What is the Best Time of Day to Exercise?

Sport is crucial for every individual's well-being, whether it's squats, jogging, or HIIT training at home. Physical activity not only strengthens the immune system but also helps to improve mental wellness. While each person picks the sport that best suits their current health and needs, determining the optimal time of day to workout is a different matter. Indeed, it is quite a controversial subject. So, when do you go to the gym? Is it better to go in the morning, afternoon, or evening? What does science have to say about it? The next paragraphs include the answers to all of your questions.

The benefits and drawbacks of morning and evening workouts!

You may choose from a variety of sports training options to discover the one that better fits your needs. Physical activity, whether it's Pilates, yoga, running, or swimming, is beneficial to your health. However, there is one topic that haunts athletes and sparks controversy in the community: when is the optimum time to exercise? In this post, we'll look at the benefits and drawbacks of morning, afternoon, and evening sports. We'll also look into the most recent scientific breakthroughs. Please join us!

Train in the morning

Many people indeed debate on when to exercise during the day. It's also no secret that most individuals like to exercise first thing in the morning to get their day off to a good start, which offers several benefits. First and foremost, you will have completed your athletics activity before beginning your day. This means you'll not only get a decent dosage of endorphins to start your day, but you'll also have the motivating sensation of having achieved something before 9 a.m. Second, you'll have more time to relax, make supper, or socialise with your friends.

But what does science have to say about it? So there's a lot of research behind early workouts. A study found that participating in a sport first thing in the morning increases physical activity throughout the day. Other advantages included higher metabolism, which meant that individuals burned calories all day. Morning exercise, according to some research, can easily wake you up since it raises your heart rate and body temperature. Furthermore, a morning workout on an empty stomach might burn up to 20% more body fat than a nighttime activity.

Afternoon or evening sports activity

Although the optimum time to exercise may be in the morning, there are certain advantages to exercising in the afternoon or evening. Sleeping longer in the morning and having maximal performance capability is among the first! According to one study, body temperature peaks between the hours of 2 and 6 p.m. This means you'll be exercising during the time of day when the body is performing the best, perhaps making it the most beneficial period for physical exercise.

According to one research, people who lifted weights in the evening had higher sleep quality and slept longer than those who completed the same activity in the morning.

What do the latest scientific discoveries say?

To learn more about this controversial topic, researchers conducted a mouse study, the findings of which were published in the journal Cell Metabolism on February 1, 2022. The scientists obtained samples from muscle, liver, hypothalamus (the area of the brain that controls eating behaviour), heart, brown adipose tissue, and two types of white fatty tissue as part of their investigation. The assessments were done after one hour of treadmill running in the morning or evening.

Morning exercise assisted in the burning of carbohydrates and fats, whereas evening training enhanced energy expenditure. Furthermore, exercising as soon as you get up has been found to help mice with sleep issues regulate their internal schedule. The researchers admit that their study has certain limitations because the age, sex, and metabolic illnesses of the rats were not taken into account.

When to exercise? The conclusion

So, when is the greatest time to practice your sport? Even though scientific studies on the issue appear to contradict one another, one thing is certain: physical exercise is necessary and beneficial for your health at any time of day. Finding the appropriate moment that best matches your everyday routine is what counts most.