Morning or Evening exercise - what is better?

Briannah

So its my first day of exercising in the mornings again. I struggle to get up usually but as I had a migrane last night, went to bed around 9.30pm and woke up at 6am, a full nights sleep,so was feeling great...

I heard optimum time to exercise is between 5-8pm as your body is most heated and can use most muscle power with minimal injury, however morning exercise on an empty stomach helps kick start the metabolism for the day.

I just wanted to get a general idea of what you guys think, morning or evening exercise and the reasons why?

tltincher

I'm interested in this too. I usually exercise in the evening but would LOVE to get up and do it first thing in the morning. However, I HATE getting up! Only one way to do it though...and that is to just do it!

luv2ash

I am told that its best earlier in the day---because it keeps your energy revved all day, but I just have more fun doing it at night time personally.

nukehiker

Right now I typically exercise in the morning say around 8 am or so. gets my day going and I can get the wife and the kids out the door before I head to the gym. but as my upcoming spring work schedule is about to begin i'm sure my times will change, but i think the best thing is to pick a time that works with your schedule the best. be consistant and try to work out at close to the same time as possible every workout.



best of luck

James

FitPhysique

Morning- I have more energy and it makes me feel great the rest of the day.

MissKMN

The best time to exercise is the time you actually do it! There have been a ton of studies on the benefits of specific times to work out and the difference is so minimal, it makes it almost irrelevant. That being said, choose the time that works best for you. If you're a morning person, need something to get you pumped for the day, or want to get it over with, do it in the mornings. If the thought of getting out of bed makes you want to scratch your eyes out and makes you associate exercise with a negative experience, by all means, do it later in the day.

meggonkgonk

Any time you will actually exercise.

girlruns

Whenever you will do it! I'm sure there are pros and cons for each, but if you are more likely to do it at a certain time of day, do it then! I get up at 5 each morning to do my workout. If I don't I usually feel too tired or have a gazillion excuses not to do it after work. Do I wish I could sleep in more? Sure, but once I've done it, I feel great and then it is done for the day. However, if you try it in the morning because you think it will be "better" for you, and you just end up skipping it...see my point? Good luck!

ChristieDF

Usually I just do it at night for the simple fact that I get up about 4:30a.m and have to be at work by 6. And it helps me sleep good at night.

a2canadian

It's easiest to keep on track if you exercise in the morning (less time to make excuses!). If I get a good 1hour swim, run, or bike in before 11am I feel golden for the rest of the day, go to sleep earlier, rinse and repeat. If you do work out at night, think about finishing your routine with some restoration yoga or meditation as it will help bring your body down from the high and you will sleep better.

CCSunlight

I love exercising at night. I wear out my body, go home and shower, and then go straight to bed!

♥Violette♥4Ever♥

I was exercising in the morning but getting up at 3AM to be at the gym by 4 so I could be at work by 8 got old.....and it got old FAST. LOL! Trouble is, working out at night has caused me to go to be around 1AM. There just does not seem to be a happy medium *sigh*

NicolCook

I prefer doing it first thing in the morning for multiple reasons. However, they say the body doesn't work as well if you are exercising on an empty stomach so I try to eat something really small (usually 90-100calorie bar) to get my body something to start burning.
Working out in the morning helps to wake me up, gets my body going, helps me make wiser food choices during the day (don't want the workout to be in vain), and helps me avoid missing a workout due to the excuses that a busy evening can bring. There is always something that comes up.....dinner date, your favorite show......something!
I have also found, for me, that it is harder to sleep at night when I have done a workout because the juices in my body are still flowing and I can't fall asleep as easily.

Don't know if this is any help, it has seemed to be working for me Best of luck!

paniolo5

I totally agree with Meggonkgonk - whenever you will actually exercise is best for you. You have to figure out what works for you. I personally wish I could get up and work out in the morning, but 98% of the time I'm not going to do it. So I've just decided that after dinner works for me. I usually work out 5-6 days a week but if I miss a day once in awhile, I don't beat myself up. It doesn't interrupt my sleep - and I go to bed within an hour after working out. I think I sleep better!

CaptainGordo

My experience...

Used to work out at night, after the wife and kid were in bed. Burned calories, but was sluggish the next day after losing sleep. Had more cravings to eat junk, as a result.

During the last month, I've been going in the mornings, and working out half the time I was in the evenings. Result? More energy all day, less temptation to eat junk, and 22 pounds gone in less than a month.

Is it all in my head, or is it biology? I don't know, but it's working for me.

sandram82

Well.. for me.. I found I do a workout when I can.. I use to exercise in the afternoon.. to get out of the afternoon slump I was in.. but mostly I am a single stay at home mom with an 18mth old son.. and this was when he would nap.. but than his naps starting changing and he didnt sleep as long, therefore I had to change, so I thought lets get up at 530 am and workout before he was out of bed... this worked a few days than this morning he woke up at 5am.. and we ended up sleeping on the couch till 630.. and no workout for me.. so now I have to change to night time.. cause he always goes to bed at 9 930pm, therefore this should work.. I hope it does!!! So my point in all this.. go with what works for u.. I get up in the morning and I am energized with or without a workout.. and I have no other options but do it at night! I say as long as I get a workout in somewhere its better than none!

cheshirequeen

I do my exercising in the morning. Just to get it over with if I get tired later. If I still feel like it I do some exercising at night. When I get up I go straight to breakfast, eat and then work out. That's what works for me. Then I have a big bottle of water next to me while I work out. That way I get my exercise and water intake finished before 9am. Good luck.

jimmydeanbakker

I'm a two-a-day kind of guy, but I generally prefer exercising in the morning before I've stuffed myself with a bunch of goodies. I do a lot of stuff better on an empty stomach for some reason.

audjrey

Every person's body responds differently to exercise and to the time it is exercised, regardless of scientific data. Ironically, even the same body responds differently at various stages in life. For example, when I was in my late teens I used to exercise between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. simply because I couldn't sleep and had an overwhelming surge of energy (hormones I think lol!). Twenty-five years later finds me exercising whenever I feel I have the most energy. Why bother trying to exercise when you're tired if you're not going to give it everything you've got? Because I live a busy life, the time of day I exercise heavily considers my day-to-day schedule. I fit exercise into my life instead of trying to find time for it. That way I never miss a day, except rest day.

As an aside - I almost never exercise on an empty or full stomach. An empty stomach produces too much acid and aggravates my gastritis while exercising on a full stomach simply makes me sick.

bellanean

Dr. Oz says the best time to excercise is 6:35am


Dr Oz said that the best time to exercise during the day is 6:35 am. So, you wake up, go to the bathroom, weigh yourself, and workout right away. Why? Dr Oz said that when you exercise in the morning, you burn calories from a different part of your body. When you get up in the morning and exercise right away, you are burning fat calories from your waist, but if you have breakfast first then you have to burn through what you ate before burning through your fat stores.

jenbusick

Put me in the "whenever you'll actually do it" crowd. I work out from around 9:30-11 pm or so, after my kids are in bed, because that's what time is available to me. I like it, because if I have a bad day with the food, I can put in extra, but if I have a good day, I can just do a little and then get some extra sleep.

Also, "I Am Not A Morning Person" doesn't even BEGIN to describe me...

jimmydeanbakker

Dr. Oz says the best time to excercise is 6:35am


Dr Oz said that the best time to exercise during the day is 6:35 am. So, you wake up, go to the bathroom, weigh yourself, and workout right away. Why? Dr Oz said that when you exercise in the morning, you burn calories from a different part of your body. When you get up in the morning and exercise right away, you are burning fat calories from your waist, but if you have breakfast first then you have to burn through what you ate before burning through your fat stores.

It's true too. Well, it's true for me. I've always tried to get my early morning run in since I was a teenager.

maffydavison

So its my first day of exercising in the mornings again. I struggle to get up usually but as I had a migrane last night, went to bed around 9.30pm and woke up at 6am, a full nights sleep,so was feeling great...

I heard optimum time to exercise is between 5-8pm as your body is most heated and can use most muscle power with minimal injury, however morning exercise on an empty stomach helps kick start the metabolism for the day.

I just wanted to get a general idea of what you guys think, morning or evening exercise and the reasons why?

My trainer said that it is different for each person. Some people with whom he works can't get their heart rate up as quickly in the morning, so they work with him in the evening. I'm one of those. However, he has a whole set of people who are at their best and able to really hit it in the morning, so he works with them early in the day. There was a study done that was surprising because it has been considered common knowlege that morning is better, and the study found that two women (running partners) had different rhythms and one trained better (i.e., did better in her races) when she switched her running time to the evening, while the other did better when she trained in the morning. I'll see if I can find the link to that study. I should have it in an email from my trainer.

Maffy

pammbroo

I'm at the gym by 5am most mornings during the week (a little later on the weekends). I'm amazed at how much better I feel both mentally and physically on those days compared to days that I'm a slug and sleep in. Been adding some night classes (zumba, yoga) some evenings, but they almost feel like a bonus. It also helps me in planning calories for the day.

haolegurl07

I was watching Dr. Oz the other day... And he said even if you could start your day out with a 15 minute workout in the morning that it would do wonders for you. It helps start your metabolism and gives you the energy you need.

With that being sad, I'm too tired to wake up in the morning, so we work out at night... But I also work out randomly throughout the day, because I am a stay at home wife...

But our goal is to do at least 15-20 minutes in the morning and then 1 hour in the evening!

chazspk

The best time to exercise is the time you actually do it! There have been a ton of studies on the benefits of specific times to work out and the difference is so minimal, it makes it almost irrelevant. That being said, choose the time that works best for you. If you're a morning person, need something to get you pumped for the day, or want to get it over with, do it in the mornings. If the thought of getting out of bed makes you want to scratch your eyes out and makes you associate exercise with a negative experience, by all means, do it later in the day.

BOOM BOOM .. Well said..Best time is the time u actually do it,,

Azdak

I was watching Dr. Oz the other day... And he said even if you could start your day out with a 15 minute workout in the morning that it would do wonders for you. It helps start your metabolism and gives you the energy you need.

With that being sad, I'm too tired to wake up in the morning, so we work out at night... But I also work out randomly throughout the day, because I am a stay at home wife...

But our goal is to do at least 15-20 minutes in the morning and then 1 hour in the evening!

To put it politely, Dr Oz is full of what, back in the old country, we used to call " The Crap".