The CDC advises that adults perform moderate intensity aerobic activity for 150 minutes each week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. This can have many benefitsincluding supporting your cardiovascular health, reducing your risk of infectious diseases and strengthening your bones. But when is the best time to perform this exercise? Some enjoy starting their mornings with a workout, while others prefer exercise in the evening after work. Is one better than the other?
Some research has shown that exercising at certain times can affect the outcome of training in different ways. Below is a guide to what the research suggests about the time of day you exercise.
The best time of day to exercise is whenever you can do it consistently.
The best time to exercise is whenever you can
Let's get this out of the way first: the best time to exercise is whenever you can. Not all of our schedules allow for a 90-minute workout, green smoothies with collagen and a 20-minute session with a Teragununfortunately.
If your only time of day to exercise is before work, then the morning is best. If you reserve physical activity for busy evenings, there's a good chance you'll never get around to it.
Also, if only you could fit in 20 minutes of exercise in your day right before you get ready for bedit is the best time to exercise.
I want to add a note about consistency: the best time to practice is whenever you can, but the absolute best A time of day to exercise is a time you can stick with for days, weeks, and months.
For example, if you're the type of person who only has 20 minutes at night, but you constantly feel like you're skipping them, ask yourself if there's a way you can fit it into your morning instead. Maybe you go to bed 20 minutes earlier and wake up 20 minutes earlier — now you're still getting your 20 minutes of exercise in; just changed your schedule a bit.
On fact of the matter is that people who exercise regularly see better weight loss and fitness results in the long term. Research also suggests that your body can adapt to regular training schedulesso if you work out every morning, you'll probably get a lot better at working out in the morning, and the same goes for nighttime workouts.
All that said, morning and night workouts have their pros and cons as proven by decades of scientific research – let's discuss.
The benefits of exercising in the morning
Morning workouts really do have an edge, according to numerous research studies, and offer a list of benefits that might even sway some night owls to maintain their fitness in the morning.
It can help you establish a fitness routine: People who exercise in the morning are often more consistent simply because morning workouts leave less room excuses. If you exercise first thing in the morning, you can't skip it in the evening because the responsibilities pile up.
It can improve your sleep cycle: Waking up early can be difficult at first, but research suggests that a A morning exercise habit can change your circadian rhythm so your body is naturally more alert in the morning and more tired at night, so you fall asleep earlier and can exercise again in the morning. Morning exercise also appears to induce deep sleep more than evening exercise. according to some research. Plus, sleep helps facilitate muscle growth, so you may see more strength gains if your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle improve.
You can burn more fat: Exercising on an empty stomach — in the “fasted state” — has been proven burns more fat than exercising after a meal (in “food state”). This happens because your body has to use the fat stores that are already there to fuel exercise, rather than using the food you just ate as fuel. Other research also shows that “after burns“It lasts longer when you exercise in the morning, which can help you lose weight over time.”
It can make you more productive: The research found that exercise in the morning has a beneficial effect on energy levels, alertness, focus and decision-making, which can translate to a a more productive workday.
It can improve your mood throughout the day: Morning workouts are a great way to start each day on a high note — on endorphins or “happy chemicals” Your body produces in response to exercise, it can keep your mood elevated long after your hour-long workout. The sense of accomplishment you get after a workout can also set you up for an optimistic day.
You may feel groggy about your morning workout if your alarm wakes you up from a deep sleep.
Negative sides of morning training
While a morning exercise habit can be a powerful part of a healthy lifestyle, early morning workouts have their drawbacks. When you're working out first thing in the morning, a few things can make your workout a little cheesy.
You may be running low on fuel: If you haven't eaten enough the night before, you may find yourself battling serious hunger mid-workout. If you wake up hungry most days, try eating a larger dinner or a small protein-dense snack before bed. You can also eat a small carbohydrate-rich snack before your morning workout, such as a banana, to avoid hunger and hunger-related fatigue.
You can interrupt deep sleep: Depending on your sleep cyclean early morning alarm can induce deep sleep. This can result in sleep inertia (feeling groggy some time after you wake up), as well as chronic fatigue if it happens often.
Physical performance is not at its peak: Most people don't roll out of bed feeling groggy and fired up. You may feel stiffness in your joints and temporary inflexibility. You should loosen up as you warm up, but studies actually show that certain strength markers, including peak power, are higher in the evening.
It takes longer to warm up: Speaking of warming upthere's a key reason why you might not feel as strong or powerful during your morning workouts: Your core body temperature is lower. This makes the warm-up crucial for morning workouts—jumping into a workout, rather than easing in slowly, can result in injury. This is true all the time, but especially when your body is cooler.Your heart rate is slower in the morning (which is the best time for find your real resting heart rate), which also contributes to the need for longer heating.
The benefits of afternoon and evening workouts
I envy those who can fit in exercise between 12pm and 4pm. That would be my ideal time to exercise if I could do it consistently. I feel more ready to exercise in the afternoon: more flexible, more mobile and physically more energetic. I feel both stronger and faster.
For me, those feelings subside around 5pm, but I digress. Most people experience these physiological adaptations throughout the day, making the afternoon and evening the best times to exercise for many reasons.
Your physical performance may improve: Research shows that most people function better, physically, later in the day. Muscular strength, flexibility, power output and endurance all are better in the evening than in the morning. Plus, people who exercise at night it takes up to 20% longer to reach the point of exhaustion.
Your body gets warmer as the day goes on: Because your the temperature in the middle is warmer later in the day, many people can get into the groove more quickly for afternoon and evening workouts. You still need to remember to warm up.
Hormones are on your side: Testosterone is important for building muscle in men and women and your body can produce more of it during afternoon workouts than morning workoutsresulting in greater strength and muscle gains.
Exercising late in the day can relieve stress: Exercise is always a good way to release the stressbut working out at night can really help you blow off some steam. On a rush of endorphins that you get during and after exercise can be a sweet treat to help you wind down before bed.
It can help to replace bad habits: If you have some evening or nighttime habits that you want to change – like snacking, drinking, smoking or watching too much television — let practice creep in and take their place. Once you start exercising at night, you might be surprised that you don't even miss your old habits.
If you wait until the evening to exercise, you may struggle with a lack of motivation.
Downsides of afternoon and evening workouts
The above benefits of afternoon and evening workouts may automatically lead you to designate the latter part of the day for exercise, but there are a few potential downsides to consider.
May disturb sleep: The blanket statement that exercising at night is detrimental to sleep is a myth. That's not true for everyone—scientists have found that out Exercising at night may have no effect on sleepand some may even sleep better – but some people may experience jitters if they exercise too close to bedtime. This it generally only applies to intense exerciselike CrossFit or HIIT, because yoga, stretching, and other gentle exercises can actually improve your sleep when done before bed.
May cause consistency problems: If you're like a lot of people, exercising at night might not work for you just because you're too tired after a hard day. Afternoon and evening workouts can interfere with daily routines, especially if things tend to pile up during the day. If this sounds like you, try changing your daily routine to fit in a short morning workout.