Does the time of the day you work out actually affect the ca

gooiyw
gooiyw Posts: 114 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi MFP members. Have a question. A frriend of mine just told me that working out during the evenings is a much better calorie buster than in the early mornings. In her words,"You'll continue to burn fat as you sleep." Is that true?

I'm currently doing early mornings because that's the only me time I can afford with 3 kids and a full time job. Not to mention evening rush hour traffic wastes alot of my time if I were to head to the gym at that time. Some advice? Oh, also please feel free to add me, am relatively new here. :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    no
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    The best time to exercise is whatever time you can fit it into your life. :-)
  • dmouse0225
    dmouse0225 Posts: 104
    I've heard that mornings are better, but honestly, I think as long as you get the workout in, it doesn't really matter. I NEVER workout in the mornings. Hasn't seemed to hurt anything.

    The only thing I would say about night exercise is that I tend to be awake longer... but that is unrelated to your question... :)
  • thefuzz1290
    thefuzz1290 Posts: 777 Member
    Ideally you should exercise when you first wake up, before breakfast, to maximize fat burning (if that's your goal). However, like the previous poster said, do it whenever you can fit in in your life.
  • cindycoley19
    cindycoley19 Posts: 39 Member
    I believe your body continues to burn fat all through the day. I'm not certain, but that is what my fitness (amateur) advisors have told me. It's not about the time I don't think, as much as it is "you actually doing exercise everyday" For me, I try to do my 40 minute work out at Planet Fitness during my lunch hour from work, sometimes another 30-1 hour at the gym after work if I can swing it, and I usually don't get to work out on the weekends. But I'm seeing a tremendous improvement in my body. I now weigh 210 and people tell me I look like I weigh about 170,... I know the weight is shifting. Peace and Blessings! Cindy from SC
  • JerseyGirl081
    JerseyGirl081 Posts: 98 Member
    Morning is the best time to workout technically. As soon as you wake up and you start moving around your metabolism naturally starts its spike. Then you get a nice workout in that raises your heart rate your metabolism kicks up another notch. After you eat a nice balanced breakfast afterward metabolism gets higher. And if your eating regular little meals throughout the day your metabolism stays on that fat burning stage all day long. :-)

    But working out any time of the day is soooo much better than not doing anything. Just make sure your eating little meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism churning away and you will still burn those unwanted calories and fat!:-)
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Morning is the best time to workout technically. As soon as you wake up and you start moving around your metabolism naturally starts its spike. Then you get a nice workout in that raises your heart rate your metabolism kicks up another notch. After you eat a nice balanced breakfast afterward metabolism gets higher. And if your eating regular little meals throughout the day your metabolism stays on that fat burning stage all day long. :-)

    But working out any time of the day is soooo much better than not doing anything. Just make sure your eating little meals throughout the day to keep your metabolism churning away and you will still burn those unwanted calories and fat!:-)

    This is false.
  • gooiyw
    gooiyw Posts: 114 Member
    I believe your body continues to burn fat all through the day. I'm not certain, but that is what my fitness (amateur) advisors have told me. It's not about the time I don't think, as much as it is "you actually doing exercise everyday"

    Thanks. I think that makes sense.
  • Allic1971
    Allic1971 Posts: 145 Member
    Read this link, they did a study on it, if you want to burn Fat and loose weight then in the morning is best. :)

    EDIT - For building strength then lift weights in the evening

    http://health.ninemsn.com.au/whatsgoodforyou/theshow/694257/whats-the-best-time-to-exercise
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    I'd not worry about that kind of information and concentrate on going when you can!!! I use an HRM and whilst I'll find I'll burn more cals for the same activity earlier in the morning it really just depends on the level of effort I'm putting in. If I'm exercising early in the morning it's because I have a busy day ahead and I 'want to get my exercise done asap' hence I put in a bit more 'oomph'! However, personally my endurance is much better in the evening/afternoon i.e. I can run for 1.5hr in the afternoon but in the morning 30 minutes is my maximum! x
  • nickyfm
    nickyfm Posts: 1,214 Member
    Nah. It definitely depends on what time you feel most energetic, or can do it altogether! :)

    Just make sure that you refuel properly afterwards. Don't go straight to sleep if it's a night one!

    The only reason people say morning is best is because it gives you more energy for the day, boosts your metab a bit, and some people can't sleep if they work out at night. Also, some have little energy come the afternoon, when they could have had a massive work out in the morning when they had adequate energy. But each to their own!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    Hi MFP members. Have a question. A frriend of mine just told me that working out during the evenings is a much better calorie buster than in the early mornings. In her words,"You'll continue to burn fat as you sleep." Is that true?

    I'm currently doing early mornings because that's the only me time I can afford with 3 kids and a full time job. Not to mention evening rush hour traffic wastes alot of my time if I were to head to the gym at that time. Some advice? Oh, also please feel free to add me, am relatively new here. :flowerforyou:

    When you exercise, it pushes up your metabolism, when you finish your exercise, that metabolism boost still continues for a few hours afterwards. I think this might be what your friend meant.

    The only problem is, you may find you are "buzzing" afterwards and find it difficult to go to sleep.
  • Leamac83
    Leamac83 Posts: 99 Member
    Its really all about when is the best time for you, when you can fit it in and when you have the most energy.

    Yeah i believe an early morning workout gets you burning all day long but if i run in the morning i can only run 5 or 6k, but if i run after work i tend to be able to do a 10k and some weight training as i have lots of energy from my food. But this is just me and what works for me.

    Also if i work out in the morning i tend to eat a lot more in the day. Hope you find a happy balance! :)
  • TonyL68
    TonyL68 Posts: 133 Member
    The best time to exercise is whatever time you can fit it into your life. :-)


    ^^ Says the poster holding a kid in her pic! I'm 100% with you. Between a FT job, 2 kids, after school sports, dinner, bath time, house duties and whatever else gets thrown my way, I sometimes don't work out until after 9:00 PM when the kids are in bed. I don't know if its optimal but it beats sitting on my *kitten*. :wink:
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    If you're lifting weights, you burn the most calories on the full moon at noon because the tidal action maximizes the weight.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    If you're lifting weights, you burn the most calories on the full moon at noon because the tidal action maximizes the weight.

    You are not talking about bladder functions here are you?

    :::::runs off:::::
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,380 Member
    The best time to exercise is whatever time you can fit it into your life. :-)


    ^^ Says the poster holding a kid in her pic! I'm 100% with you. Between a FT job, 2 kids, after school sports, dinner, bath time, house duties and whatever else gets thrown my way, I sometimes don't work out until after 9:00 PM when the kids are in bed. I don't know if its optimal but it beats sitting on my *kitten*. :wink:

    Exactly, even if the time you do it isn't the 'best time' according to some expert out there somewhere, it's still a big improvement over not doing it at all! :-)
  • May63
    May63 Posts: 162
    Hi MFP members. Have a question. A frriend of mine just told me that working out during the evenings is a much better calorie buster than in the early mornings. In her words,"You'll continue to burn fat as you sleep." Is that true?

    I'm currently doing early mornings because that's the only me time I can afford with 3 kids and a full time job. Not to mention evening rush hour traffic wastes alot of my time if I were to head to the gym at that time. Some advice? Oh, also please feel free to add me, am relatively new here. :flowerforyou:

    what i have heard is strength training build muscles and they burn while resting.. resting being when your not exercising, when ever you can is key to do it
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    There's no real benefit to exercising at a specific time, just like there's no real benefit to exercising before eating. The real benefits come from properly eating before and after working out, whatever time you choose to do it.

    A lot of people like to push the "fasted cardio" first thing in the morning as better for fat burning, but that's been disproven by science.

    Bottom line, people have different energy patterns, the best time to work out is when you have the time and energy to do it, there's no specific rule to follow for "best results."
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    Exercise boosts your metabolism for a few hours afterwards. There might be calorie burn differences dependant on time of day (more specifically dependent on what you eat and do afterwards) but my guess is they would be so neglibible that they wouldn't be worth bothering about. Just workout whenever you can and don't stress about the minutae.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I've run any time from 7am to 11:30pm and I always burn the same approximate amount during the workout (an average of 100 cal per mile). And according to my BodyMedia Fit, I continue to burn at a slightly higher calorie per minute rate (about 2.5-3 calories per minute vs 1 calorie per minute) for about 20 minutes afterwards and then it settles back to my normal 1 per minute burn.

    And that's the same pattern for early morning, mid-morning, early afternoon, late afternoon, early evening, evening and late night. Because I have run (and lifted, and done cross-train cardio) during all of those different times. And I don't burn more calories or fewer for the day, collectively, based on the workout time alone either.

    So I'd say to workout when it best fits into your life and schedule. You'll be more likely to stick to it that way anyway. :)
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    In my personal experience, it's an individual thing. I know plenty of people prefer to exercise in the morning and supposedly that's the best time to go but most of the time when I try to do it, my calorie burns are crap. I'm not really a morning person, it takes me a while to wake up and feel like I have some energy and that reflects on my calorie burn because I'm not working as hard as I would later in the day and even if I do push it, my heart rate just doesn't get up there.

    I agree with those who say do it when you can and when it feels right to you! Better than sitting on your *kitten* on the couch!
  • pd_miller
    pd_miller Posts: 8 Member
    Ultimately, the best time to work out is determined by your own biological preferences and your lifestyle. You might be a night owl who does not come alive until the sun goes down, but your daily obligations might make training at night unfeasible. Or you might be a natural early riser, but your schedule does not allow for a training window two hours after awakening. The best workout is the one you will do consistently.

    The body naturally burns and stores when you sleep. Burns calories if you have fed it properly, hydrated it properly, and exercised it properly. If you don't eat, drink water, or exercise the body stores fat for energy wondering 'when is she/he going to feed/hydrate me again??' ... Depending on the type of exercises you do will also determine if your body will continue to burn calories throughout the day or night. Example, if you are weight lifting you are breaking down fibers that will in turn heal/build throughout resting periods...all of which uses energy/burns fat.

    Hope this was helpful..exercise when YOU feel at your best. Look at it this way, if you exercise in the morning and have time to do more at night.... BONUS!!! ;D Keep reaching for your goals... not the goals of others!
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    No exercise is bad exercise.

    When do you have the most energy and time? If you're tired you probably won't put as much "oomph" into your work out and will burn less. Aside from that I highly doubt that the numbers on the clock will effect your workout in any significant way.
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