If you’re trying to fit exercise into an already busy routine, then you know it can be somewhat of a challenge to schedule an hour for yourself at any point during the day, much less a certain hour in the morning or at night. When there are kids to feed, conference calls to do, yard work to finish, and friends to visit, blocking off time for exercise might not be at the top of your to-do list – but thankfully, you don’t have to pick an exact time in the morning or evening for your fitness!
Let’s check out some of the benefits of both morning workouts and evening workouts, and then you can decide which is best in terms of your schedule and your overall fitness goals!
Morning Workouts
There is a strong case for getting your workouts done in the morning; one of the biggest advantages to these sunrise exercise routines is the fact that once you’re up and done, you’re ready for the rest of the day knowing your workout is finished! This can be a big mental boost, especially if you know your evenings are typically full or you use your time at night to calm down and relax from the day.
Aside from the good feeling you get from completing your workout early, there are also studies that support exercising in the morning hours. One study, in particular, found that when participants did a moderately paced walk for 45 minutes early in the morning, they incorporated more movement throughout their day. This means that there are more calories being burned during the day, and even more so if you start your morning off with some exercise!
Another bonus to working out in the morning is that it might actually help you get to sleep at night; an exercise in and of itself can help promote better sleep, but working out early can actually help you get to sleep a bit easier at night, especially if you struggle to fall asleep. This is because when you exercise, your heart rate increases, along with your temperature and endorphins. All of these increases make it difficult for many to fall asleep at night, so if that’s the case, get those workouts done earlier in the day!
Evening Workouts
If you’re not an early bird and the thought of waking up early to exercise makes you cringe, have no fear…. working out later in the day definitely isn’t detrimental to your health. In fact, there are studies that have shown that workouts that are done later in the afternoon have the ability to possibly have you perform better at your exercise of choice, and that’s because your temperature is increased – and thus leading to better overall function and endurance.
Evening workouts also have other positive benefits; not only is your reaction time faster (bonus if you’re doing an exercise or skill that requires optimum hand and eye coordination or fast feet), but your heart rate tends to be lower as well.
When it comes to the sleep aspect of evening workouts, not everyone is adversely affected by working out close to bedtime; in fact, some people even sleep better after getting in a good lifting session or some laps in the pool before some shut-eye – you’ll just have to try out some evening workouts and see if they affect your sleeping habits.
Find What Works Best
All in all, you might have to play around with different time frames to see what works best for you, your schedule, and your performance when it comes to exercise. While early mornings might work best for one person, later in the evenings will be ideal for someone else. Just aim for being consistent, and you’ll hit your fitness goals in no time!
