When is the best time to exercise

This question has been addressed many times. Perhaps we can give a more comprehensive view.

Everyone agrees that exercise at anytime is better than no exercise at all. However people who exercise in the morning are better at maintaining the habit than those that try and fit it in later. Morning is best overall for weight loss and management, but later in the day, when your body has warmed up, produces better performance and more power. So different circumstances can determine the choice, and there are quite a few views on the matter.

Let’s look at the reasons which favour morning exercise.

1. Get it done before reasons to avoid it start to arise.

As soon as you get into the day, reasons may arise which stop you doing it later. Make the time early on and get it out of the way.

2. Get it done to put an achievement behind you, and start a process of better achievement

What a way to start the day! One accomplishment enables other gains to follow more easily, and develops a pattern. This trait of early-start/early-gains is a characteristic of high achievers in many fields.

3. Get your metabolism going with a blast

And it’ll run faster all day, chewing calories at a greater rate than otherwise. Easier to lose weight. Exercise late in the day means sleep will slow your metabolism down, and you won’t experience the same gains.

4. You’ll have more energy for the day

A faster metabolism will deliver the energy to your muscles sooner and for a longer period.

5. Brain power will be better

Cognitive processes get a boost for up to ten hours after strenuous exercise.

6. Improve sleep quality

Long, and strongly-held views, have been that your sleep is likely to be deeper if you exercise earlier in the day. And you’re likely to need – and want – less food before you go to sleep, which is better for both diet and sleep.

But… there has been increasing evidence recently which suggests that there is perhaps no real difference. So on this, as they say, the jury is out. What works for you is what counts.

7. All systems will get in synch

If you exercise soon after waking, after a few days, all of your systems will tend to adapt to your chosen time and build a pattern of expectation which will improve performance. If you exercise late in the day, there are a variety of inputs and stresses which can change this.

8. You’re joining a consistent bunch

Most consistent exercisers are morning exercisers. If you’re a morning exerciser, statistics show you’re more likely to be consistent in your efforts.


Points that favour exercise later in the day

Your muscles are more naturally warm and predisposed to exertion later in the day, and your joints and connecting tissue are likely, for similar reasons to be more supple and flexible. You can make up for this in the morning with proper warm-up activity.

If you are looking for major achievement in body building, such as might be expected in serious competition, late-in-the-day activity appears to be better.

Conclusion

If the matter of getting the exercise, and incorporating it into a healthy way-of-life is the key concern, mornings are better for this and other reasons. If periodic superior performance is the target, later-in-day may be better.

Whether it’s morning, afternoon or evening, if one of them already works well for you, don’t change your schedule!

Article courtesy of www.fitnessandleisure.co.nz

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