MORNINGS: In most of the articles I read, it appeared that better workout habits were formed when done in the morning. Most people who regularly exercise do so early in their day and carry that invigorated feeling with them for hours more. You also get that boost to your metabolism first thing which helps to burn more calories earlier in the day. Also, when you tackle exercise first thing in the morning, there is a much lower chance of interruptions or distractions interfering with your workout. Babies and children might still be asleep (God willing), the phone hasn’t started ringing and the messy business of life in general hasn’t reared its ugly head yet and thrown a monkey wrench into your best laid plans. And you can always accommodate your extra workout time by waking up earlier.
There is some downside to morning workouts. Your body’s temperature is at its lowest a few hours before waking so you don’t always feel so rarin’ to go. There’s also the fact that your muscles are stiff and cold and need to be warmed up before engaging in exercise (a good habit to develop anyway). And, you just might not be a morning person. I had my share of roommates who fit into this category and it was not pretty. If your inclination is to avoid waking up early at any cost then morning workout aren’t for you. Don’t try to force the issue or your workouts will be flaming out real soon.
LUNCH/BREAK TIME: So maybe you’re the type of person who needs a few hours to wake up before you count yourself among the living. A case can be made for mid-day workouts too. It is a great time to break up the stresses of the day by exercising at lunch time, and you have a good chance of finding a partner from work or school to team up with and help keep you honest and accountable to the routine. You can temper your appetite or snack habit with a workout. Your body temperature and hormone levels are higher than the morning and the improved blood flow from the exercise will help sustain your mental acuity for the remainder of the day (if you’re lucky enough to have work that requires that sort of thing).
The downside about afternoon workouts is that distractions and interruptions are more likely to creep in. There’s always the chance of that last minute conference call or having to run a sick child over to the doctor’s office to throw you off track. You also might not be able to fit in exercise AND lunch into the time allotted. Lung function is also at its worst around noon and while that not might make a big difference with a regular workout, you could feel it with a strenuous one.
AFTERNOONS (3-7PM)
Physiologically speaking, this looks like a pretty good time to be active: Your body temperature and hormone levels peak at 6PM so exercise done 3 hours earlier or later than that is best for building endurance and muscle. Your muscles are warm and flexible and your lung function is best between 4-5pm. With all these factors working in your favor, you might be able to work out harder and faster at this time of day. As with exercise anytime, it helps to relieve the stresses of the day. Also, working out before eating dinner is a good way to help limit how much you have.
The downside with exercising this late in the day are all the distractions that could impinge on your workout. Continued interruptions might leave you feeling frustrated and too willing to avoid exercising altogether.
NIGHTTIME:
This time of day shares the same pros as the afternoon workouts but have a few additional cons to consider. There will still be the danger of being interrupted from your workout but the biggest thing to keep in mind is allowing yourself 1to 3 hours to unwind after a workout so as not to have your sleep affected. Losing sleep is going to work counter to your weight loss goals, as discussed above. If this is a problem for you, consider working out earlier in the day.
