Does time matter?

sincereme

Does it really matter what time you workout? I was planning to go to the gym at 8p because during the day I am super busy. I work 8 hrs a day, go home to cook and take care of the kids. This is the only time I could go to the gym without feeling rushed. I was doing it during lunch but it just wasn't satisfying me. I felt rushed since I still had to shower and drive back to work.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

skobuchi

This is an article that I found on gymandfitness.com.au and it seems pretty reasonable...

Does Workout Time Matter?
27/11/06 12:39 PM
Does it really matter if you workout in the morning, afternoon, or evening? The answer is that it does matter. After reading this please don't go to your employer and tell them that you quit, because you need to workout at a different time. So when is the perfect time to workout? Truthfully the best time to workout is different for each person. The best time to workout is when you are most awake. If you wake up at 5am you probably wont be wide awake when 10pm comes around at night. During your workout you want to be active, energetic, and focused. Do you have problems sleeping a little after working out? If yes, it is best to workout in the morning or during the day so that when the night rolls around you are able to get the right amount of sleep for muscle growth.

There is no certain time when people are suggested to workout, but I feel that during the middle of the day is the best time to work out. It is obviously tough for some people to exercise in the middle of the day due to many factors including work, sleep, and nutrition. Lifting should be based on your own personal schedule. To make your workouts worthwhile you must be full of energy. In order to have this energy you must be on proper sleep, have food in your system and be wide-awake. Having enough energy means that you will not fatigue. It does not pay to do hard manual labor for 10 hours a day and then go to the gym and workout when you can barely walk the way it is.

The perfect time to workout is a pretty wide range. The first six hours after waking up is usually not a great time to workout because proper nutrition and energy will not be through your body by that time. Anything after twelve hours of waking up is also not a great time to workout because our bodies are at that time starting to fatigue and get ready for sleep. After figuring it out, we should workout anywhere between six and twelve hours of waking up. For example if a person went to bed at eleven and woke up at seven, they would be best suited to workout between one and seven in the afternoon. Therefore it gives you a wide variety of time to exercise. Usually people don't find it hard to train within those hours.

After reading this, don't think that you HAVE to train during those hours to get positive effects. Working out at any time of the day is better than not working out at all. To get the most benefits from working out, it is suggested to workout during those hours. I hope you have learned from me and try to take what I have told you today into consideration the next time you go to workout!

AshlySouthard

I'm definitely no expert, but I doubt there's a "perfect time" to get your exercise. I also try to get to the gym in the morning after my oldest goes to school. However, my son has been sick for the past week, so I've had to wait until the hubby is home, homework is finished, dinner is cooked & all of that fun stuff is finished before I go to the gym. (Which is usually when the kids are fast asleep)

AshlySouthard

The theory behind that makes perfect sense. Exercise when you have the most energy to get the most of our your workout!

mamaturner

I'm in a similar situation. I work out at 5:30 about every day.. during the week. Weekends are whenever I'm able to. I think as long as your doing it and eating healthy foods you'll be fine!!

jordan_vakil

I'm in yout boat too. I work til after 6 most days then try to hit the gym.... but out gym closes at 8, so I totally feel rushed too when I am really trying to get a good workout in. Then my problem becaomes when to eat, so I guess I'm gonna start eating at 5"30 while I'm still at work... and when I get home after my workout have a cup of green tea or something so I don't feel deprived.

LittleSpy

ANY time that you can find to work out is a good time. If you have the option to rearrange your schedule and work out at a time you'll have more energy or work out at a time where it will benefit you later (ie, working out in the morning to wake yourself up for the day), then do that. If 8pm is the only time you feel comfortable with right now, then THAT is the best time for YOU.

paddlemom

I"m NOT a morning person and I commute an hour to work each day, so the only time I can work out is in the evening. "Ideal" is great if you are going to the olympics and you are trying to maximize your performance, but for the rest of us "good enough" will probably get us there, at least at the outset. I may have a long way to go, but after over a year of working out evenings, I am fitter, stronger, healthier and losing weight, which is the goal, right? I'm also finding that I sleep better on the days I exercise...just be sure to give yourself some wind down time afterward before you jump into bed.

My biggest challenge is how to fit dinner into the plan....I don't like to eat before my workout and it gets pretty late to start cooking afterward. I used to come home from thy gym starving and ready to eat the entire fridge!!!! So now I try and have my "main" meal at lunch time, with a nice protein and carb snack about an hour before going to the gym. That gives the food all time to digest and give me energy for my workout. Then I eat a yogurt or something quick with carb and protein right after my workout and then I'm satisfied with a lighter dinner when I come home.

Do what works for you and then adjust as you go along and you will see results!

sincereme

Thanks for all the wonderful answers and suggestions. I am totally not a morning person. Plus my mornings are booked solid. I wake up at 6:30a to walk the dog which I do for about 20 minutes. Then run upstairs wake up my youngest, get his breakfast and have him on his bus by 8a. While he is getting ready for school, I get ready for work. Then come upstairs at 8a and wake up my oldest and have his bkfast ready so that we can be out the door by 8:45a. He goes to school and I go to work. I don't really like the lunch hr at the gym because I don't feel like I am accomplishing much in 30 minutes. Which sucks because I want to enjoy my workouts and feel like "Wow I did great today." Then after work I run home and do dinner, etc. Dinner and stuff is usually done by 7p which is not bad because DH helps alot. So I am thinking 8p would be my best time to go. i still have energy as long as I don't sit on the couch to watch tv. I am in bed by 10 or 11p depending how I feel.

So, I guess 8p during the week would work best for me!

sincereme

When I went to the gym after work I came home the same way. Starving and ready to eat anything that was in front of me. Plus dinner wouldn't be ready til 8p. Which I don't like having dinner that late.

8p would work just right for me because the gym is only 2 minutes away. I can come home shower after an hr at the gym and still have a couple of hrs of relaxing and spending time with hubby!

I"m NOT a morning person and I commute an hour to work each day, so the only time I can work out is in the evening. "Ideal" is great if you are going to the olympics and you are trying to maximize your performance, but for the rest of us "good enough" will probably get us there, at least at the outset. I may have a long way to go, but after over a year of working out evenings, I am fitter, stronger, healthier and losing weight, which is the goal, right? I'm also finding that I sleep better on the days I exercise...just be sure to give yourself some wind down time afterward before you jump into bed.

My biggest challenge is how to fit dinner into the plan....I don't like to eat before my workout and it gets pretty late to start cooking afterward. I used to come home from thy gym starving and ready to eat the entire fridge!!!! So now I try and have my "main" meal at lunch time, with a nice protein and carb snack about an hour before going to the gym. That gives the food all time to digest and give me energy for my workout. Then I eat a yogurt or something quick with carb and protein right after my workout and then I'm satisfied with a lighter dinner when I come home.

Do what works for you and then adjust as you go along and you will see results!

sincereme

When I went to the gym after work I came home the same way. Starving and ready to eat anything that was in front of me. Plus dinner wouldn't be ready til 8p. Which I don't like having dinner that late.

8p would work just right for me because the gym is only 2 minutes away. I can come home shower after an hr at the gym and still have a couple of hrs of relaxing and spending time with hubby!

I"m NOT a morning person and I commute an hour to work each day, so the only time I can work out is in the evening. "Ideal" is great if you are going to the olympics and you are trying to maximize your performance, but for the rest of us "good enough" will probably get us there, at least at the outset. I may have a long way to go, but after over a year of working out evenings, I am fitter, stronger, healthier and losing weight, which is the goal, right? I'm also finding that I sleep better on the days I exercise...just be sure to give yourself some wind down time afterward before you jump into bed.

My biggest challenge is how to fit dinner into the plan....I don't like to eat before my workout and it gets pretty late to start cooking afterward. I used to come home from thy gym starving and ready to eat the entire fridge!!!! So now I try and have my "main" meal at lunch time, with a nice protein and carb snack about an hour before going to the gym. That gives the food all time to digest and give me energy for my workout. Then I eat a yogurt or something quick with carb and protein right after my workout and then I'm satisfied with a lighter dinner when I come home.

Do what works for you and then adjust as you go along and you will see results!

jdp21

I agree with the article that was posted earlier.

I personally feel it's better to exercise at a time when you're tired than to not do anything at all, but I definitely believe everyone has their own specific times to work out. I find I have the most energy at around 2 or 3; it's like nothing can stop me on that tredmill. But put me on there in the morning or the evening, and it's more of a struggle than anything else (fortunately, I have my good ol' pals endorphins to back me up sometimes).