Best Time Of Day To Exercise

Here we help you choose the best time of day for exercise. Discover the essential information here.

Choosing the best time of day to exercise depends on individual goals. Each person should choose the time that best suits their needs. People who want to lose weight, for example, cannot exercise at the same time as those who want to gain muscle mass or increase resistance.

Although many people organize their exercise programs based on availability, this is not always the best. There are several parameters that allow you to identify when you should or should not subject your body to certain workouts. Just as there are cycles for rest and hormones, there are also cycles related to physical performance.

According to experts, it is the biological rhythm of sleep and wakefulness (internal clock), determined by the sun, that controls the functions that affect the practice of sport. Therefore, athletes do not take a step without first evaluating the behavior of their internal clock, and the impact it has on their performance, speed and effort.

Choose best time of day

People who usually exercise light to moderate intensity can do so at any time, provided they are in good health and avoid overeating.

However, we must take into account the following considerations.

• In the morning, the body temperature is at its lowest level. As a result, energy and blood flow are depleted. The cold as well as the stiffness of the muscles increase the risk of fractures or injuries. Moreover, recent studies indicate that morning workouts compromise the immune system, increasing the chances of contracting infections from bacteria or viruses.
• Body temperature and hormones peak at 6:00 p.m. Therefore, at this time the body responds better to sports efforts.
• Between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., the lungs work better. Muscles become more flexible, intensity is greater, performance improves, and stress is released more easily.
• Exercising between 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. helps regulate food intake.
• Training at the start of the day strengthens our persistence and forces us to rest afterwards. However, it requires more warm-up, due to the number of hours of inactivity during sleep.
• Exercise produces adrenaline  : exercising at night can cause insomnia and difficulty controlling heart rate. The ideal is to make it two hours before going to bed.

Why choose a time of day to exercise?

To achieve your goals, you need to know how to choose the time of day to exercise.

Depending on the type of exercise you want to do, take note of the following recommendations.

• Burn calories. People wanting to lose weight can work out in the afternoon when the metabolism starts to drop. The colder the environment, the more calories you can burn.
• Increase aerobic resistance. It is the biological capacity to make a significant effort by achieving a medium or low intensity. The performance will be the same no matter what time of your workout.
• Gain aerobic resistance. To obtain more flexibility, strength, power and speed, by making short efforts at high intensity, it is advisable to exercise from 6:00 p.m. in the afternoon and even at the end of the day. Athletes tend to train at the same time as the competition to ensure and control their performance.
• Develop muscle mass. The hormones are the best allies for this purpose if you train in the early morning or late afternoon.

Every organization is different

While there is general advice, it is important to remember that every organism is different and responses to stimuli are not the same in all cases. Calculating body temperature, based on circadian rhythms, is one way to determine the best time of day to exercise.

For this, it is necessary to carry out a follow-up control for five or six consecutive days (with measurements every two hours) to establish an average. You can train three hours before or three hours after depending on the higher number you get.

If this is complicated and you are just looking to stay fit and healthy, there are other options. Beyond undergoing strict and restrictive diets, a thirty minute a day workout can work.

Exercise has many health and wellness benefits, but you need to know the intricacies so you don’t fall into the pitfalls that prevent you from getting good results.

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