Should I Burn My Calories or Earn My Calories?

Hi everyone! I want to thank all of you who have kept my family and me in your thoughts and prayers over these past 6 weeks since the loss of our cat, Cleo. She is still missed every day, but we're finally able to get back to a normal lifestyle without looking for her at our side. I'll be writing more on her page soon. At this point, it's still too painful, but I'll get back to that. I promise.

For now, happy has returned. I've been back to working on a great book that God has put on my heart to write for you. I've been working on it since about January or February of this year (2023). And as you now know, Cleo was sick most of that time before she died on May 18th. Anyway, that book will be available as a free download very soon. 

In the meantime, I've been trying to get my energy back. Sadness takes a great deal of energy. And honestly, I've been at a loss as to what to do next since my little sidekick/helper/ instructor/manager is gone. God has allowed me the time to grieve and just pace myself. But it's time to get back to helping all of you, which was the reason I started this blog. So, I'll be back more frequently with fun tidbits about how to live as simply as possible. 

So, this morning, I returned to that question that I've asked myself over and over and over and over. Perhaps you have too. Am I supposed to burn my calories or earn my calories? 

Image courtesy of Diana Polekhina via Unsplash

So, I did a quick 5-minute research. It turns out that people are at odds. Some say eat then burn your calories, Others say your body can burn calories better after fasting overnight and just before eating your first meal of the day. An article on Healthline discusses what studies have shown - again, some favor one side while others favor the other side. At the end, it says we can eat before or after exercise, whichever we prefer. But I think it's interesting to read what the studies showed. So, it's definitely worth reading. Poof! I no longer have that nagging question in the back of my head. And again, you should have your doctor's approval before starting any exercise routine. 

I've been exercising after eating these last few weeks. When I'm in the mood to exercise. Since Cleo died. But this morning, I decided to exercise before eating. I can tell you that, for me, I feel more energized having exercised before my first meal of the day. We did a cool-down exercise, but I did allow myself about 5 minutes to let my heartrate get back to resting normal before eating. It has been about an hour since I did the walk-in-place workout below, and my muscles are still warm from doing this 24-minute workout, which indicates, in my mind, that I'm also still burning calories. And I actually ate less after the workout. This young lady's theme for this workout was how happy walking in place makes one feel. And it does! This morning, I actually enjoyed the workout. Celina is a lot of fun and soooo easy to follow. I have another fast-paced walk-in-place workout saved for tomorrow morning. If I like it, I'll share that one with you next Monday. I'm baaaaack! Woo hoo! Loving this return to happiness. And I have a good gage for what makes me feel better. I'm definitely going to exercise before eating my first meal of the day now. What about you? Which makes you feel better?

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I hope you all have a healthy and blessed day,

Patricia