When is best time to exercise, morning or afternoon?

KinuelA

Hi

I am new to MFP and I think I am gonna love it here!!

Somebody please shed the light and tell me when is the best time to exercise for ultimate weight loss, morning or afternoon, before or after meals (light meals).

kellehbeans

Whenever you can make time! I would love to eat in the morning - this would give me chance to eat back my exercise calories. However, I am at work and cannot make the time! So I exercise at night, and it seems to work well for me. As long as you get some exercise, I don't see why it should matter!

Emmabulliemum

It all depends on you really I find early mornings work but some people are not morning people. Try both then see what works for you. some days I cannot face getting up at 6am to go to the gym others I'm up and raring to go.
Good luck with finding your way and feel free to send me an friend request x

Achrya

Whenever you make yourself do it.

Gallowmere1984

It's an individual thing, and can even vary between exercises. Sounds weird, I know. As an example though, my deadlifts tend to be really strong in the mornings, whereas my squats suck complete *kitten* if I try to hit them before lunchtime or so.

twinkiemon

I think it's really personal preference - I like doing it first thing in the morning because it helps wake me up, energize me, plus it gets the exercise out of the way and I know if I wait until after work I won't feel like doing it.

But really, I think whenever you can exercise, it's not a bad thing.

Lupercalia

Whatever time works for you is fine. The time of day doesn't have anything to do with calories burned or any of that nonsense. Just pick a time you like and do it, and keep doing it.

I personally like mornings and early afternoons, but have had to squeeze in workouts later on several occasions. It was ok, just more difficult for me as I don't typically have high energy levels as the day wears on into evening. I'm in eat/relax/sleep mode after about 5pm, so I find working out later to be challenging. Other people prefer to work out in the evenings.

SJLS2013

I think it's just preference. If you have the time, try mornings and evenings and see which work best for you. It may take a couple of weeks to work things out.

My boyfriend isn't a morning person but goes to the gym first thing. He says he prefers it because he's too asleep to notice the workout.

I prefer to workout in the evenings, then if I have had a bad diet day, I can work a bit harder to make up for it and if I'm knackered afterwards I don't have to face a day of work!

So just find what works best for you and try and get in a routine.

KinuelA

Ok thanks to all ur feedback. How about eating before or after exercise which is effective? One day I exercised before eating and I ended up being sooo hungry and craving carbs but when I eat before I get lazy.

kellehbeans

Ok thanks to all ur feedback. How about eating before or after exercise which is effective? One day I exercised before eating and I ended up being sooo hungry and craving carbs but when I eat before I get lazy.

Again, you will have to experiment with this. I can literally eat 5 minutes before I exercise and feel fine. But a lot of people cannot do it - resulting in stitches, feeling heavy and just generally feeling sick. A lot of people recommend eating at least between half an hour to 2-3 hours. You just need to find out for your own particular body.

Some people prefer to eat afterwards. I definitely do not because I do not get an effective work out if I am hungry!

prium01

You can exercise any time you want.I break it up to twice a day, morning and evening.This works for me.You have to see what works for you.You can burn 20% more fat if you exercise empty stomach in the morning, but it depends on you.Exercising any time is beneficial for health, you don't have to disturb your sleep cycle.

Cr01502

It's an individual thing, and can even vary between exercises. Sounds weird, I know. As an example though, my deadlifts tend to be really strong in the mornings, whereas my squats suck complete *kitten* if I try to hit them before lunchtime or so.

Exactly

1) When you have time

2) When you have the most energy throughout your day.

Tatyanakuster

My trainer recommended not eating right before to give the digestive fluids time to settle down especially if you are doing intense cardio and as far as after the workout she recommended a protein within 45 mins of finishing the workout to fuel the muscles. It could be a shake, a bar, an apple with peanut butter whatever you enjoy. Me personally I push the protein on heavy lift days because I'm usually ravenous!! Hope this helps

Capt_Apollo

I prefer to workout in the morning but I will in the afternoon if I have to

curvycarrie

Anytime is a good time. Whatever works into your schedule. For me personally, I do it first thing in the morning (5:30 AM), I get it done before i go to work, because I know that if i wait until i get home in the evening there is a possibility that I may not do it. I also feel great when my workout is done, and its a good jump start to my day. The feeling after a work out for me is better then any kind of a rush i used to get from a binge of junk food lol. Whoever though I would say that..?? lol...its amazing how eating healthy and exercise can make you feel so AWESOME!!

kimmianne89

Anytime is good! I tend to workout at night after work, though I get better results when I workout during the day only due to the fact I have more energy as I haven't been to work

tndejong

i prefer to exercise early in the morning. if i do that, i usually eat after. i like coffee in the morning and not usually hungry. but because of my work schedule, it is not always possible. so i will eat a protein bar and go to the gym after work when i can. i have a funny habit of not feeling hungry on my way to the gym. but once i get on a machine, i feel like im starving. and when im at work, i try to drink a bottle or two of water in the afternoons before i leave.

i do agree that if i exercise early, i feel like its a job and i get it out of the way to start my day. it gives me energy to do other things and if i decide to eat out or poorly that day, i have the extra calories banked for those meals. me and my fiance typically eat out over the weekends. and if i dont and eat good, its just a bonus.

jessalice66

IN THE MORNING! gets everything working for the rest of the day and gets it over with!

geebusuk

Whenever you like to workout.

There may be some slight benefits for fat loss before eating, but nowhere near the benefit of exercising when you want to exercise so you make the best effort etc.

johcarter

In the morning exercise gets your metabolism going, and so does drinking plenty of water early. For weight loss, i personally think this is better than after work, particularly if you have a sedentary job.

SunKissed1989

Depends how I feel. I like morning workouts because it gives me the rest of the day to get other things done and such.

Not a big fan of afternoon workouts but I like working out at night (between 6 and 9pm).

Also depends on what my work/uni timetable is like

Kerry_R

I prefer to exercise in the mornings as I feel ready for the rest of the day however I fit it in whenever I can... sometimes I'm up at 5am for a swim and other times I have to wait til after work.

Heitor71

I prefer to work out in the morning, very early. But, it is up to you

Muddy_Yogi

When ever you can get it in...that includes but is not limited to the following:

In a public restroom
In a stairwell
In your office cubicle/office
In the middle of the street
In the middle of a field
In the woods
In the morning
In the mid morning
In the afternoon
In the mid afternoon
In the evening
Late at night
When you're tired
When you're hyper
When you think you can't go anymore!

rachlat

Ideally the best time is in the morning and before you eat. I am a keen cyclist and lose more weight in the summer because I ride early morning and eat after I get back. I find that my weight loss is about 3 times faster. The same if I walk the dog in the winter before breakfast. It kick starts the metabloism and starts the fat burning process ao as we eat we continue to burn fat rather than store it.
In the winter as I excercise less, the weight loss slows. I hope this helps you )

exile40

I'd say for men its probably in the morning as our natural testosterone levels are higher.

fly4acareer

This is usually a general topic in fitness magazines and I've heard both but the bottom line is anytime is better than no time so pick a schedule that works for you and work out :-) I rotate 3 shifts so some days I work out mornings and sometimes evening but as long as I get in a workout I feel amazing afterwards no matter the time of day. Sometimes when I know I can't make it to the gym I walk on my fifteen minute breaks at work...every little bit counts so just get your body moving, have fun, eat right, and watch the pounds slip away.....haha now only if I can listen to my words on the eat right part...easier said then done for me :-P but we can do it!!!!

alexisu

Myself, if I don't workout in the morning I will find every excuse in the book to not workout at all. Whatever time you find works for you, I have heard that the best time to workout is the same time every day.

PhearlessPhreaks

I really think it depends on what works best for you. Personally, I find I prefer working out in the afternoon, although the daycare at my gym breaks from 1pm-4pm, so I usually go in the early evening. I'd love to go in the morning, but even when my toddler's sleep schedule allows for it, I just don't have the same energy. I find when I go in the morning that I don't have as much gusto or stamina as I do in the afternoon or evening, and I feel like that has an impact on the kind of workout I get.

Bottom line- do what works best for your mind/body and schedule!

dixiewhiskey

Best time? Whatever works for you!