Going to the gym, whether it’s in the morning or in the evening, is not something to be scoffed at.
But new research shows that depending on the results you want to achieve, the amount of time you spend moving can be important.
A US study of 5,285 middle-aged adults showed that exercising between 7am and 9am was the best time to lose weight.
Dr. Rebecca Kurkowski, a clinical psychologist specializing in behavioral weight management who was not involved in the study, said this is because people who go to the gym early in the morning get distracted by work or emails. He said this may have been because he was able to concentrate on training without any distractions.
Analysis – Published in magazine obesity – Researchers used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003 to 2006.
Participants wore fitness trackers, also known as accelerometers, on their waists to track their exercise for seven consecutive days. In his recent CDC study, trackers were worn on the wrist, making the comparison less reliable.
They trained in the morning from 7am to 9am, midday from 11am to 1pm, or in the evening from 5pm to 8pm.
Researchers found that people who started going to the gym early had lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than those who trained later.
They also self-reported making healthier food choices and eating less than other participants.
The study’s authors found that participants in the morning cluster spent more time post-workout inactivity than those who went to the gym in the afternoon or evening.
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Nevertheless, their BMI and waist circumference remained low.
“This is based on common tips for achieving your exercise goals, including scheduling your exercise in the morning before potential distractions such as emails, phone calls, and meetings,” Dr. Kurkowski said. “This is exciting new research that matches our clues.”
However, Dr. Kurkowski notes that because this is a cross-sectional study, “people who consistently exercise in the morning differ systematically from those who exercise at other times in ways not measured in this study.” It is unclear whether that is the case.” .
“For example, people who regularly exercise in the morning may have more predictable schedules, such as being less likely to work shifts or have caregiving responsibilities that interfere with morning exercise.” she explained.
“A predictable schedule may have other beneficial effects on weight that were not measured in this study, such as sleep length and quality and stress levels,” Dr. Krukowski continued.
The study echoes previous findings by scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, suggesting that exercising earlier in the day may increase the body’s rate of fat burning. are doing.
Scientists involved in the study said their results showed that early morning exercise may be more effective than late night exercise when it comes to boosting metabolism and burning fat.
However, Dr. Greg Potter, a biological clock expert and host of the podcast Reason & Wellbeing, recently said that our peak performance tends to occur in the late afternoon.
“In addition to being the best for performance at the moment, afternoon exercise may also be good for blood sugar control,” he explained.
And a 2022 study led by Professor Paul J. Arciero of Skidmore College in New York found that the best times to wear the kit may actually differ by gender.
Professor Arciero says women who want to lose fat around their stomachs and hips should go to the gym in the morning, but those who want to build upper body strength or just want to improve their mood may find it more effective to exercise in the evening. He said that it is possible to obtain.
The opposite result was found for men.