Choose your Best Time of Day for Exercise
The best time of day to exercise is a hotly debated topic and like most hotly debated topics, the answer is “it depends”!
The benefits of exercising early
There’s a lot to recommend early morning exercise. It’s done before the day gets in the way and you increase your metabolic rate for the hours ahead. The morning provides the opportunity to do fasted cardio, often a good way to burn body fat. But morning exercise doesn’t work for everyone. If you already have an early start for work then later in the day may be the only practical time for a workout. Strength, flexibility, co-ordination and stamina often improve as the day goes on, making it a good time for weight training. A lot of people find it helps to have a couple of meals on board prior over the day before intense exercise.
The benefits of exercising later
Exercising somewhere between early morning and post-work can be a great way to break up the day, particularly if you have a sedentary job. Getting blood circulating to your brain can improve your cognitive functioning and help avoid a late afternoon energy slump and the associated snacking. A middle of the day workout is even more efficient if you can time it for off-peak gym times (late morning or early afternoon). Then you can zip around with minimal interruptions and be back to work for an efficient afternoon.
The power of your biotype
Your personal biotype and temperament play a big role in the ideal time of day for exercise. We all have an individual body rhythm. Some people are natural larks and easily get out of bed for their morning exercise. They find it puts them in a good frame of mind to make healthy choices for the rest of the day. Other people are natural owls and find it more difficult to rise early, often they enjoy an evening workout to blow off steam after a busy day at work.
Going against your natural biotype can make it more difficult to maintain intensity, motivation and general good health, particularly if you’re losing sleep to do it. Rest is necessary for your body to renew, repair and regulate hormones. If you’re under stress and sleep-deprived then getting up early could be counter-productive. It could also potentially overstimulate your appetite for the remainder of the day. If you’re somebody who struggles to wind down at night then getting your heart rate and adrenaline up close to bedtime could make it more difficult to get a restful sleep, particularly if you’re prone to overheating.
Stay flexible
All my clients have different temperaments and different responsibilities, so everyone’s scheduling solution is unique. The important thing is to get a mix of cardio, strength and flexibility exercise in a sustainable manner. Most people end up needing to exercise at a variety of times of day to fit everything in. There are always times of the week, month and year when it’s easier to push back against your natural inclination. If you’re an owl trying to be a part-time lark it makes sense to experiment with the type of exercise you find least unpleasant. Save the more onerous components of the exercise mix for the times when you have the most energy.
Ultimately, your fitness needs to fit in around your life, not your life around your fitness. No scheduling solution is perfect, but your wellness is worth the effort.
The benefits of exercising early
There’s a lot to recommend early morning exercise. It’s done before the day gets in the way and you increase your metabolic rate for the hours ahead. The morning provides the opportunity to do fasted cardio, often a good way to burn body fat. But morning exercise doesn’t work for everyone. If you already have an early start for work then later in the day may be the only practical time for a workout. Strength, flexibility, co-ordination and stamina often improve as the day goes on, making it a good time for weight training. A lot of people find it helps to have a couple of meals on board prior over the day before intense exercise.
The benefits of exercising later
Exercising somewhere between early morning and post-work can be a great way to break up the day, particularly if you have a sedentary job. Getting blood circulating to your brain can improve your cognitive functioning and help avoid a late afternoon energy slump and the associated snacking. A middle of the day workout is even more efficient if you can time it for off-peak gym times (late morning or early afternoon). Then you can zip around with minimal interruptions and be back to work for an efficient afternoon.
The power of your biotype
Your personal biotype and temperament play a big role in the ideal time of day for exercise. We all have an individual body rhythm. Some people are natural larks and easily get out of bed for their morning exercise. They find it puts them in a good frame of mind to make healthy choices for the rest of the day. Other people are natural owls and find it more difficult to rise early, often they enjoy an evening workout to blow off steam after a busy day at work.
Going against your natural biotype can make it more difficult to maintain intensity, motivation and general good health, particularly if you’re losing sleep to do it. Rest is necessary for your body to renew, repair and regulate hormones. If you’re under stress and sleep-deprived then getting up early could be counter-productive. It could also potentially overstimulate your appetite for the remainder of the day. If you’re somebody who struggles to wind down at night then getting your heart rate and adrenaline up close to bedtime could make it more difficult to get a restful sleep, particularly if you’re prone to overheating.
Stay flexible
All my clients have different temperaments and different responsibilities, so everyone’s scheduling solution is unique. The important thing is to get a mix of cardio, strength and flexibility exercise in a sustainable manner. Most people end up needing to exercise at a variety of times of day to fit everything in. There are always times of the week, month and year when it’s easier to push back against your natural inclination. If you’re an owl trying to be a part-time lark it makes sense to experiment with the type of exercise you find least unpleasant. Save the more onerous components of the exercise mix for the times when you have the most energy.
Ultimately, your fitness needs to fit in around your life, not your life around your fitness. No scheduling solution is perfect, but your wellness is worth the effort.