Workout Time: What Is The Best Time to Exercise?
Workout Time: What Is The Best Time to Exercise?
We have often been told that one of the best ways to start your day is with spending a solid workout time. Hitting the weights or going for an outdoor jog gives us the adrenaline and the energy boost we need to get through the day. But before you set your alarm clock to 6:00 am for yet another morning workout time, know this: a new study reveals that those who go to the gym in the evening are more likely to attain a higher level of fitness than those who exercise in the morning.
In fact, those whose their workout time is after 6:00 pm were 19 percent less likely to develop heart disease than those who usually exercised before 8:00 in the morning! Shocked? Surprised? Relieved that you no longer have to wake up before the sun is out?
A Report on Best Workout Time
The study, conducted at the Clinical Research Center of the University of Chicago, took 40 healthy men, between the ages of 20 and 30, and divided those men into five groups. One group exercised vigorously for an hour on a step machine in the morning. A second group, in the afternoon. A third, in the evening. A fourth, at night. And a fifth group did not exercise at all.
Blood samples from all participants revealed that two endocrine hormones, cortisol and thyrotropin, increased far more in those who exercised either in the evening or late at night. Furthermore, glucose levels decreased far more in those same subjects. These findings reveal that the body’s metabolism seems to adapt better to a regular workout routine in the evening or night. Lead researcher. Dr. Orfeu Buxton, explained, “this is the first study to look at the variation in the effects of exercise at four different times of day….We didn’t expect to see such large differences. The variations in the hormone levels are quite large.”
One theory why this is? The endothelial tissue that helps blood vessels dilate and contract may not respond as well in the morning to exercise-related changes in blood flow. So, Instead spending your workout time in early morning, sleep in a little longer. Press snooze a couple more times. And hit the gym once t
he sun goes down.
