exercising at night...

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kdbell
kdbell Posts: 37
in Health and Weight Loss
Does exercising at night make a difference? i usually workout during the day around 3-5 but sometimes after studying and work all i have is 8 or 9 or even 10 o'clock does that make a difference in my results?
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Replies

  • jetSpeed28
    jetSpeed28 Posts: 34
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    good question... i don't go to the gym till 9.30 PM and by the time i leave the gym it will be almost 12 AM...looking forward to an answer :)
  • getphysicallyfit
    getphysicallyfit Posts: 27
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    As a whole it's not a good idea to work out close to your bed time. You have to think about what your doing to your body when you workout. The stressors and cortisol increase depending on your workout.

    Also, you need to nourish your body after a workout and general rule of thumb is no eating 2 hours before bed time (usual time we give for the stomach to digest and empty out so to speak). If your working out late in the evening that tosses a monkey wrench in things and can also cause sleep pattern issues.

    When you wake you should eat within the first hour of waking (another topic all together) and feel the need to eat. Your "Breaking the Fast"(having not eaten in the last 6.5 to 8 hours) which requires "breakfast".

    If you're not hungry when you wake up then you should reevaluate what you did the day before because you might have had an excess in your caloric intake.

    Either early in the morning or at the times you listed are feasible times to work out.

    Get Physically Fit
    "Live Long & Healthy"
  • getphysicallyfit
    getphysicallyfit Posts: 27
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    Jet i'm curious as to what type of routine your doing for almost 2 hours.. If you streamline your work out you will notice amazing things...:smile:
  • wannbAhottie
    wannbAhottie Posts: 63 Member
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    Okay... can you clue me in on "streamlining" your work out?
  • getphysicallyfit
    getphysicallyfit Posts: 27
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    Hey WannbAHottie

    Depending on your goal and for the sake of time you are able to get in under 30min a work out that would make you feel ike you just did half a marathon. From working in a Gym environment to having my own work out studio and from personal training of myself and clients i can gurantee you if your working out more then an hour your not utilizing the best way to deal with your time.

    You can view some of the ranges of motion in my Part 1 - Part 6 of Mario's 30 Minutes in the P.I.T.
    This client comes to me minimum of three times a week for a 30 minute routine that can go from calesthinics, to resistance training to all static holds. http://www.youtube.com/user/GetPhysicallyFit
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    The best time to work out is whenever it works for you and your lifestyle. There are no hard, fast rules. There is no significant difference in weight loss based on the time that you work out.

    There's also no problem with having a snack before going to bed. Again, no data to support that it, in any way, will cause you to gain weight or to slow your weight loss progress.

    At the most basic level, this is a numbers game. Calories out must exceed calories in. Contributing factors are quality of food, thequality of your workouts, and your personal genetics but when/where how you manage this is irrelevent.
  • getphysicallyfit
    getphysicallyfit Posts: 27
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    I must disagree with Tess on this fact. Their exist many studies on this fact as well as to working out to late before going to bed. We humans are not nocturnal in nature. The chemicals our body makes is in direct relation to our environment and strrssors we put on it.
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    I must disagree with Tess on this fact. Their exist many studies on this fact as well as to working out to late before going to bed. We humans are not nocturnal in nature. The chemicals are body makes is in direct relation to our environment.

    No problem. I don't pretend to be an expert but I have done a SIGNIFICANT amount of research and experimentaion. Respectfully, You'll have to cite your source. For all the "studies" out there, there are an equal number stating the opposite or stating that the actual results of these studies are minimal. Most of these "studies" don't really qualify as statistically significant. I personally beleive in a common sense approach.......

    If you have to chose between not working out at all or working out at night. Then do so at night. In the end, whatever might be "optimal" is meaningless if it doesn't work in your life. My personal trainer is very good about explaining optimal approaches but he is also great about helping to adapt a program that will work with an individual;s lifestyle.


    And rather we are nocturnal or not, many people work nights. The human body will adapt. In fact, that's the bottom line. The human body is extraordinarily adaptable.

    I still maintain: DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    I agree with Tess. Most of us are not trying to be professional or world class athletes here, if I ever decide to be I'll look you up G.

    We're trying to get to our goal weight while dealing with career (in my case an office job), families, etc. If that means excersising in the middle of the night...so be it.
  • elizamary77
    elizamary77 Posts: 76 Member
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    Also, you need to nourish your body after a workout and general rule of thumb is no eating 2 hours before bed time (usual time we give for the stomach to digest and empty out so to speak). If your working out late in the evening that tosses a monkey wrench in things and can also cause sleep pattern issues.

    When you wake you should eat within the first hour of waking (another topic all together) and feel the need to eat. Your "Breaking the Fast"(having not eaten in the last 6.5 to 8 hours) which requires "breakfast".

    Get Physically Fit
    "Live Long & Healthy"
    These two contradict each other, and I'm wondering where you;re getting this information, not saying its not correct information because I'm no expert, but if you don’t eat 2 hours before you go to bed then it would be 8.5-10 hours, that’s a long time without eating and a long time to go without food. Based on what your saying about "Breaking the Fast".

    I do agree that the less time between when you eat the better your body works to burn it off, especially if you are trying to lose weight and are keeping calories low.

    As far as working out ur results will be the same no matter what time you work out. Have you heard the saying "The best time to work out is when it works out for you" (or something like that). I don’t always work out at the same time sometimes in the morning around 6 b4 work sometimes just after bout 5pm and a couple times a week around 8-9. I will say that it do go to bed an hour later then normal but I have had great results no matter what time I fit in my workout.

    Let me ask you this, if you don’t work out at that time would you work out at all that day? So what’s gonna get you a better workout, 9pm workout or no workout.

    You have to learn to fit exercise in when you can, life has only gotten busier for me now I work full time and have two kids. Their young and take a lot of my time (as they should) so if you learn to fit in your fitness when you can now, it’ll be easier to maintain in the future
  • getphysicallyfit
    getphysicallyfit Posts: 27
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    Hey Tess

    If I was counseling a client on the option of working out late or not working out late at all. In my professional opinion i would suggest them not work out at all. This is based on 2 hours or less before bed time.

    Let me clarify. Not working out in a stressful manner that would raise thier cortisol. That is the real issue. If you know anything about cortisol it is one of the big issues with weight gain in women, sleep issues and and increase in stress.

    I will site this equation for you 50% of weight mangement is through dietary eating habits, 30% is through proper supplementation to fill in the gaps and 20% is through exercise.

    So her doing say a P.M. yoga or a pilates tai chi, would be persmissable because of the back breathing involved, increased oxygen uptake etc etc. But a gym type work out goes against the grain.

    This isn't my "opinion" this is based on over 19 years of training others and dealing with others in the wellness industry such as dieticians, nutritionist, sports athletes from collegiate to Olympic, and professional figure competitors and body builders.

    If you would like more on the logic behind I will glady side bar an approach that covers the "why I shouldn't work out late at night"
  • getphysicallyfit
    getphysicallyfit Posts: 27
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    Well elizamary77 I see where you coming from.

    Your metabolic rate drops when you're sleeping. You're not burning nearly as many calories as you do during your waking hours. Sort of like a bear hibernating in the winter. :smile:

    As far as working out goes. You don't need to work out for hours and daily to get results. This is a major misconception that continues on in the industry and keeps you going back to the gym.

    To many people waste time training ineffectively and spend hours and days in the gym and are wondering "why" they aren't getting results.

    For example, if you practice High Intensity training the better you get at it you spend less time doing it.

    Look up the practices and principalsDr. L Dardin and his predecessor Arthur Jones who wrote the book on H.I.T. training.

    If you train the right way you will require a lot of recovery time that comes through rest.

    Most trainers won't tell you this because they want to keep you as a client as long as they can. My intent is to counsel, matriculate and graduate as many people to be self sufficient and proficient in the right ways to train themselves.

    I don't know it all or nearly close to knowing it all but i do take each client on a case by case and sort them out. I've had a lot of the hardcases thats what i get the most of because i love solving the riddles of how to get someone healthy.

    The issue is a lot of people learn how to train from watching the bad habits of others or a video and following the latest diet fade.

    If you want your car fixed fast hire a mechanic. Want to be a Marine Go to boot camp, want your kidney removed see a surgeon.
    Tooth pulled orthopedic dentist, hair done cosmetologist.


    You want to get in shape and lose weight, get a good personal trainer who works with or dietician or has a background in wellness coaching. They will train you the right way to train yourself moving forward by correcting your habits.
  • sniffles
    sniffles Posts: 295
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    Unfortunately with my lifestyle I have no choice but to workout in the evening. I have tried working out in the morning but this made me very VERY sick. ): Several weeks back I posted to MFP asking some opinions and one of the things people stressed was that I needed to start eating before I worked out... they were right, but I couldn't eat before a workout if I worked out in the morning. SO I switched my workouts to the evening.

    I run for 30 minutes with my heart rate between 60-80% max. I run as hard as I can. I'm in bed and fast asleep within an hour of my run. I normally have a small snack (protein rich) after my run. This method has worked wonders for my health and I have been able to improve my running quite a bit, not only that but I have been feeling much more energized! Before I started evening workouts I was tired all the time but now I feel much better. As far as I can tell it has NOT negatively affected my sleep patterns.

    Mind you I always get very tired after working out so it's been easier for me to get to sleep now!

    Anyway, I know I'm probably an exception but I just wanted to throw out there that working out in the evening can't be all THAT bad. I'm doing okay with it and am still dropping 1lb every other week. :) Sometimes more!
  • slhamblin
    slhamblin Posts: 2
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    I always work out in the evening, sometimes directly after work (before supper) and sometimes later in the evening (8 or 9 ish). I am not one for early morning workouts, and have done this for years. And I sleep like a baby afterwards. For me, the purpose of excercising is not only maintaing a healthy body but a healthy mind, so I believe it is important to do what is best for you as an individual.
  • lessertess
    lessertess Posts: 855 Member
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    Hey Tess

    If I was counseling a client on the option of working out late or not working out late at all. In my professional opinion i would suggest them not work out at all. This is based on 2 hours or less before bed time.

    Let me clarify. Not working out in a stressful manner that would raise thier cortisol. That is the real issue. If you know anything about cortisol it is one of the big issues with weight gain in women, sleep issues and and increase in stress.

    I will site this equation for you 50% of weight mangement is through dietary eating habits, 30% is through proper supplementation to fill in the gaps and 20% is through exercise.

    So her doing say a P.M. yoga or a pilates tai chi, would be persmissable because of the back breathing involved, increased oxygen uptake etc etc. But a gym type work out goes against the grain.

    This isn't my "opinion" this is based on over 19 years of training others and dealing with others in the wellness industry such as dieticians, nutritionist, sports athletes from collegiate to Olympic, and professional figure competitors and body builders.

    If you would like more on the logic behind I will glady side bar an approach that covers the "why I shouldn't work out late at night"

    We'll have to agree to disagree on this one. I find I sleep better right after I work out as I'm more relaxed and I'm tired. I've lost quite a bit of weight working out late and, if I'm hungry, I have something to eat before I go to bed. Hasn't done me any harm. In fact, according to my doctor, it's done me a lot of good: and I know entirely too many people who've done the same. At the same time, over the last few months I've added in morning workouts and it's been a tough adjustment. I"ve never been a morning person. In fact, it would be more accurate to state that I'm a nocturnal person. Admittedly anecdotal evidence but very convincing in my case. Respectfully, I have to disagree on advising a client not to work out at all rather than having them work out late at night. There are far too many benefits to a good cardio workout to advise against it simply because of timing......

    Diff'r'nt strokes
  • imagymrat
    imagymrat Posts: 862 Member
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    I must disagree with Tess on this fact. Their exist many studies on this fact as well as to working out to late before going to bed. We humans are not nocturnal in nature. The chemicals are body makes is in direct relation to our environment.

    No problem. I don't pretend to be an expert but I have done a SIGNIFICANT amount of research and experimentaion. Respectfully, You'll have to cite your source. For all the "studies" out there, there are an equal number stating the opposite or stating that the actual results of these studies are minimal. Most of these "studies" don't really qualify as statistically significant. I personally beleive in a common sense approach.......

    If you have to chose between not working out at all or working out at night. Then do so at night. In the end, whatever might be "optimal" is meaningless if it doesn't work in your life. My personal trainer is very good about explaining optimal approaches but he is also great about helping to adapt a program that will work with an individual;s lifestyle.


    And rather we are nocturnal or not, many people work nights. The human body will adapt. In fact, that's the bottom line. The human body is extraordinarily adaptable.

    I still maintain: DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.





    I totally agree with you, if working at night means that you are going to stick with it, and you will do it, then that's exactly the path you need to take. Finding the time to exercise now a days is a limited for most of us, and A workout is better then NO workout. IAnd you are so right about there being a study to back up anything you want to push as the truth. That being said, the only negative thing that I find with working out in the evening, is just make sure that you do have enough down time before hitting the sack because for some people it can keep them awake. For me it's the total opposite, it puts me to sleep. I think people appreciate the advice of people like getphysicallyfit (I think you have some terrific tips) the problem comes in when you start dictating views as the best ones and forget that most people on this website aren't clients. They may be brand new and working out period is a huge step for them, gotta think outside the box, the rules don't always apply to everyone equally.
  • jessicajoy87
    jessicajoy87 Posts: 905
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    I'll put it simple! Any exercise is better than none at all. :happy:
  • cleo77
    cleo77 Posts: 93 Member
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    I exercise at all hours because I work shift work. if i am working the night shift, then I workout at night. if I am working an evening shift then I work out in the morning. People have the balance their life in a way that makes sense. Rules cannot guide everyone's lives; therefore, we have to do what makes sense for us.
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
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    We need exercise for our health. Exercising late at night may not be as ideal as another time but it is certainly preferable to doing nothing at all.

    On the eating before bed myth - your weight is not affected by what time of the day you eat, it's a simple calories in vs calories out equation. If you eat and then go to bed sure, you don't burn as much in bed but you still burned the same amount earlier in the day as you would have had you eaten 3 hours before bed. Some people do find success in not eating after a certain time but this has been shown to be due to the fact that it cuts out evening snacking on junk food, rather than the actual time of food consumption.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    I've always felt more comfortable working out at night and I just follow simple rules when I do this:

    - Workout IMMEDIATELY (or as soon as possible) after work
    - Have a snack about 45 minutes before so I have energy
    - Eat as soon as I can after the work out (I usually throw a protein and veggie in the oven to bake for 20 mins, that way I can shower, get lotioned up and it'll be done as soon as I am, no waiting)
    - Don't eat anything else
    - Go to bed at LEAST 2 hours later - if it's late, I suck it up and go to bed later as I don't want to screw up my routine and create bad habits
    - No carbs for dinner unless the dinner is earlier (say, weekends when it's 6 or 7) and I'll be in bed a lot later (weekends are usually 12 or later for bedtime :tongue:)

    I've lost 19 lbs so far and any time I've worked out & lost weight in the past, working out at night has worked for me. You just have to find your balance. :happy:

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