Best Time to Exercise?

[GB]

Different strokes for different folks, I like working out in the morning. The attached New York Times article suggests that although the body is great at adapting to individual schedules evening is probably the best time for most people to exercise. What do you think?

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The Claim: Morning Is the Best Time to Exercise


THE FACTS:


Without a doubt, exercise at any time of the day beats no exercise at all. But are there physiological advantages to working out in the morning versus evening, or vice versa?

In various studies, scientists have found that subjects tend to do slightly better on measures of physical performance — including endurance, strength output, reaction time and aerobic capacity — between 4 and 7 p.m. The explanations are numerous: the body’s temperature and hormone levels peak in late afternoon, making muscles more flexible and producing the best ratio of testosterone (the muscle-building hormone) to cortisol (the hormone that does the reverse).

But these variations have only small effects. And much as one can adjust to waking up at the same time daily, studies have shown that the body can adapt to the time of day that you train. In several long-term studies, for example, scientists randomly split people into groups and instructed them to train only in the morning or only in the early evening. In the end, the morning exercisers generally did better on tests of physical performance early in the day, while the evening exercisers did better when tested later.

On a practical level, that means that if you plan to run a marathon that starts in the morning, it may be best to schedule your training runs early in the day.

THE BOTTOM LINE

In general, research suggests that the ideal time to exercise is late afternoon, though the advantages are slight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/health/03real.html

GB

[VRT Man]

I feel that the morning is the best time for me. The exercises energize my day, and I fly through the day with the various tasks ahead of me.

The evening I often watch TV with my wife and sons after dinner, converse with them about their day, and upcoming events, or just catch up on my reading.

I have a library of seven 10-foot long bookshelves, and I've been playing catch-up on my reading for years. To no avail! But it keeps me occupied. So morning is best for me.

--Greg Mangan

[tom]

I am stronger in the evening - been that way all my life.

Morning is nice schedule/feeling good-wise, but I also like sleeping in.

Poor discipline.

Tom

[April]

But these variations have only small effects. And much as one can adjust to waking up at the same time daily, studies have shown that the body can adapt to the time of day that you train. In several long-term studies, for example, scientists randomly split people into groups and instructed them to train only in the morning or only in the early evening. In the end, the morning exercisers generally did better on tests of physical performance early in the day, while the evening exercisers did better when tested later.

On a practical level, that means that if you plan to run a marathon that starts in the morning, it may be best to schedule your training runs early in the day.

THE BOTTOM LINE

In general, research suggests that the ideal time to exercise is late afternoon, though the advantages are slight.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/health/03real.html

GB

Hi Gary,
That is interesting. I once read that if you are going to take an academic test, your score will be higher if you do your studying under the same conditions in which you will be taking the test. In other words, if the test will be given in silence, do not study with music on, etc. So what is written above makes sense: people did better on exercise tests that were given at the same time of day that they normally exercised.

For myself, there are a number of reasons that I normally do not exercise during what they consider the optimal time of day.

First of all, first thing in the morning is simply the most convenient time for me. I can get up early and tuck away my exercise before anything can interfere with it. If I leave it til later, chances are good that something will rob me of the time.

Secondly, it wakes me up and energizes me so that the rest of the day goes better.

Thirdly, because of my digestive problems, morning is the time when I never have stomach trouble. Some days, by 4 p.m. my stomach is already starting to bother me. It is unpredictable, but I prefer to exercise when I KNOW there won't be any other problems. I've noticed that other people in the forum have various physical problems, some more, some less. My parents and sister all needed chiropractors. I am the only one in the family who never had back trouble. But for me, it has always been my sensitive stomach. I am scheduled to get my gallbladder out in August but I need to consult my doctor again about that (my family doctor doesn't think I need the operation). So, since my stomach never acts up in the morning, that is when I prefer to schedule my daily exercise. - This is sort of an answer, too, to Joe's post about whether or not people exercise in the evenings after work.

[Misha4life]

Hi Gary,

For myself, there are a number of reasons that I normally do not exercise during what they consider the optimal time of day.

it wakes me up and energizes me so that the rest of the day goes better.

I think it is nice to adopt an attitude of the mind that will "speak" to the body. On eis in contact with the other. Some people are well tuned to what their body feels. It might be implied to that if you decide to do a work-out - "ask" your body and feel it!

I read somewhere else that this connection between mind and body is also a connection between the adult who has to take decisions of matter-of fact for the day and the child within us that wants to play or feels hungry at the time or sad or any other feelings. (Reference: "Healing your aloneness - Finding love and wholeness through your inner child" by Erika J.Chopich and Margaret Paul - ISBN 978-0-06-250149; Harper Collins1990).
It means that an exercise can become a joy because the child in us participates and takes it as play.
There are apparently healing implications to this and strengthening of the immune system.
I leave this here, but it is really fascinating what we can do with ourselves!
Misha from Kent, UK

[govegan]

I prefer morning workouts, but I don't always have the discipline to actually get up early enough to do so frequently.

Although, lately I've been going through the original Atlas course, which I've never done before, just for something different - so I've been doing a ten minute or so workout every morning and night, and then once a week I have a gymnastics conditioning class in the evening. I've really liked that so far. It's nice to start out and finish each day with a bit of exercise.