Is it better to workout in the morning or evening

Working out is a great way to lose weight, stay in shape and stay healthy.  It’s one of the easiest ways to decrease blood pressure, tension and stress and one of the best ways to increase muscle mass, lose weight and gain energy.  And yet people have such a hard time in keeping with a balanced schedule of working out.  Perhaps if they knew how much it would help them, more people would work out! One of the biggest burning questions for people is when is THE best time to work out?  In all honesty, whether you work out in the morning before work or in the afternoon/evening after work, working out is working out.  It’s better than sitting on the couch like a couch potato and doing nothing to stay active.  But, if you want to work out and you want to benefit from things like sleeping well, or having energy through the day, there are definitely times you specifically want to watch out for.

A Better Night’s Sleep

If you are one of the many people that needs a good night sleep and wants to wake up feeling refreshed and energized, working out in the morning is a great way to reach this goal.  A study was done recently which tracked the different sleep patterns of people who were ages 40 through 60, these people walked for 30 minutes on a treadmill about 3 times a week.  In the study all of the people worker out during different peak hours of the day – from 7am to 7pm.  Those people that got on the treadmill and worked out at 7am slept longer and had a much deeper sleep cycle than the other people that exercised at other points during the day.

Healthy Living

Not only did the people that worked out in the morning get a better sleep, but these people also had an increase in health and cardio health, lower blood pressure, and more importantly; a decrease in anxiety and stress during the day.

A Safer More Energized Day

Another study was done and it also had people that were working out from 6am to 6pm.  The people that worked out at 6pm had much more energy the following day.  In fact, most of them reported an increase or a “spurt” in energy like they did not experience before.  People also tend to injure themselves less in the afternoon when swimming, running, walking or rock climbing because your muscles and bones are already adaptable from your core temperature therefore making exercise easier, as well as safer.

The time you choose is really going to depend on what you want from your workout schedule.  Do you want a better night’s sleep or do you want more energy?  But, the biggest thing to remember is that you can’t get healthy, lose weight or have any of the above mentioned benefits if you don’t take the first step!  Even just 30 minutes a day will do so much more for your body, mind and spirit.  You don’t have to run a marathon or swim an ocean.  Just start with something easy like walking outside or jogging inside if you don’t feel comfortable enough.  Before you know it, you will be reaping benefits like crazy from working out and you’ll wonder why you didn’t start sooner… much much sooner!