Best Time for Exercise

In the last few years as fitness professional, I’ve been enquired a lot of questions about health, wellness, workout plan, eating right diet, and everything in between. But one question is asked most frequently than any other: “What is best time to do exercise?!”

Typically, my answer is “It depends.” (I know, it’s totally frustrating, but stick with me.) See, here’s the thing: There’s no black and white answer. For every buddy you find about doing exercise in the morning, there’s also a contradiction. So, according to the research and applying it to your life and situation should help illuminate the best choice, right? Let’s take a look at a few key findings to decide!

1. Sleep Study
An Appalachian State University research found that those people who work out at 7 a.m. secret more Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and tend to fall asleep faster at night. But the same research found working out in the evening raises your body temperature and may promote sleep.
2. Hormones
Our testosterone levels are nearly a third higher in the morning, which gives us lots of energy and enhances muscular development. Great! But, on the other side, cortisol levels are approximately 75% higher in the morning and normalized by night. Cortisol is considered to be catabolic and breaks down muscle tissue, so we might have to work harder to build muscle the earlier you work out.

3. Calorie Burn

This factor gets discussed about the most: Start earlier and burn more calories throughout the day. Ultimately, we get the calorie boost from our workout session out of the way and we’re more likely to be more active if we exercise first. And according to a British Journal of Nutrition study, we can burn up to 30% more fat if we do cardio exercise first. However, Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism research shows our anaerobic capacity is 7% higher at night. That means we may be able to exercise harder (or longer) and then burn more calories than during our average morning workout session.

Of course, there’s more research I could share. But I assure you, there’s no clear-cut winner! Instead, I’ll give you a few more things to think about.

v      Why Morning Workouts

Here are a few reasons why morning workouts might be better:

§  Early morning exercisers tend to be more consistent, as fewer distractions exist in the morning.

§  There’s little chance of the workout getting cut short or not happening due to unexpected work, obligations, or appointments.

§  Working out can clear your mind and set us up for a more productive day.

§  Working out early can help set a healthy tone to our daily routine, thus encouraging us to make smarter choices with diet and daily activities.

v      Why No Morning Workouts

And here are a few reasons why morning exercise might not be best!

§  Sleeping is an equal contributor to weight loss and fitness gains. When workouts are cut into sleep, we could be doing our body a disservice.

§  Whether real or revealed, people often feel doing exercise is easier at night. Not to mention, our physical performance peaks and injury rates are lowest between 3 and 6 p.m.

§  Workouts may get cut short because of morning schedules. If we can’t push back our wake-up time or we keep hitting snooze to alarm, the shortened workouts over time might be more detrimental than fewer workouts per week.

§  We have more time for happy hours and restaurant food if we don’t hit the gym after work. (OK, so this isn’t all bad—but working out at night a few days a week can keep us occupied and help us avoid excess calories that come with heading out with co-workers straight from work!)

v      Best Time to do Exercise

Bottom line: Science will support us whether we choose to set the alarm clock and head out the door early or if we knock out our workout closer to bedtime. What’s more important is finding the option that will work for us to long period of time. The only way we can lose is if we don’t do it at all!