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The best time to exercise depends on your preference. You have to consider your personal health goals, schedule, and day-to-day activities. It might be challenging to fit in exercises in your routine, particularly when you're juggling a career, social life, and personal time.
Experts say that the time of the day you choose to exercise comes with distinct health and performance benefits. Timing can indeed affect your fitness results so it's important to choose your workout hours carefully.
When determining the best time to exercise, you need to start by writing down the aspects that make up your day. How your body feels and responds to specific hours is also an important factor. Different body types have unique needs. Some people find it much harder to exercise in the morning than in the evening. Choose accordingly.
Working out early in the morning is the most efficient way to burn fat, making it ideal for weight loss. According to Anthony Hackney, a professor in exercise and sport science, it's due to the body's hormonal makeup in the morning.
"You have a hormonal profile in the early morning hours that would incline you to greater fat metabolism," Hackney says. Research shows that morning exercisers may feel less hungry throughout the day, which prevents unnecessary weight gain. Overall, Shedding some pounds becomes a lot easier with morning exercises. In addition, exercising in the morning reduces stress, benefiting mental health and productivity.
If you detest early alarms, you just have to develop a morning routine and stick to it. Create a calendar with specific fitness goals. Avoid skipping your workout routine, no matter how tempting.
Morning exercises result in better sleep. The human body has a 24-hour biological clock (Circadian Clock) that controls our eating, sleeping, and waking cycle. It is significantly linked to exercise: the circadian clock is said to work better with physical activities.
Exercising and exposure to intense light are both potent circadian signals. They aid in the regulation of melatonin, a sleep-inducing hormone. Morning sweat plays an essential role here, it induces the release of melatonin earlier than usual, helping you sleep better at night.
Morning exercise makes you feel more relaxed. Exercise aids in the adrenaline rush. Adrenaline is a stress-inducing hormone that is responsible for an individual's brawl response. Having low adrenaline helps you stay calmer despite a stressful situation. Also, it stimulates the production of endorphins, a happy chemical that boosts your mood.
Exercising in the morning accelerates weight loss. Morning exercise promotes a faster metabolism, which means you'll burn more calories throughout the day.
Morning workout increases alertness. It allows your body to produce just the right amount of cortisol - a hormone that helps you stay active and alert. With that being said, it basically makes it so you can respond quickly to the things around you.
It may appear that morning is the best time to work out. But, doing it at later hours has also shown to have major benefits. First, exercising in the afternoon or at night helps you avoid a mid-day slump. According to the Journal of Physiology research, doing physical activities between 1 and 4 p.m. can push your body clock forward. Even a short walk can help you stay awake and concentrate. Second, you can get a few more hours of sleep in the morning. But those are just a few out of the myriad of benefits it offers!
I've even noticed this in my personal life. If I'm tired around 5 PM and don't want to go to bed early, I'll go on a quick jog and suddenly I have the energy to make it through the rest of the night.
Changes in hormone levels throughout the day help you exercise better, which is good news for people who prefer and enjoy a noon or evening workout.
Afternoon exercise improves your performance. According to Healthline, you're more likely to beat your sprint or weight lifting records if you do it in the afternoon. The reason is your metabolism is at its highest.
Cortisol and testosterone levels rise around midday, allowing muscles to utilize energy more efficiently. Your body temperature is also elevated, which is associated with enhanced strength. So if you're setting a new record, this is the best time to do it.
A late-night workout makes you feel rejuvenated the next day. Because you've used up and drained your energy before bed, the tendency is you will sleep like a newborn baby. The next day, you will feel more lively and energetic. No need to drag yourself out of bed or resort to caffeine to kick off your day.
Late-hour exercise reduces stress and anxiety. What else is a better way to decompress after long hours of work than late-night exercises? The release of happy chemicals such as endorphins and serotonin during physical activities significantly enhances your mood. You can go to bed feeling a lot better.
So, when is the ideal time to go? It will mainly depend on your preference and physical condition. Make sure that your workout hours fit your busy schedule. In other words, choose the time that is the most convenient for you. Once you've chosen your schedule, get started. Remember to stick to your plan. The beginning is always the hardest, but over time, your body will get used to it.
Working out is vital to your health. When choosing the perfect time to exercise, take into consideration your personal fitness goals and day-to-day things that matter most to you. Your body reaction is also an important factor.
To sum up, the best time to exercise is what works best for you.
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About the Author:
Cory McKane is the CEO/Founder of WeStrive - a platform for personal trainers to manage & grow their personal training business. He enjoys working out and spending time working with trainers on WeStrive on how to manage/grow their business.
