When Is The Best Time To Exercise?

Some people rise and hit the ground running at the wee hours of the morning, while others can't imagine a workout before noontime.

And then for some, it's all about squeezing a workout on their busy day.

Many lifestyle enthusiasts spout why they work out in the morning (or at night), others say there's a preferred time to workout so you can reach your best time on the treadmill. While others claim that a certain workout time can help you gain muscle.

Is there any truth to that? Our goal is to make sure we feel good working out. But if the hours we are clocking in hurt our recovery or disrupt our sleep, it can be counterproductive. So here, we look at the reasons why a certain time would be good or bad for our fitness.

Morning Workout:

Many leadership coaches and millionaires prescribe working out in the morning. The reasons vary from "it's the best time because everyone is still asleep" to "it helps me get things done."

The census it seems is that it's more advantageous for people who want to create habits.

Waking up early and working out in the morning creates consistency and an ironclad habit. Afternoon and evening workout can conflict with other responsibilities and social activities. You don't want to be that person who leaves a friendly get together because you need to hit the gym. You'll lose friends faster than fats that way.

If that video has not convinced you to change your schedule, perhaps the following reasons could:

Working Out in the Morning Gives You Better Sleep

Exercising in the afternoons or evenings might disrupt sleep. Exercise increases the heart rate and body temperature, these are factors that can give energy to your body, making snooze time difficult to achieve.

One study showed that a morning workout at 7AM aided in better sound sleep.

Working Out in the Morning Helps you Lose Weight

Several studies have found that exercise can curb your appetite after working out. It's also been proven that people burn more body fat exercising on an empty stomach.

Afternoon/Evening Workout:

I for one can't fathom spending the first hours of my morning sweating it up. My muscles are too tight and I'd rather spend a quiet and easy breakfast. If you're like me or your schedule doesn't permit you to do an early morning session, there are plenty of reasons why exercising later in the day can be a healthy choice.

You are Warmed Up Already

Since our body temp increases throughout the day, our muscle strength, flexibility and endurance all peak in the afternoon.

You are Awake and Have a Better Reaction Time

Afternoons are best for sports like tennis, basketball, or soccer. These are activities that require thinking and moving.

You Burn More Calories

There are different opinions and studies to this, but one particular paper found that "the body burns the most calories in the afternoon hours."

Hitting the gym after lunch looks like it could be beneficial for us night owls.

The Best Time to Work Out is Up to You

We can go on and on, and you can find as many resources to back up your preferred time for working out. But a greater point seems to be clear. Working out consistently at the same time of day every day will yield better results. So regardless of whether you've chosen to sweat it out in the morning, noon or night, it doesn't matter. For as long as you are working out the same time every day.