Is Exercise Best In The Morning Or Afternoon?
Personal trainers are often stereotyped as being sickeningly enthusiastic and chirpy at 6am, knocking on their client’s door armed with phrases like ‘The early bird catches the worm’ and ‘An early-morning run will set you up for the rest of the day.’ I am proud to admit that I do not fit into this stereotype and am not a great believer in the theory that exercise in the morning is always the best time to work up a sweat.
Although evidence does suggest that exercising first thing in the morning helps elevate your resting metabolic rate for the rest of the day so you burn more fat at rest, for some people it’s just not practical to set the alarm an hour earlier and set off for a jog. Over the years I have noticed that when it comes to working out, not everyone is suited to exercise before breakfast and some, if not most, actually perform better later on in the day.
With so many factors responsible for people being overweight, exercising in the afternoon or evening is not going to mean that just because you decide to spend an extra hour in bed, you are at a disadvantage than if you chose to rise with the milk man, so to speak. If you prefer to exercise first thing then great, but if you find it more practical and enjoyable to work out later in the day, you are more inclined to stick with a regular routine.