It’s that time of year. The sun rises considerably earlier, and the temperature warms up accordingly. If you typically spend time outside in the mornings, there’s no doubt you can feel the change, even in the earliest moments of the day. Synching up your fitness routine- or outdoor routine generally- is crucial during these summer months. Dehydration and heat exhaustion can set in faster than you suspect, but that doesn’t mean that outdoor activity needs to be avoided altogether. The general guideline is to coincide your outdoor activity to times of the day when it is coolest- early morning or evening. When it comes to exercise, studies show that physical activity at each point of the day has many benefits, and here in the southwest, it can also help you avoid the hottest part of the day.
Science backs it up
morning
Many studies have found evidence that morning exercise benefits our health for a variety of ways- from how we perceive food throughout the day, to increased weight loss. Morning exercise:
- Encourages additional physical activity: A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise that included participants of normal and obese body weights (according to BMI) found that participants that exercised in the morning took on more physical activity throughout the day than those who didn’t exercise in the morning.
- Increases metabolism: Exercise increases your metabolism, keeping it running more efficiently throughout the day as you consume calories as opposed to overnight when there are less calories to burn.
- Changes how you perceive food throughout the day: Studies have evaluated how women responded to food after working out in the morning. Participants that walked briskly for 45 minutes were shown to be less distracted by food images compared to when they didn’t exercise.
- Helps you sleep better: Exercise increases your body temperature and heart rate. Part of the sleep cycle is your body cooling down- exercising in the evening may hinder your body’s natural transition into the sleep cycle. If you opt for a sweat session in the evening, aim to be done no later than 1.5 hours before sleep to allow your body to transition.
- Burn more fat: Some studies show evidence that exercising on an empty stomach can burn up to 20% more body fat than exercising after you’ve started consuming foods. Researchers have also found that the 24-hour fat burn was higher with morning exercise on an empty stomach. If you find that you need a little bit of a boost before you work out don’t avoid it. But, do reach for a healthy source of energy like bananas, oats, fruit and Greek yogurt, or nuts.
- It’ll support a productive day: A 2019 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that morning exercise improves attention, visual learning, and decision-making. Participants were found to have overall better cognition throughout the day.
evening
No worries if you aren’t able to squeeze in a workout in the morning. Your daily rhythm may not allow for it, but that doesn’t mean that all benefits are lost. Exercising in the evening also provides your body different benefits:
- Muscle function and strength peak in the afternoon: Your body temperature increases throughout the day and peaks between 2-6 p.m. Your muscles are consequently primed for a workout in the evening. Strength, enzyme activity, and endurance are all at their peak in this state and support you in completing a great workout.
- Oxygen intake is faster in the evening: Your body is working most efficiently in the evening hours, with oxygen uptake kinetics (meaning how the body consumes and delivers oxygen to muscles and tissues that need it) at its peak. Morning workouts require more warmup to get you into the same state, adding to the time that is needed and potentially the focus you put into your overall workout.
- Reaction times are faster: Afternoon and evening workouts have been shown to include a faster reaction time because of increased body temperature, cardiovascular efficiency and peak muscular strength.
- You may sleep better: Yes, we know- we said the same thing about morning exercise. But that only goes to show that exercise is never a bad thing, but timing is everything. One study found that people that lifted weights in the evening slept better, and for longer, than those who lifted weights in the morning. To get optimal sleep, end your workout 1.5 hours before sleep to allow your body to cool down and shift into its sleep cycles.
- A study published showed that of 30,000 middle-aged participants who were obese and exercised in the evening were 28% less likely to die from any cause than those who exercised in the morning or afternoon. But researchers concede that data is coming to light every month the answer for when is “best” is not settled.
Ultimately, the best time of the day to exercise is whenever you can fit it into your schedule, and it helps you meet your goals. All this information isn’t to say that if you don’t have the opportunity to exercise in the morning or evening, that you should skip it altogether. One of the great aspects of physical activity is that you can complete a workout session in smaller portions and still reap the benefits.
Many studies have shown that you can accumulate your exercise minutes throughout the day. Breaking up your sweat sessions into smaller, 10-minute activities, compared to one continuous session, produces very similar results. For many of us, a busy day of work, family, commuting, home responsibilities, and more, also make it difficult to fit in exercise. Checking off shorter sessions can make it more manageable- and attainable- in the long run. After all, the best regimen is the one you can stick to.
One review of 19 studies involving 1,080 participants found no differences between accumulated and continuous exercise for blood pressure or cardiorespiratory outcomes. The authors also noted similar benefits for blood fat, insulin, and glucose levels between the two groups. The data showed that adults are likely to experience similar health benefits from accumulating shorter periods of activity throughout the day as they would performing a single bout of exercise. That means you can get in a 10-minute walk before heading off to the morning routine. Check off a session of low-impact exercise in the office or walk stairs on your lunch break. After you arrive home, finish off the last 10-minute session.
Physical activity recommendations for adults
The Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults (published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shares that adults require 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and 2 muscle-strengthening workouts per week.
The CDC provides further examples of how this can be broken down to fit into your schedule. Don’t forget, even within each example, the time recommendations can be divided into smaller portions, as needed!
Whether it’s first thing in the morning, at night, or broken into smaller portions, incorporating physical activity into your day is one of the best things you can do to support your health. Next week, we’ll share some activities throughout Tucson that can help you get moving, even during the hottest part of the year.
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