The Best Time to Workout
When it comes to working out, one of the most difficult things is deciding when to do it. Some people work out first thing in the morning, while others do it after work in the afternoon. If you haven’t been working out lately, choosing a time is tough because both come with their own challenges.
Morning workouts can be great if you’re a morning person because you’re already up early. If you aren’t a morning person it can sound like being assaulted with an alarm before the sun is up. On the flip side afternoon workouts can be great if you have the time after work and before dinner, but if your schedule is packed from morning until night you probably have no clue how you’d have enough energy to hit the gym after a full work day. So how do you choose?
Morning
Keeping a morning workout schedule works great if you like mornings and are already up early. If you are okay with setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier, and don’t have a problem getting out of bed, mornings may be for you. Most morning workout people are successful because they make their workout part of their lifestyle and go beyond making it just a habit. Mornings may work best because there are no meetings and fewer interruptions, like phone calls or emails. Working out during this time is great if you’re looking to improve your sleep and reduce your fat because you’re working out in a fasted state. By fasted state I mean that it’s been a long time since dinner, and you won’t be eating breakfast until after the workout is complete.
Afternoon
An afternoon workout may be a great way to wind down from the day. If you have a hectic schedule during the day, hitting the gym may be a great way for you to get some “me” time and focus on yourself. It can also be a great way to transition from the office back home without bringing office stress to the dinner table. Afternoon workouts may be more productive and successful because your body is already warm from the day and has been awake longer. You may not have a ton of time in the afternoon to get a workout in, but shorter workouts are better than interrupted workouts, which you may have if you try to do something in the morning before the kids are off to school.
Ultimately the time doesn’t matter as long as it works for you. Some people are mornings, others are afternoons, and some still may change it up. The best way to find which workout time works for you is to try it and track things like time of day, workout type, and your overall feelings before, during, and after your workout. After a couple of weeks you’ll begin to see which works best and which helps you feel the best. Whichever time frame has the least resistance and allows you to focus on your workout is the best one for you.
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Chalene, your episodes on intermittent fasting and how lose weight during the holidays really hit home for me. I listened to them over and over again (repetition, baby! !!) And once I implemented eating between 11 and 7 as well as 16-20 min tabata workouts (and Piyo weekends for fun), within my fasting window, the lbs stated to drop right off. I’ve currently lost 14lbs within the last 7 weeks and I have yet to plateau. To be clear, I only had about 20 lbs to lose in the first place. But 20lbs on someone less than 5 feet tall is a LOT!
Feel free to do a podcast episode on how to process feelings of uneasiness when things are coming way easier that you think they should! Because that’s what’s blocking me right now. I feel like I should be working WAY harder than I am to lose the weight and that’s causing me to ALMOST self sabotage at times.
Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU for your amazing advise. You’ve helped me change my life!
I find that stretching, yoga and plates help me in an, but my body is not ready for cardio at 5am. Afternoon/workouts are my thing, just not too late in the day!
My best time for getting my exercise in is the early evening. After working for the day – a long walk is how I fit in my “steps” and unwind.
Unfortunately, as the weather gets colder – it is harder to be motivated to exercise in the evening. So I am trying to fit it in at lunchtime.
You are right – the best time to exercise is that time that works for you.