Exercise in the Morning or Evening? Preferences? Suggestions?
teresasage64118
Posts: 4 Member
Hi All! My name is Teresa, and I've been using myfitnesspal for about a week now. I'm very motivated and have stuck to my weight loss and exercise plan since starting. I have many reasons to lose weight and have googled many things regarding the best times to exercise but wanted to see if anyone had suggestions or thoughts on this. I generally go to the gym every night after dinner. I'm not really good about getting up extra early in the morning so it's much easier for me to go when I get off of work. So far it's worked fantastic for me. I feel like if I manage to get myself up at about 4am, that would only give me a workout time of about an hour before I would need to head back home get ready for work and head to work. Whereas if I go in the evening I have unlimited time I can be at the gym. So if I want to work out 30 minutes I can or I can go for a couple of hours. My biggest question is, does working out in the morning help to burn more fat etc versus working out in the evening. Another reason I like to work out in the evening is I've already ate dinner, tracked what I have ate therefore I know how many calories I need to burn through out the day. I never go over by designated amount of calories I am supposed to have a day but I just like knowing, hey I ate/drank a total of 1300 calories, so I go to the gym and I burn 800. What are your thoughts?
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Replies
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The best time is the one that helps you exercise consistently.
I like the morning because it lets me spend my evenings with my husband and dogs, it helps me begin the day with less stress, and I don't have to worry about missing it if something pops up later in the day.
If your time works for you, I don't see a need to change it.7 -
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If I get up and exercise in the morning it is done before any excuses can get in the way.4
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janejellyroll wrote: »The best time is the one that helps you exercise consistently.
I like the morning because it lets me spend my evenings with my husband and dogs, it helps me begin the day with less stress, and I don't have to worry about missing it if something pops up later in the day.
If your time works for you, I don't see a need to change it.
Excellent advice.
Consistency trumps all. Personally I also like to train first thing in the morning because 1. there's no one around so I can zone out 2. I have the most energy 3. It's done and out of the way 4. It sets the tone for my day, everything else in contrast seems relatively easy.
Good Luck1 -
I refuse to wake up even a second before i absolutely have to. I am incapable of morning workouts. I pack my gym bag and take it with me to work and change before I leave the office.
Putting on my workout clothes almost "forces" me to the gym after work. If I go home first I'm toast, I'll not leave again till the next day.4 -
I personally prefer exercising at night because I get exhausted for the whole day if I exercise in the morning.2
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You answered your own question. There is no weight loss benefit to working out in the morning.3
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YepItsKriss wrote: »Whenever you want.
However a 1300 calorie day with a 800 calorie workout is leaving you with a net calorie total of 500 calories, if you aren't eating your calories back you stand the potential of doing yourself no favors, you will lose weight but you will be sick once you're skinny.
^^^^^ That's good advice, all the way through. 100% endorsed.4 -
I'm a total morning person0
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Early afternoon is the time I feel most into working out. I was fortunate enough to have a job where I could arrange my own schedule and so was able to make this happen during the work day before I retired. I am just too creaky and stiff in the morning to do much except walk. In fact, it's the walking that lets me move around the rest of the day
And forget it when the sun goes down. 0 -
when i used to go to the gym, mornings. when i walk ... whenever i feel like it/ fit it in.0
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I was in the habit of going on a walk every morning with my dog. But then I started skipping here and there. Starting today, I will be back at it EVERY morning. It will be wonderful!1
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I like to run in the mornings and lift in the evenings. My body just doesn't like lifting in the mornings, and running late in the day keeps me awake at night.
There's no need to do it any way other than the way which feels best to you and fits into your life. But you should definitely be eating more than 500 net calories a day.1 -
I have been debating this, too, lately. I love working out in the morning, but it's so hard to get out of bed (especially now as it's colder) and I feel super-rushed working out. Also, then I have to get home and it's a rush to get myself and my kids ready for work and school. Still, it's awesome to get it over with, feel accomplished and have my evenings free. Working out in the evenings is easier since I'm not so rushed, but there are disadvantages. I wait until my kids are in bed so it's often around 10 PM when I go. I'm tired and it's time lost w/ my spouse. Also, when I get home after working out it's hard to go to bed since I'm wired. So, I just play it day by day. It depends on what I have going on during the week.0
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When you exercise, you expend energy...you don't "burn fat" per sei...it doesn't matter what time of day you exercise. Your fat stores are just stored energy...they're like your backup generator...when you consume less energy than your body requires, your backup generator kicks on and you burn body fat to make up for the energy deficiency.
Whether I workout in the AM or PM depends solely on my schedule as well as the season. In summer I like to ride in the AM to beat the heat. In Spring and Fall I usually ride in the early evening right when I get home from work because it's too dark in the AM, not to mention pretty chilly. In the winter I ride whenever because I'm usually on my indoor trainer unless it's a nice weekend afternoon.
I usually lift a couple times per week in the evening after work.
Also, eating 1300 and burning 800 (if that's accurate) is no bueno...it's the same thing as just eating 500 calories per day which I assume nobody in their right mind would think to be healthy.3 -
Whatever works for you and gets you to do it!
I personally liked to work out at night because I had the same mentality: "unlimited time." I signed up for an expensive 3x a week class to keep me accountable. After the six month contract was up, I went less and less, but still did stuff on my own. I started getting complacent and didn't go as often as I "scheduled" myself to. It was easy to get lazy and stay home once I was home.
So, just started waking up at 4:45 to bust it out before having to get ready for work! I was never a morning person. Always struggling to get out the door on time, chronically late to work, etc. Now that I've started, I don't think I can go back! I just feel so much more clarity in the morning and less stressed out to get to work. The bonus benefit is that I can go home at the end of the day and STAY home satisfied that I put in the work earlier. I have to go to bed earlier, but an hour or two of earlier bedtime isn't going to hurt me.1 -
teresasage64118 wrote: »I generally go to the gym every night after dinner. I'm not really good about getting up extra early in the morning so it's much easier for me to go when I get off of work.
The best time of day for you to go would be in evening after dinner.
I am not getting up any earlier in the morning either. I always go at night. You have to do what works best for you and not worry about what everyone else is doing. 2 -
I am a morning person, so waking up early and hitting the gym before work has been easy for me. I find I have more energy and am in a much better mood all day, too, when I go in early. It all depends on what works best for you - not everyone is a morning person, or a night person, or a 2pm on a Tuesday person!0
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janejellyroll wrote: »The best time is the one that helps you exercise consistently.
This is exactly what I was going to say. Whatever time is a time that you know you will go, that’s the best time for you to go. I personally go in the mornings. I can’t work out if I’ve eaten, the gym isn’t packed that early, I’ve always been an early riser anyway, and I can’t get tired or come up with some other excuse, or have something unexpected pop up during the day. Also, working out puts me in an excellent mood, which tends to carry through the day. And I’m an old soul and get really upset if I’m not in bed by 9:30, sleep by 10 lol. But just like I have my reasons for the morning, you have your reasons for the evening. It really is a matter of personal preference 2 -
I personally prefer exercising at night because I get exhausted for the whole day if I exercise in the morning.
I feel the exact same way. I did manage to force myself up at 330am this morning to go work out, and now I already feel tired and my day has just started. I also felt like I was so tired when I got there that I didn't work as hard as I normally do. I think I'm going to stick to my normal evening routine. Seems to be working for me0 -
YepItsKriss wrote: »Whenever you want.
However a 1300 calorie day with a 800 calorie workout is leaving you with a net calorie total of 500 calories, if you aren't eating your calories back you stand the potential of doing yourself no favors, you will lose weight but you will be sick once you're skinny.
And that was another issue I was running into with working out at night. I go home cook dinner for my kids and I then I head to the gym. I generally on a normal workout will burn anywhere between 500-800 calories, so I need to make sure I adjust how much I'm eating where I'm still getting the 1300 calories. I don't a ton at work because well it's work and I'm busy so a majority of my calories seems to come at dinner time, so then I go to the gym and am burning it right back off. I have to find a way to adjust what I'm doing.0 -
I agree with what others are saying. Go when is best for you. Some will argue benefits to either time. But really, whatever works for you is best. Sometimes going in the morning is good for me, because I'm more mindful of what I do all day having started the day well, but at the same time, a little more sleep is often more important to me if I have the time to go that night.
As long as exercising at night doesn't create any sleep issues for you, stick with what works!1 -
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Exercise at a time when you can keep doing it consistently...for me that's first thing but its only because the rest of my day is busy and if I didn't do it then, I probably wouldn't. What I love about morning workouts its that I am invigorated/energised for the day ahead.0
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I like morning...weather is generally nicer, roads are less crowded, and there's a much lower chance that life will interrupt my schedule.0
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I used to always train in the mornings. I was able to get it in 1) before anything got in the way the rest of the day; 2) before I got tired from work; and 3) when the gym was less crowded, so it was easier to get on the equipment.
It also allowed me to shower before going to work. However, I've since changed gyms to one nearer work, but without a shower. So I train after work - except on the weekends.0 -
It all depends on your own preference. I usually wake up at around 9 am and then head to the gym between 10 am-11 am, but sometimes I workout after college which is around 4 pm or so when it's a full day of college, half days it's around 12 pm. Basically, for me, it's when my schedule lets me workout.0
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I think whatever works for you is what is best!!
I personally like going first thing in the morning. I don't like eating before working out. I drop the kids at school and hit the gym before work. I'm always exhausted at the end of the day and would constantly talk myself out of going to the gym. My husband on the other hand, hates waking up earlier than he needs to and has more energy at night, so he works out late in the evening. Both of us found what works and are losing weight!0 -
I've had long periods where I worked out mostly in the evening, and others where I've mostly worked out in the morning. For short periods, I've even worked out in the middle of the day. Other than personal preference and convenience, i saw no difference in results.
Footnote:
Several times, for a few days to a week, I've worked out for several hours every day, spread across the part of the day where I wasn't either eating or sleeping (at rowing camp for grown-ups). That definitely has the potential to improve weight loss, but (1) that schedule's not very compatible on the reg with working for a living; (2) you really, really gotta fuel that s***, or you'll die; (3) it makes me ravenous (see point #2); (4) rowing camp always has very good food, usually including unlimited quantities of breakfast potatoes (I love breakfast potatoes). Result: I usually maintain weight at camp, despite workout calories in the low thousands.
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