The Best Exercises to Do Before Bed to Lose Belly Fat

Resistance training before bed not only helps in burning fat but also in building lean muscle, which requires more energy than fat, thus boosting overall metabolism.

1. Start with leg muscles. Perform a basic body-weight squat, focusing on the negative phase. Make one set of 10 to 15 reps.
2. After squats, do 15 reps for each leg of stationary lunges.
3. Afterward, come crunches—do three sets of 10 reps.
4. To further engage the core, you can insert a glute bridge in the same pattern.
5. For the end, try isometric exercises—get into your plank pose and try to hold it for at least 20 seconds.

After you have done everything, a good option is to slow down your heart rate by doing some stretching exercises.

Related Article: Cardio vs Strength Training

Except for exercise, here are some things that may also help you lose fat during the bedtime period:

Early Dinner and Food Choices

From my own journey and Harvard Health's advice, nixing food after 5 p.m. and smart meal choices can be a game changer for weight loss [1].

Trust me, it's worth trying.

Eating early narrows your calorie intake window and boosts sleep quality since late-night meals focus on digestion, as Michael Hamlin of Everflex Fitness explains.

Can't dodge that late dinner?

Opt for foods loaded with tryptophan, like turkey or cottage cheese. Tryptophan aids in both weight loss and better sleep, as stated in The Lancet journal's study [2].

A Nutrients journal study found that a 30-gram evening snack of casein or whey ups the next morning's metabolic rate more than skipping dinner [3].

Specific Scents and Room Temperature

Another cool tip: a 1995 study from the Journal of Neurological and Orthopaedic Medicine and Surgery found that peppermint, banana, vanilla, and green apple smells may suppress appetite [4]. So try sipping mint tea or lighting a minty candle at night.

Also, keeping your bedroom cool might help shed belly fat. I've found that keeping the bedroom cool, as backed by the Diabetes Journal study, really cranks up your metabolism [5].

Lastly, combining bedtime exercises with high-quality nighttime fat burners has personally given me great results.

Related Articles:

• What Foods Burn Fat While You Sleep?

There are some downsides to working out before sleep, especially if you are doing it at the wrong time or the wrong way.

Exercise will raise your heart rate and body temperature.

It might increase your metabolism, signaling your body to stay active and awake, contributing to sleep issues.

Also, cardio before bed may induce too much endorphin production, keeping the person alert for a long time.

"Many people find that exercise too close to bedtime, often within an hour or two, can make it difficult to fall asleep due to its stimulating nature and effect on body temperature, so become an expert on you and experiment with exercising at different times of day (and night) and see how that affects your sleep."

- Adam Perlman, Health & Wellbeing Expert at Duke University

You should keep in mind that it is harder to stay consistent if working out is the last thing you do in a day.

In my coaching experience, those with a morning exercise routine often stick to it better. It's not just me saying this – a 2019 Obesity journal study also links morning workouts to better sleep [6].