When Is The Best Time To Exercise?
Some people feel the best time to exercise is first thing in the morning. There is nothing like breaking a good sweat before you start your day. Others wouldn’t even consider losing some sleep and actually enjoy unwinding after a long day by exercising at night. The most important thing is that you do what works for you and that you are consistent in doing it. Changing your workout time daily will directly affect how your body recovers and will actually never let your body get into a routine. So whatever time you feel is best time to exercise the goal is to stick to that time and do it every single day.
The Best Time To Exercise And Contributing Factors
There are many contributing factors to consider before you choose the best time to exercise for yourself:
- Do you have kids? If you do we all know how busy the evening hours can be with getting dinner ready, cleaning up and lets not forget bath time and getting your kids to bed! I know in my household that from about 4:30pm through 8:00pm its basically game on!! Having three little girls makes my schedule very buys and the last thing I am thinking of at night is getting a workout in. I’m exhausted! This is definitely not the best time to exercise!
- What about daycare? If you go to the gym in the morning or evening hours do they have a daycare for your kids? If you workout out at home maybe the best time to workout is while your kids are asleep.
- Another thing to consider is your hours at work. Do you work a late shift? Do you work an early shift? Do you work overnights? Whatever your schedule may be you need to consider how your week is going to play out and what is the best time to exercise for you. Sit down on a Sunday and look at your calendar for the week and figure out when you can schedule your workout in. Then block off that time on your schedule and know that is your time to get your workout in.
Best Time To Exercise – More Contributing Factors!
- Additionally what do you normally eat? The worst time to workout is right after a big meal. You normally want to wait at least 45 minutes and sometimes even two hours before you workout depending on what type of workout you are doing. If you are doing something like Yoga or Pilates then you could probably do it closer to 45 minutes. But any high intensity workout such as kickboxing, running etc you should wait closer to two hours . This will also avoid cramps and nausea.
- What about travel time? Make sure you take into consideration travel time to and from the gym unless you are doing a home based workout like P90X or Insanity. You must consider travel time when it comes to the best time to exercise. There is nothing worse than going into the gym all stressed out because you planned on being there for an hour but since you hit traffic you now have 30 minutes. Then its rush rush rush. Who likes to rush? When it comes to the best time to exercise you need to plan accordingly.
Is The Best Time To Exercise In The Morning Or At Night?
There is no medical research out there that suggests the best time to exercise is the morning or at night. Some people are morning people and realize that if they don’t get their workout in first thing in the morning then something always comes up in the afternoon and they ultimately end up missing it. If you have a job or career that has pretty consistent hours and the the chances are slim that you will get interrupted at night then working out at night may be the best time for you. But remember when you do exercise at night you will fight your body’s urge to sleep so you need to take this into consideration as well. The last thing you want is to suffer from insomnia. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out when the best time to exercise is. You as an individual need to take in all the contributing factors of your life and see what works best for you. The best time to exercise for you may not work for someone else.
What Is The Best Time To Exercise For Me?
I exercise in the morning six days a week at about 5:30am. This is my best time to exercise. Once my wife and I started having kids it basically came impossible for me to work out at night. Yes getting up in the morning was hard at first but they say you can start a new habit in 21 days. The most important thing is that you do something. We all have 168 hours in a week. No more. No less. But its how we manage our time that makes a difference. You can either control your life or let it control you. I realized that if I didn’t get my workouts completed in the morning that I was basically doomed at night. I actually truly enjoy my morning workouts now because its done for the day bright and early. I feel more energized. I feel stress free and ready to tackle the day. I even got my wife on board and it has turned into a nice bonding session in the morning to workout together. So pick a time. Schedule it in and stick to it!! You can do anything you put your mind too. Believe in yourself. Take charge and get your exercise in! In the end, the best time to exercise is truly up to you.
