When Should You Work Out?

Rumor has it, working out first thing in the morning is what all the most successful people do. Does this mean you should be working out first thing in the morning? Not exactly.

The Morning Argument

There are legitimate reasons to workout first thing in the morning. Usually there are fewer scheduling conflicts to work around. It can be incredibly beneficial to get up, throw on your workout clothes and get your workout in as part of your morning routine before life gets hectic and work schedules start for the day and suddenly you lose track of time and you’re too busy to work out.It’s also nice to get that boost of endorphins first thing in the morning! It can give you a burst of energy to launch you into your day in a better mood than you may otherwise be.

However…

Research shows that strength and flexibility are actually best in the late afternoon. It has to do with our circadian rhythm and the way our body temperatures rise throughout the day, peaking in the late afternoon. Does this mean your morning workout is doomed? Not at all. Does it mean if you miss your late afternoon workout you’re never going to progress? Definitely not. But it is food for thought.One thing to consider when you’re deciding what time of day to workout is your overall goal. Say you’re training to run a race that has a start time of 7am. That means it’s going to be advantageous for you to do your training at or around 7am to get your body in the habit. If you’re not training for anything in particular, your exact start time every day likely doesn’t matter.

The Decision Maker

There are studies to support just about anything. Some people swear by fasted-cardio. They do their cardio first thing in the morning before they’ve eaten because they swear it helps them burn more calories. There is only fleeting evidence of any truth to this, but if it works for them, so be it.The most important thing isn’t so much what time of day you work out, it’s that you find a consistent schedule you can commit to. As long as you’re staying consistently active, your routine will work. There’s no need to obsess over time of day. Use your iTrackBites tracker to keep tabs on what times of day you’re working out and how you feel before, during and after each workout, that way you’ll start to see patterns around what times of day seem to lend themselves best to your workouts. You can continue tailoring your routine based on your findings!Tell us what time of day YOU enjoy working out, and why!