Exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, but finding the best time to exercise in our busy schedules is not always easy. Work, family, and a variety of other responsibilities often take precedence over exercise.
The most common excuse for not exercising is that there's just not enough time. I'm going to stop you right there. Sure you have plenty of commitments and it may seem difficult to schedule in regular exercise, but it can and must be done.
There are plenty of people who find the time. There's no reason you can't as well. Your health should be a priority right up there with work and family. Once you make the decision to make exercise a priority in your life, you then need to figure out the best time to do it.
This is not always an easy decision. There are a number of factors that you need to consider when coming up with a good exercise schedule. Just like finding the best exercises is important, finding the best time to exercise can also play a major role in improving your health and helping you reach your weight loss goals.
Your Circadian Rhythms
Believe it or not, your circadian rhythms can play a major part in finding the best time to exercise. For those of you who aren't familiar with a circadian rhythm, it's a biological process that all living things have. Your circadian rhythms are the physical and mental changes that your body goes through over a 24 hour cycle. Light from your environment has a major effect on your circadian rhythms, as well as your genetics.
Your body has certain patterns that it follows. This is evident in the fact that some people are night owls while others are considered morning people. This is primarily determined by your circadian rhythms. In addition to your sleep schedule, these rhythms determine what your energy levels and body temperature are throughout the day. These are all important considerations when choosing a time to exercise.
Clearly if you're not a morning person, then exercising in the morning might not be the best idea. You'll have trouble waking up and your energy level will be lower than at other times in the day. Each person has to figure out their own cycle and use it to determine the best time for them to exercise. However, just because the afternoon may be the best time for your body to exercise doesn't mean it's the best time for your schedule.
Scheduling the Best Time to Exercise
When do you have time to exercise? This is really the first thing you need to consider. One of the reasons most fitness professionals recommend working out in the morning is because a person's morning schedule is often more flexible. The rest of the day is full of work and family responsibilities. Not to mention people are exhausted later in the day and often use that as an excuse to avoid exercising.
By working out in the morning this excuse is usually eliminated. Early morning workouts have other benefits as well. The biggest one is that a person raises their metabolism for the remainder of the day. Any physical movements throughout the rest of the day will have added calorie burning power.
For those with more flexibility, however, late afternoon or evening workouts are a great choice. In terms of workout efficiency, late afternoon workouts have been shown to have the best results. The lung capacity of most people peaks around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. In turn, this block of time is ideal for those interested in rigorous strength or endurance training. Injuries are also much less likely to happen during afternoon workouts.
Exercise Before Eating
It may seem counterintuitive, but some studies have shown that it may be better to exercise on an empty stomach. The theory is that your body has fewer carbohydrates to utilize so it is forced to burn fat stores. The end result is that you are able to potentially lose more weight.
That's not to say that you have to exercise on an empty stomach. As with everything else not everyone's body works the same. For some people, a snack may be necessary to give you the energy you need. You have to learn to read and trust your body. Eating a healthy snack for energy or exercising an hour or more after a meal are both fine.
Creating a Good Routine
Matching the best time to exercise for your body with the best time for your schedule is no simple task. You may find that exercising in the late afternoon compared to the morning gives you the best overall workout. However, if you are less likely to exercise in the afternoon on a regular basis, then you'll be much worse off. Consistency is the key.
Unfortunately it is impossible to identify the best time to exercise for everybody. There are too many factors to consider. Only you can make that determination. The key is finding the right balance between what works best for your body and your daily schedule. It has to be something you are willing to stick with over the long term. After all, it doesn't matter how great your workout program is if you only do it once or twice a month.
The most common excuse for not exercising is that there's just not enough time. I'm going to stop you right there. Sure you have plenty of commitments and it may seem difficult to schedule in regular exercise, but it can and must be done.
There are plenty of people who find the time. There's no reason you can't as well. Your health should be a priority right up there with work and family. Once you make the decision to make exercise a priority in your life, you then need to figure out the best time to do it.
This is not always an easy decision. There are a number of factors that you need to consider when coming up with a good exercise schedule. Just like finding the best exercises is important, finding the best time to exercise can also play a major role in improving your health and helping you reach your weight loss goals.
Your Circadian Rhythms
Believe it or not, your circadian rhythms can play a major part in finding the best time to exercise. For those of you who aren't familiar with a circadian rhythm, it's a biological process that all living things have. Your circadian rhythms are the physical and mental changes that your body goes through over a 24 hour cycle. Light from your environment has a major effect on your circadian rhythms, as well as your genetics.
Your body has certain patterns that it follows. This is evident in the fact that some people are night owls while others are considered morning people. This is primarily determined by your circadian rhythms. In addition to your sleep schedule, these rhythms determine what your energy levels and body temperature are throughout the day. These are all important considerations when choosing a time to exercise.
Clearly if you're not a morning person, then exercising in the morning might not be the best idea. You'll have trouble waking up and your energy level will be lower than at other times in the day. Each person has to figure out their own cycle and use it to determine the best time for them to exercise. However, just because the afternoon may be the best time for your body to exercise doesn't mean it's the best time for your schedule.
Scheduling the Best Time to Exercise
When do you have time to exercise? This is really the first thing you need to consider. One of the reasons most fitness professionals recommend working out in the morning is because a person's morning schedule is often more flexible. The rest of the day is full of work and family responsibilities. Not to mention people are exhausted later in the day and often use that as an excuse to avoid exercising.
By working out in the morning this excuse is usually eliminated. Early morning workouts have other benefits as well. The biggest one is that a person raises their metabolism for the remainder of the day. Any physical movements throughout the rest of the day will have added calorie burning power.
For those with more flexibility, however, late afternoon or evening workouts are a great choice. In terms of workout efficiency, late afternoon workouts have been shown to have the best results. The lung capacity of most people peaks around 4 or 5 in the afternoon. In turn, this block of time is ideal for those interested in rigorous strength or endurance training. Injuries are also much less likely to happen during afternoon workouts.
Exercise Before Eating
It may seem counterintuitive, but some studies have shown that it may be better to exercise on an empty stomach. The theory is that your body has fewer carbohydrates to utilize so it is forced to burn fat stores. The end result is that you are able to potentially lose more weight.
That's not to say that you have to exercise on an empty stomach. As with everything else not everyone's body works the same. For some people, a snack may be necessary to give you the energy you need. You have to learn to read and trust your body. Eating a healthy snack for energy or exercising an hour or more after a meal are both fine.
Creating a Good Routine
Matching the best time to exercise for your body with the best time for your schedule is no simple task. You may find that exercising in the late afternoon compared to the morning gives you the best overall workout. However, if you are less likely to exercise in the afternoon on a regular basis, then you'll be much worse off. Consistency is the key.
Unfortunately it is impossible to identify the best time to exercise for everybody. There are too many factors to consider. Only you can make that determination. The key is finding the right balance between what works best for your body and your daily schedule. It has to be something you are willing to stick with over the long term. After all, it doesn't matter how great your workout program is if you only do it once or twice a month.
Stop wasting time and start taking action
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