Is there a good time and a bad time to work out? Morning vs

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Mollydolly10
Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is there a better time to work out - morning or night? Or does it just depend on the person?

I've been working out every night since I'm not a big morning person. Tried working out early one morning and wasn't feeling energized enough. But now I'm wondering.. am I disadvantaging myself by working out around 2 hours before bed time??

Anyone know?

Thanks!!

Replies

  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
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    I'm not a morning person either, and I do 99% of my exercise between 5-9 pm. I think as long as it works well for you, go with it!
  • bellanean
    bellanean Posts: 220
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    The best time for me is the morning.. because I hate hate hate working out at night. If I dont get it done first thing theres a 90% chance that I wont be working out that day.
  • freemanamy22
    freemanamy22 Posts: 11
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    I work midnights so even though I do my workout in the morning, I still go to bed right after. I agree, I think it's whatever works for the person.
  • DanOhh
    DanOhh Posts: 1,806 Member
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    I wasn't a morning person but I became one. What's great about morning workouts are that your get you exercise done and then you don't have to worry about something interrupting your work out later.
  • msemejuru
    msemejuru Posts: 229
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    I prefer evening workouts. After having my son I worked out in the evenings when my husband got home. After having my daughter I worked out in the morning before he went to work. Each time I lost weight at the same rate of 2lbs a week.

    If it's not convenient you won't do it so do it whenever it works for you. You should be proud of yourself for being motivated to work out at all!
  • maurierose
    maurierose Posts: 574 Member
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    Yep, I think that's the general consensus around here - it doesn't matter WHEN you exercise, JUST DO IT, and get it in EVERY TIME you can!!!! :drinker:

    Great job working out at the time that it works best for you!

    :smile: :flowerforyou:

    Edit: Cool ticker up there, DanOhh! :happy:
  • jheller
    jheller Posts: 194
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    The best time is when you have time. It took my a long time to get used to working out in the morning but I think doing both- switching it up - is good for you - keeps your body guessing. I do find that I don't have as much energy in the morning and feel out of it for a while longer then I do in the evening.
  • TheKitsune6
    TheKitsune6 Posts: 5,798 Member
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    I read a study that said you burn more calories in the evening when the temperature is up. However that same study also stated that people exercising in the morning were 90% more likely to stick to their routine. Then it went on to say that any exercise is better than none and you should just find out what works for you and go with it.

    Though if you really need to get to sleep it's not recommended that you exercise right before bed or you'll be kept awake :)
  • Nikiki
    Nikiki Posts: 993
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    i've **heard** (note: not from any medical sources, just theory & around the forum) that its better to exercise in the morning for a few reasons:
    1) you're working against your body, because your body is not yet "up" you're pushing it harder to workout, which takes more effort, which burns more
    2) you're revving up your metabolism at the beginning of the day which does a few things: your body burns more calories after a workout so if you workout in the beginning of the day anything you eat for the next few hours will be burned off better, and with your metabolism and heart rate already up from your workout, your every day activities should burn more
    3) getting the blood pumping helps wake you up, keeps you more energetic all day and helps you sleep at night. Working out at night wakes you up, keeps you more energetic which would probably make it more difficult to fall asleep.

    with that being said I workout both in the morning and at night, in the morning I go for a 4-6 mile bike ride with my dog and do a 10-15 minute workout video (bike ride 4-5 days a week, video 2-3 times a week) and in the evening I go to the gym for an hour of cardio & weights. I have energy during the day and sleep like a rock at night ;)
  • psayne
    psayne Posts: 10 Member
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    Im a morning person so for me the best time is in the morning.It gives me more energy to keep going afterwards and get my errands and house chores done.I did do it in the evening a few times just made me a bit more tired.So it really depends on your schedule on when you can workout.
  • cakefarm
    cakefarm Posts: 33
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    The best time to work out is when you'll work out.

    I like the mornings because I'm a definite morning person. I'm so much more likely to talk myself out of working out if it's not the first thing I do in the morning.
  • AlexTCasas
    AlexTCasas Posts: 20
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    It does not matter at all. Professional bodybuilders always recommend to do your workouts in the morning, but this is because they try to eat as few as possible (or not eat at all) many hours before you go to sleep. This is because in these cases, your body is fasting while you sleep and you are more efficient at building muscle and burning fat. But, to get to the point that this makes a difference you need to be at a level that is unrealistic for most of us.
  • musclebuilder
    musclebuilder Posts: 324 Member
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    It is just about being consistent and getting it done.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    i've **heard** (note: not from any medical sources, just theory & around the forum) that its better to exercise in the morning for a few reasons:
    1) you're working against your body, because your body is not yet "up" you're pushing it harder to workout, which takes more effort, which burns more
    2) you're revving up your metabolism at the beginning of the day which does a few things: your body burns more calories after a workout so if you workout in the beginning of the day anything you eat for the next few hours will be burned off better, and with your metabolism and heart rate already up from your workout, your every day activities should burn more
    3) getting the blood pumping helps wake you up, keeps you more energetic all day and helps you sleep at night. Working out at night wakes you up, keeps you more energetic which would probably make it more difficult to fall asleep.

    with that being said I workout both in the morning and at night, in the morning I go for a 4-6 mile bike ride with my dog and do a 10-15 minute workout video (bike ride 4-5 days a week, video 2-3 times a week) and in the evening I go to the gym for an hour of cardio & weights. I have energy during the day and sleep like a rock at night ;)

    1. If you are "working against your body" you will just work at a lower intensity, not "burn more".

    2. First of all, exercise doesn't do much "revving of the metabolism" outside of the workout itself. Even if it did, there would be no difference in the "revving" just because one worked out at a different time of day.

    3. Different people respond differently and the same people might respond differently to different types of workouts. You are just as likely to "crash" after a longer or more intense workout as you are to feel "energized".

    A lot of what people "read" about exercise, particularly on this topic where the information is about 99% subjective, is nothing more than speculation or auto-suggestion.
  • Mollydolly10
    Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
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    Thanks everyone! I just wanted to see if it really was all objective and it sounds like it probably is - great!! :)
  • turbojanem
    turbojanem Posts: 285
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    from what i have heard, there's really no major difference. the important factor is that you ARE working out. if you are able to sleep at night after working out, then go for it. (now that i'm in my 40's, i have to be careful not to overstimulate myself a couple hours before bed. if i am revved up, no matter how tired i am, i can't shut down to stay sleeping)

    there are MANY "camps". some say if i don't do it 1st thing then i get busy and don't get it done. for those of us that are night owls, we don't function this way. if you can consistently work out in the evening and sleep then don't alter your schedule for someone else.
  • turbojanem
    turbojanem Posts: 285
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    good example...if you go to the gym, 5 am, 10 am, 5 pm, 9 pm you WILL see fit people getting results.

    for me, 2-4 pm works for me....getting ready to do it now.
  • LotusF1ower
    LotusF1ower Posts: 1,259 Member
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    I work out when I can work out, that means early when I am working lates and working out late when I am working earlies =- if you get what I mean :laugh:

    Working out is burning calories and burning calories is beneficial to our weight loss and keeping fit, therefore, in my opinion, it matters not a jot when you workout, what matters is that you DO workout.

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