I’ve been exercising regularly for the last few months and gotten into the habit of exercising first thing in the morning. The main reason is one of convenience – if I wait till the end of the day I make excuses about tiredness, the weather, social events and anything else I can think of as I just can’t motivate myself at the end of the day. So, what is the best time of day for exercise?
There does not seem to be a consensus on what time of day is best for exercising. A recent article at The Biggest Loser’s website said that
Experts agree that the most important thing is not so much the time of day that you exercise, but that you actually do it – and do it on a regular basis!
My experience is that exercising at night, when I can drag my butt out for a run or to a gym, seems to keep me keyed up and makes it harder to get to sleep. On the other hand, a morning run or workout seems to keep me pepped up for the day and makes me more productive, particularly when I first start work for the day.
When do you like working out? Do you choose the time based on how it fits into your schedule or because you think there’s a specific benefit gained by working out at a certain time?
What’s the best time to workout? [The Biggest Loser Club]
Comments
5 responses to “What Time Of Day Should You Exercise?”
I hit the gym straight after work, while it does pep me up and makes sleep come at a later time (I’m usually in there 6 to 9) I just don’t have the time to exercise in the morning (starting work at 6am Monday to Friday)
Normally I do my exercise from 8 to 9pm; that’s the most suitable time for me. I’d like to do it in the morning, but can’t get up early enough……
I wish I could do it first thing in the morning – the occasional times i force myself too (due to a committment after work etc) I love it. But it’s just too hard doing it regularly at that time, especially in winter.
Depending on my schedule I tend to exercise later in the afternoon 5PM. However, after consuming preworkout I found that I can barely get to sleep until 2am at the earliest. This has forced me to do my workouts at 5AM to wear off the effects of the preworkout through the day.
i cycle to and from work.
i started this mainly because there was almost zero chance of me doing exercise when i got home and not much time before work. so this way i get 2x30min sessions and i can safely say that on the days when i dont cycle in i am not nearly as alert and productive in the mornings
If you really want a commitment to get up early, try rowing. either 6-6.30am starts most mornings, and if you don’t turn up, your crew cant go out due to not having enough people in the boat. Guilt trip anyone?