Morning vs. Evening: When Is the Best Time to Work Out?
When it comes to fitness, each and every person has a set of criteria to swear by. Some are morning people and like to jog their hearts out at 6.30 a.m. to get pumped up for the day. Others rise and shine later in the day and have absolutely no interest in going to the gym until the evening.
While there is no strong evidence that a certain time of day is more successful in terms of burning calories, according to specialists, there is however a time of day that can affect how you feel when and after working out.
Surprising or not…
It seems that people who work out in the morning tend to feel and have better results. This happens because early in the morning, there are usually no other distractions or pressures that your brain and body have to face. Therefore, it is easier to form a habit of going to the gym or jogging and maintain it. If it’s the first thing you do, then it becomes a priority.
Later in the day there’s always something coming up, either a deadline that pushes you to work overtime, or a dinner invitation that sounds way too good to say no to.
Scientific facts
Apparently, the neurotransmitters and growth factors activate and amplify moments before your brain needs to actually start learning and remembering things. In other words, during morning workout, it focuses solely on that.
More than that, the endorphins released during workout will provide you the boost you need to feel more focused and able to face challenges and tasks head-on. Completing your morning training session makes you start the day with a sense of achievement and energy to successfully carry on with your daily To-Do list.
The snowball effect
This positive mood can also be seen in your eating patterns. After a good morning workout, chances are you want to continue with the healthy habits and have some fruits or a Greek yogurt rather than grabbing a calorie bomb chocolate muffin. Consequently, one healthy meal leads to another one later in the day and so on. It works like a positive snowball effect.
In addition, morning exercise has proven to have a better influence on sleeping routines. Melatonin levels should be at their peak to enjoy a good night’s sleep. However, these may be influenced by evening training sessions, in the sense that they may decrease and impact the melatonin levels in the nights to come.
Due to the fact that you get an energy boost during morning workout, your energy levels, and consequently body temperature, will gradually decrease during the day. Which means that by the time you set for sleep, your body will be in the right state to do just that.
All that being said, it does not mean that if you are not able to exercise in the morning, you shouldn’t do it at all. Morning workout does have its perks and benefits but, at the end of the day, no pun intended, what matters most is to exercise regularly and make a healthy habit out of it.
