When is it too late to excersise for the day?

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soccerstar21097
soccerstar21097 Posts: 20 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
There are times where I will be busy all day (between classes and work) and do not have time to work out until late at night. Should I count the calories burned for that day, even if they were burned after midnight? For example: burn 300 calories at 1 in the morning.

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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    The body's metabolism always runs so it doesn't matter how late you work out unless it affects your sleep. You may then have to work out earlier so you can wind down.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    It's never too late/early to exercise if you're awake! As far as logging, I use the typical 24 hour period. So if I worked out at 1am, I'd log it for the current date.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Generally I consider it too late to exercise after I fall asleep. Exercising after you fall asleep can be dangerous. Any time before that is perfectly ok.

    Weight gain/loss doesn't happen on a 24-hour clock; your body doesn't pause at midnight, tally up the calories and decide whether to gain or lose weight for that day. It happens on a continuum that starts when you're born and doesn't end until you die. So you can count the exercise calories on whichever day works best for you.

    I count everything as one day from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed, whether that's 10:00 at night or 3:00 in the morning. When I wake up the next day, I start counting for that day.

    Ah yes, birth to death. The ultimate bulk to the ultimate cut. The balance of the universe is thus maintained. ;)

    To the OP: if it's that much of a concern for you, wake up earlier and get in your workout at the start of the day. You are however, overthinking it, unless as has been noted, it starts messing with your sleep.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,177 Member
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    When I lived by myself, I used to get on my trainer (bicycle on device to hold it in place while I rode), in my living room at about 10 pm or 10:30 pm to ride for 1 hour or maybe 1.5 hours. Then I'd do some yoga, relax a little and go to bed.

    When I did that, I slept like a log. Really well!

    As for counting calories, I count from the time I first eat in the morning until I go to bed at night. I'm up about 7:45 am, I eat for the first time about 10:30 am ... I eat for the last time about midnight, and go to bed about 1 am.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    22:01 is too late for me as my gym closes at 22:00, which is a shame as I often would like to train longer/later.

    I regard my diary day as sleep to sleep rather than calendar days.
  • Master_Butcher
    Master_Butcher Posts: 50 Member
    edited January 2017
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    I'm not sure your approach to working out is a healthy one long term. One works out to improve health and vitality not to burn calories. Fall in love with working out in and if itself. That'll insure your consistency and eventually you'll be where you desire. My advise would be to focus on training when training not calories.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
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    This very much depends on you. Personally I can't really sleep if I workout an hour before sleep or something. I simply feel too active. IF you can still sleep why not?

    It also depends on well, seriousness of the workout. For example, if you are trying to get a new PR on your deadlift, I would choose a time between 12:00 to 17:00 where our bodies have less stress hormones.

    As for the count, even if it is after 12, you can count is as the previous day. You should consider your sleep & wake up hours, and see them as 24 hours intervals really.
  • gdsmit1
    gdsmit1 Posts: 137 Member
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    As others point out, it depends on your body. If I work out after about 20:30, I can't fall asleep early enough to get the right amount of sleep I need and still get to work on time.

    For when to log it, I use my Garmin to keep track of my workouts so the apps are in charge of when it is logged. I would assume that if I worked out at 01:00, Garmin Connect would see that as the morning of the next day and that would upload to MFP as a morning workout. But I've never worked out that late (early?) so it is just an assumption.

    But it doesn't really matter. Burn calories last night or burn them this morning. In the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter.
  • Sara1791
    Sara1791 Posts: 760 Member
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    Tomorrow is too late to exercise today.
  • subcounter
    subcounter Posts: 2,382 Member
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    Sara1791 wrote: »
    Tomorrow is too late to exercise today.

    #showerthoughts

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