Starting a new semester always means one thing, starting a new routine. Between our class schedules, jobs and clubs and organizations it can be hard to find time to fit a lot of others things in during the daytime. I know for me one of the things I have struggled with this semester is finding time to work out as much as I did this summer. (I imagine the problem I am facing is a reality for many college students. Freshman 15 anyone?) When with two jobs it always seemed kind of easy to find time to work out about 5 times a week over the summer break. Now that I am back at school I’m faced with questions like when do I work out? And what is the best time of day for me to work out? Should I wake up and fit a gym session in before classes or should I wait until the end of the day at around 5pm?
Studies have shown that there are benefits to working out first thing in the morning as well as in the afternoon or evening. Research proves that morning exercise can help one sleep better. “A recent study at Appalachian State University found that morning workouts are best if you want a better night’s sleep (and who doesn’t want that?). The researchers tracked the sleep patterns of people ages 40 to 60 who walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes, three times a week. Participants worked out at three different times: 7 a.m., 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. Turns out, those who hit the treadmill at 7 a.m. slept longer and had deeper sleep cycles than those who exercised at other points in the day. In fact, the morning crowd spent up to 75% more time in the reparative ‘deep sleep’ stage at night.” (Dr. Oz) It has also been found that morning exercisers tend to be more consistent with their workouts. (Sports Medicine)
When it comes to afternoon exercise there are also a lot of benefits. “One small study found that afternoon exercise boosts workout performance. Researchers analyzed a group of cyclists who worked out at 6 a.m. or 6 p.m. and found that the evening exercises had higher power outputs. They theorized that the more complex the movements required to perform the exercise are, the more that the time of day can impact the performance. In other words, you may perform better in the afternoon if you’re swimming, running or biking versus something simple like walking.” (Dr. Oz) Afternoon exercisers are also more alert so they are less likely to injure themselves (Sports Medicine). The Afternoon is when our body temperature is at its highest which is the best time to exercise because our strength and endurance will be at their strongest (Sports Medicine).
What I have learned from all of this research is that exercise is exercise; it’s better to do it whenever you can than not do it at all. Yes there are certain benefits to working out at certain times of the day and it all depends of what type of exercise one is performing. Since there are no solid facts that day a certain time is 100% better than another I think I’ll just stick to fitting my workouts in whenever my busy schedule lets me.
You’re absolutely right, Morgan. It’s so hard for people- especially college students to fit a decent work out into their busy lives. I guess we have the advantage that we tend to stay up later than people of other age groups, thus getting the most out of every hour of the day (ideally; I spend a good three hours or so on Netflix every night). I have heard all my life that working out in the morning is good because it jump starts your metabolism for the day, but because of your research, I now know differently! There is an interesting graph on this blog: http://www.dormivigilia.com/?p=3467 that shows how working out in the AM versus PM effects certain brain reactions, but I support your finding that no time of day is better than any other! Thanks so much!
You’re absolutely right, Morgan. It’s so hard for people- especially college students to fit a decent work out into their busy lives. I guess we have the advantage that we tend to stay up later than people of other age groups, thus getting the most out of every hour of the day (ideally; I spend a good three hours or so on Netflix every night). I have heard all my life that working out in the morning is good because it jump starts your metabolism for the day, but because of your research, I now know differently! There is an interesting graph on this blog: http://www.dormivigilia.com/?p=3467 that shows how working out in the AM versus PM effects certain brain reactions, but I support your finding that no time of day is better than any other! Thanks so much!
I found this post really interesting. As a freshman and a runner, I am realizing I was not nearly thankful enough for all the practices I had to endure every day of every year of high school for cross-country and track. It kept me on a schedule and in shape, something I am finding is a lot more difficult to do in college. I find it hard waking up and running in the morning just because my body does not feel awake and I feel sluggish. Sometimes I run even as late as 12-1 AM here because I have time and do not feel tired enough to go to sleep or I ate a lot that day and cannot go to bed without a workout. I am glad to hear there are benefits to both and now with the knowledge of morning workouts helping people to sleep better at night, I might try doing that more often even if it is a struggle to get up. Thanks also for the link in your last comment!
I could not agree any more with the research you provided. When I wake up in the morning, I’m sluggish, deprived of carbs, sleepy, and the last thing on my mind is wanting to sweat out my stress in an early morning workout. I’ve done this before, when necessary, and although it’s beneficial to burning more calories throughout the day, I can’t find the energy to do it on a regular basis. It’s not until after I have breakfast and my morning coffee that I’m ready for the day, and I find that I push myself into my workouts much harder when it’s around the afternoon hours and I’m ready to take on that cardio machine. It all really depends on the person. You need to play around with your schedule until you find what works best for you. If you happen to lack time to go to the campus gym, try some apartment/dorm room exercises. Here’s my favorite program: http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/insanity.do
I am in the same boat as you are! I worked out almost everyday this summer. Coming to school has made it really hard to find a time to workout, but I have too!! I always thought it was better to workout in the morning. But, now that I am here and i read this, I know that anytime is good as long as you exercise somehow!
here’s a link to some quick exercises:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/express/5-minute/6-minute-routine-buddy-up-for-a-better-body/
I really appreciated this blog post. I am one to workout every single day or I freak out. I have not been able to figure out if it is better to work out during the day or at night. I find myself doing both this year, but I am glad that most of them work to a similar benefit. I am glad there is a lot of research being done about this to help!
My whole life I have been an athlete. I normally got all my exercise from within practice and never really hit the gym. So just like you I am struggling on fitting in workouts, or even how to really workout for that matter. In this post you discuss the benefits of working out in the morning and afternoon, so my question is what about evening? My cheerleading practices ran through 6-9 at night and always seemed to do the trick. So should I continue to workout during those times? I’d love to hear your input… Thanks.