The scientifically-proven best time of day to exercise

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For many people, early morning or late evening is the only time of day to exercise. Which is best?

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Finding time to exercise is really a challenge for many people. Exercise is important, but everyone also has lives with jobs, families, significant others, friends, household duties, errands and, you know, the need for rest and sleep. 

Where does exercise fit in, then? Is it better to wake up at the crack of dawn (or earlier) to squeeze in a sweat session, or should you push yourself to extend your long day another 30 to 60 minutes?

Both morning and evening exercise have health benefits and potential pitfalls, but for most people, the right time to exercise is not about how many calories you burn or how much weight you lift — it’s more about how you feel when exercising and how exercise fits into your daily schedule.

Read more: Lose fat and gain muscle at the same time: Yes you can

The best time to exercise is whenever you can 

The best time of day to exercise is whenever you can do so consistently.

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Let’s get this out of the way first: The best time to work out is whenever you can. We don’t all have schedules that allow for a 90-minute workout, green smoothies with collagen and a 20-minute session with a Theragun, unfortunately. 

If your only time of day to exercise is before work, then morning is best. If you reserve physical activity for packed evenings, there’s a good chance you won’t ever get to it. 

Likewise, if you can only squash 20 minutes of exercise into your day right before you get ready for bed, that’s the best time to work out. 

I want to add a note on consistency, though: The best time to exercise is whenever you can, but the best-best time of day to exercise is the time you can stick with for days, ?????? (visit the following page) weeks and months.

For example, if you’re the person who only has 20 minutes at night, but you keep finding yourself skipping it, ask yourself if there’s a way you can fit it into your morning instead. Perhaps you go to bed 20 minutes earlier and wake up 20 minutes earlier — now you’re still getting in your 20 minutes of exercise; it’s just shifted your schedule a tad. 

The fact of the matter is that people who exercise consistently see better weight loss and fitness results in the long-term. Research also suggests that your body can adapt to regular training schedules, so if you work out every morning, you will probably get a lot better at working out in the morning, and the same in regard to nighttime workouts.

That all said, morning workouts and night workouts both have their advantages and disadvantages as evidenced by decades of scientific research — let’s discuss.

Benefits of morning workouts

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Morning workouts truly do have an edge, according to multiple research studies, and offer a list of benefits that might even sway some night owls to get their fitness on in the morning. 

Can help you establish a fitness routine: People who exercise in the morning are often more consistent simply because morning workouts leave less room for excuses. If you workout first thing in the morning, you can’t skip it in the evening because duties piled up. 

May improve your sleep cycle: Waking up early might be difficult at first, but research suggests that a morning exercise habit can shift your circadian rhythm so that your body is naturally more alert in the morning and more tired in the evening, so you fall asleep earlier and can exercise in the morning again. Morning exercise also seems to boost deep sleep more than evening exercise, according to some research. Plus, sleep helps facilitate muscle growth, so you might even see more strength gains if your circadian rhythm and sleep cycle improve.