Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images Downsides to afternoon and evening workouts If you wait until evening to exercise, you might find yourself battling a lack of motivation. Once you get into the practice of exercising at night, you might find yourself surprised that you don't even miss your old habits. Might help replace bad habits: If you have some evening or nighttime habits you want to replace - like snacking, drinking, smoking or watching too much TV - allow exercise to swoop in and take their place. The surge of endorphins you get during and after exercise can be a sweet nightcap that helps you wind down before bed. Late-day exercise can relieve stress: Exercise is always a good way to relieve stress, but working out at night can really help you blow off some steam. Hormones are on your side: Testosterone is important for building muscle in men and women, and your body might produce more of it during afternoon workouts than morning workouts, resulting in greater strength and muscle gains. Your body gets warmer as the day goes on: Since your core temperature is warmer later in the day, many people can get into the groove faster for afternoon and evening workouts. Plus, people who exercise in the evening take up to 20% longer to reach the point of exhaustion. Muscle strength, flexibility, power output and endurance are all better in the evening than they are in the morning. Your physical performance might improve: Research shows that most people function better, physically speaking, later in the day. mark, but I digress - most people experience these physiological adaptations throughout the day, which makes afternoon and evening the best time to exercise for many reasons. I also feel stronger and faster.įor me, those feelings subside around the 5 p.m. I feel more ready for exercise in the afternoon: more flexible, more mobile, more physically energetic. That would be my ideal time to exercise if I could do so consistently. I envy those who can fit in a workout between 12 p.m. Stanislaw Pytel/Getty Images Benefits of afternoon and evening workouts Your heart rate is also slower in the morning (that's the best time to find your true resting heart rate), which also contributes to needing a longer warm-up. This is true all of the time, but especially when your body is cooler. This makes warming up crucial for morning workouts - jumping into a workout, rather than slowly easing in, can result in injury. It takes longer to warm up: Speaking of warm-ups, there's a key reason you might not feel as strong or powerful during morning workouts: Your core body temperature is lower. You should loosen up as you warm up, but studies actually show that certain strength markers, including peak power, are higher in the evening. You might experience stiffness in your joints and temporary inflexibility. Physical performance isn't at its peak: Most people don't roll out of bed feeling nimble and fired up. ![]() This can result in sleep inertia (feeling groggy for a while after you wake up), as well as chronic fatigue if it happens often. You may interrupt deep sleep: Depending on your sleep cycle, an early-morning alarm might puncture deep sleep. You can also eat a small, carb-heavy snack before your morning workout, such as a banana, to help avoid hunger and hunger-related fatigue. If you wake up hungry most days, try eating a larger dinner or a small, protein-dense snack before bed. You might be running on low fuel: If you didn't eat enough the evening before, you might find yourself battling serious hunger mid-workout. When you exercise first thing in the morning, a few things can make your workout a little wonky. Though a morning exercise habit can be a powerful part of a healthy lifestyle, early morning workouts have their drawbacks, too. PhotoAlto/Frederic Cirou/Getty Images Downsides to morning workouts You might feel groggy for your morning workout if your alarm wakes you up from deep sleep.
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