight loss and overall health goals. Their thyroid, a significant regulator of calorie burning and metabolism, may be negatively affected by the combined stress and inadequate sleep. This underscores the importance of balancing exercise intensity, sleep, and stress management for optimal results.

Now this doesn't mean that you can have a workout early every once in awhile. But, if you're not prioritizing your sleep and constantly getting less than 6 hours a night I would put more of a focus on sleep.

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