Does it Matter What Time You Work Out

You’re either a night owl or an early bird, and there isn’t much you can do to change your body’s natural proclivities.

Setting the alarm for 5:30 a.m. to sneak in an early morning run before you get the kids ready for school when you and your partner crashed after midnight the night before will most likely result in an annoyed and repeated reach of the snooze button. A shortage of sleep means that your workout may suffer significantly, that is, if you manage to get moving at all!

On the other hand, if you rose at dawn and enjoyed a cup of coffee and the morning news before the kiddos got up for school and you attempt to make a SoulCycle class after dinner at 8:45 at night, you’ll probably be lucky if you make it through half a session before calling it quits.

Before you commit to a set exercise schedule, you must consider what type of person you are. Forget about the (little) research which suggests that exercising in the morning will lead to more fat burn due to low glycogen levels; if you haven’t gotten enough rest the night prior, this doesn’t apply. Runner’s World author Jennifer Allen says “what matters most is clearing whatever roadblocks that get between you and your workout.” This makes perfect sense. Should you skip exercising just because you didn’t get to it at whatever time some researcher claims is the so-called right time? No way!

The bottom line is this: You should work out whenever you’ll actually do it. Setting lofty goals for yourself based on a neighbor’s habits or even your partner’s routine is bound to backfire. If you don’t yet know what time of day feels best to exercise, then try experimenting at various hours before committing to a consistent time. Some women claim that a late-night workout helps them sleep better; others are too riled up to fall asleep at a decent hour.

Once you figure out when you’re likely to get in the best workout, Allen says there’s a way to guarantee you meet your fitness goals. “Find an exercise buddy who shares a similar goal, and make “appointments” for workouts. It’s much harder to skip a walk or run when you know someone is counting on you to be there.”

Keep in mind these other factors when determining your workout schedule: diet and energy level. If you’ve decided you prefer a midday power yoga session several afternoons a week, you might need to change your lunch time. Few of us can stomach intense exercise on a full belly. Perhaps you’ll need a light energizing snack though, such as a handful of almonds or a banana. Energy levels in the morning will be low “if you skipped dinner the night before, or ate fast-digesting carbs like rice, bread or sugary dessert,” Allen notes. Putting an extra little thought into your post-dinner snack might be the ticket to hopping out of bed and into your sneakers first light.

Whatever decision you make should work for you and your busy lifestyle, but it should also allow for some flexibility as well. Between the kids needing extra help with homework and your husband’s last-minute request for you to attend a work function with him, your workout schedule may have to vary on occasion. Have a plan and try to stick to it as closely as possible, but don’t beat yourself up either if your thirty-minute Dancing With the Stars DVD routine gets pushed back an hour.

P.S.  This is where a work partner becomes very important. There will be those times when you just don’t feel like  getting out of bed or much less exercising. But having a workout partner will be a motivation to get moving.  They are dependent on you.  You should be the inspiration for your partner.

P.P.S.  If you want to discover more motivational tactics, visit exercise for diabetics today.