For some people, finding the time to exercise can be challenging while others couldn’t imagine a day go by without breaking a sweat. Busy work schedules, hectic school projects, and demanding kids are just a few reasons people opt to hit the snooze button on their alarms instead of throwing on their gym shoes for a morning run.
Additionally, exercising after a long day of work or school can be a much more difficult task.
Perhaps it would help our motivation to know the benefits you can reap from working out at certain times. However, we end up asking the age-old question; Is there a best time of the day to work out? Does it even matter what time of the day you exercise?
To answer the latter, yes. It makes a difference whether you work out at dawn, dusk, or the dead of night. Working out at certain times can help maximize our fitness goals. Here we will compare the perks of working out at various times of the day.
Working Out In The Morning
One of the most common reasons people choose to exercise in the morning, is to get their workout out of the way. Morning workouts typically increase your energy for the rest of the day, especially once you become consistent with it. It’s not just a great way to start the day, but it also offers various benefits for both your health and daily schedule. Morning workouts make it easier to have a consistent workout routine as you are less likely to skip the gym since the timing rarely clashes with other responsibilities.
Working out in the morning is also ideal for people with goals for weight loss. A study in Japan found that when working out before breakfast while the stomach is empty can increase fat oxidation. People can burn up to 20% more body fat by exercising in the morning on an empty stomach, according to one study published in the British Journal of Nutrition called “Lose Fat Faster Before Breakfast”. Morning exercisers also have less of an appetite throughout the day, which can protect them from putting on pounds.
Doesn’t it sound heavenly to stroll into your office and start your workday off stress-free? Breaking a sweat before work can help fight the negative effects that stress has on your body by lowering your body’s cortisol levels.
Knowing that you have already completed your workout before your day has even started can be pure bliss and create true peace of mind for those task-oriented people. It can also create higher productivity, lower blood pressure and allow for better sleep.
Working Out In The Afternoon
Exercising in the afternoon is an excellent option for many people. Getting up in the morning can be the hardest thing ever, for those who aren’t morning people.
The core temperature of the body indicates the quality of exercise. Muscles are often more flexible in higher body temperatures and stiff, inefficient, and susceptible to sprains when cold. Since the body temperature increases throughout the day and is typically at its highest during the afternoon, our muscle strength and cardiovascular strength also peaks at this time.
Hormone levels are also crucial in determining optimal workout time. For instance, testosterone is essential for muscle growth and strength for both men and women. The body produces more testosterone during resistance training in the afternoon than it does during morning workouts.
The afternoon is also the time when your reaction time is the fastest while your heart rate and blood pressure will be at its lowest. When combined, you can expect your performance to improve and also reduce the overall likelihood of sustaining an injury.
The downside of planning exercises later in the day is the risk of exercise plans being interrupted by unexpected changes to your schedule such as late meetings, or you’re more likely to succumb to making excuses such as being too tired or too late.
Working Out At Night
Workouts during nighttime used to be ill-advised for those who want to sleep afterward. High-intensity exercises close to bedtime can raise your core body temperature and cardiac levels, which can leave you feeling more alert than you’d like to be before sleeping.
As long as the exercise in the late-night isn’t intensive, exercise can help you sleep. An early evening walk has been shown to make all the difference to people having trouble with sleep. People who also weightlift in the evening can also have a higher quality and duration of sleep compared to people who do it in the morning.
An evening workout can help you wind down from a stressful day. As any day progresses, natural daily stressors such as school, work, or even the hassles of daily traffic can build up feelings of anxiety and tension until you start feeling overwhelmed. Exercise is a great way to clear your head and unwind after a tough day.
Despite the benefits of exercising at certain times of the day, it’s more important to choose a specific time when you’re most likely to work out consistently. Your consistency and effort level will determine how you’ll reap the benefits of physical activity. Sticking to a specific workout schedule can result in an improvement in performance, higher oxygen consumption, and lower perceived exhaustion.
Omalza Fitness is a family-oriented strength and conditioning gym that offers different small group classes, personal training and customized meal plans that will help you reach your fitness goals. Each certified personal trainer teaches the most cutting edge, fat burning, and muscle building workouts available. Are you ready to change your life and get in the best shape ever? Fill out our contact form or call us at (702) 984-6606 today to learn more.
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