Weight Loss Exercise Guide: Optimal Timing and Long-Term Motivation Strategies

Of course, there are some things to keep in mind when exercising in the morning:

First, excessive exercise may lead to low blood sugar or dizziness. In such cases, I suggest eating a slice of bread before exercising; or keeping the exercise time short, under half an hour, and then reducing the intensity.

Second, excessive morning exercise may unconsciously lead to overeating during the day, so pay closer attention to your food intake.

Third, people who sweat a lot may not have time to shower after exercising, which is the main reason I personally don't exercise much in the morning.

Next, let's talk about exercising at noon. Office workers usually have a lunch break, generally over an hour. If you don't have a habit of napping, you can do two sets of 4-minute workouts after finishing your morning work, then dry yourself with a towel before eating.

Exercising after lunch can affect gastrointestinal absorption because the stomach becomes larger and heavier after eating, and blood is concentrated in the stomach. Exercising immediately afterward can lead to indigestion and stomach prolapse. If you have a habit of napping, you might not have enough time to exercise at noon unless you can finish lunch quickly.

Next, let's talk about exercising in the evening. If you get off work early and eat dinner late, exercising before dinner is a good option, while exercising an hour after dinner is also a good choice. At this time, you can do some high-intensity exercise, but remember not to exercise immediately after eating.

Since you've already eaten dinner, your body is in a period of relatively abundant energy. Doing a few sets of moderate-to-high intensity 4-minute workouts at this time is ideal. This can quickly burn glycogen, increase post-exercise oxygen consumption, and allow the body to continue increasing energy expenditure after exercise, promoting the conversion of fat into glycogen and replenishing glycogen stores.

Furthermore, there's usually not much work to do in the evening, allowing you to get ample rest after a high-intensity workout and slowly enjoy the feeling of "losing weight while lying down."

Exercising in the evening will also make you feel tired quickly, so you'll shower and go to bed early, which seems like a good option for those who stay up late.

In short, all these time slots are viable options. It depends on your lifestyle and when you're most enthusiastic about exercising during the day. After all, the effects are best when you truly want to exercise.

Once you've chosen your exercise routine, try to fix your daily exercise time. Think about it: you don't need reminders to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner; you just eat when it's almost time and you're a little hungry. It's similar with exercise; fix your time and reduce conscious thought.

I usually exercise before lunch and dinner. What about you?

This kind of self-motivation is essential.

Even though the methods in this book can reduce willpower depletion, consistently exercising is still difficult, something I know all too well. Because everyone has times when they don't want to move, even for just a few minutes, we must learn ways to constantly motivate ourselves.

So, how can we motivate ourselves? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Think more about the benefits of exercise and why you need to exercise. Maintaining your positive attitude towards exercise is crucial; frequently think about why you started exercising.

2. You can use the influence of role models to motivate yourself. Utilizing external forces to drive your actions is necessary. For example, I started to want to change my physique after seeing a video of an American fitness model and thinking how great and handsome her body was.

Later, I changed my phone's wallpaper and computer desktop wallpaper to my favorite fitness model so I could see them frequently and be reminded. I also change the wallpaper regularly to avoid getting bored. Additionally, I watch my idol's motivational fitness videos when I struggle with whether or not to go to the gym, which motivates me to exercise.

3. Constantly remind yourself to "focus" during each workout. Hollywood star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson does this; he shouts "focus!" during every movement to remind himself to concentrate, which improves training efficiency and effectiveness.

4. Reward yourself with feedback. For example, if you exercise three times a week, reward yourself with a zero-calorie drink, an extra hard-boiled egg or chicken leg with your meal, or watch an episode of a TV series.

Prepare your training plan in advance. Prepare a 4-minute training plan before each workout. Planning ahead makes your workout more visual and helps you maintain it long-term.

Many people might think, "I already know the 4-minute workout method, can't I just arrange the content according to my own preferences?" If your goal is simply to get some exercise or get some movement, then exercising according to your own whims is fine. However, if you're aiming for a better physique, then you need to exercise systematically according to a plan.

Exercising according to a plan prevents it from being too fragmented. Many people say they like a certain sport, but even if it's a sport they enjoy, they don't consistently practice it. More often than not, they play when they remember, and find various excuses not to exercise when they forget or are too busy with work.

For example, playing basketball. I believe many people enjoy it, but I bet you don't play regularly, let alone systematically plan basketball training. Therefore, for most people, playing basketball is more of a recreational activity, only going when friends suggest playing for a while or arranging a game. This kind of fragmented exercise is not systematic.

And the benefits of such fragmented exercise and hobbies are limited. Because you can easily "abuse" these hobbies and exercise time with other excuses, such as being too busy, not finishing work, or feeling unwell.

However, to achieve good results in fitness, one should not adopt this unsystematic, inconsistent, and haphazard approach to exercise. A purposeful fitness plan is the most important element.

Any training that is only done occasionally when you feel like it, or without any established plan, can be considered fragmented training. It's fine to treat it as a workout to loosen up, but don't expect to achieve a great physique or body shape through such casual exercise.

Therefore, I suggest that those with little fitness experience start by strictly following the 4-minute workout plan.