Is There an Ideal Time of Day to Exercise? Here’s What to Know – CNET

There’s always been debate about the best time of day to work out. I’ve always heard that exercising first thing in the morning is ideal, but others say a nighttime workout benefits them more. But is one time really better than another, and why?

Regardless of when you work out, there are many health benefits from moving regularly, like improving your heart health, getting stronger or even improving your endurance. Most people decide to exercise when it best fits their schedule, so oftentimes they can’t help the time of the day they choose to be active.

Research has shown, however, that the time of day you choose to exercise can affect your workout in various ways. Here’s how to determine what’s best for you based on the latest data.

Downsides to morning workouts

Though a morning exercise habit can be a powerful part of a healthy lifestyle, early morning workouts have their drawbacks, too. When you exercise first thing in the morning, a few things can make your workout a little wonky. 

You might be running on low fuel: If you didn’t eat enough the evening before, you might find yourself battling serious hunger mid-workout. If you wake up hungry most days, try eating a larger dinner or a small, protein-dense snack before bed. You can also eat a small, carb-heavy snack before your morning workout, such as a banana, to help avoid hunger and hunger-related fatigue. 

You may interrupt deep sleep: Depending on your sleep cycle, an early-morning alarm might puncture deep sleep. This can result in sleep inertia (feeling groggy for a while after you wake up), as well as chronic fatigue if it happens often. 

Physical performance isn’t at its peak: Most people don’t roll out of bed feeling nimble and fired up. You might experience stiffness in your joints and temporary inflexibility. You should loosen up as you warm up, but studies actually show that certain strength markers, including peak power, are higher in the evening.

It takes longer to warm up: Speaking of warm-ups, there’s a key reason you might not feel as strong or powerful during morning workouts: Your core body temperature is lower. This makes warming up crucial for morning workouts — jumping into a workout, rather than slowly easing in, can result in injury. This is true all of the time, but especially when your body is cooler.Your heart rate is also slower in the morning (that’s the best time to find your true resting heart rate), which also contributes to needing a longer warm-up. 

Benefits of afternoon and evening workouts

I envy those who can fit in a workout between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. That would be my ideal time to exercise if I could do so consistently. I feel more ready for exercise in the afternoon: more flexible, more mobile, more physically energetic. I also feel stronger and faster. 

For me, those feelings subside around the 5 p.m. mark, but I digress — most people experience these physiological adaptations throughout the day, which makes afternoon and evening the best time to exercise for many reasons. 

Your physical performance might improve: Research shows that most people function better, physically speaking, later in the day. Muscle strength, flexibility, power output and endurance are all better in the evening than they are in the morning. Plus, people who exercise in the evening take up to 20% longer to reach the point of exhaustion.

Your body gets warmer as the day goes on: Since your core temperature is warmer later in the day, many people can get into the groove faster for afternoon and evening workouts. You should still warm up though!

Hormones are on your side: Testosterone is important for building muscle in men and women, and your body might produce more of it during afternoon workouts than morning workouts, resulting in greater strength and muscle gains.

Late-day exercise can relieve stress: Exercise is always a good way to relieve stress, but working out at night can really help you blow off some steam. The surge of endorphins you get during and after exercise can be a sweet nightcap that helps you wind down before bed. 

Might help replace bad habits: If you have some evening or nighttime habits you want to replace — like snacking, drinking, smoking or watching too much TV — allow exercise to swoop in and take their place. Once you get into the practice of exercising at night, you might find yourself surprised that you don’t even miss your old habits.