What’s the Best Time of the Day to Exercise? Science Answers

Do you prefer to workout in the morning or evenings? Which is better? One more study attempts to answer.

What’s the most optimum time to exercise?

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What time of the day is best for hitting the gym? Early mornings or late evenings? Science may finally have an answer to the problem that’s vexed gym goers for long. A new study done in Australia suggests evening exercise does not impact sleep cycle as previously thought. What’s better? It also helps reduce the urge to binge on evening snacks.

Now this study, published in The Psychology Society, was very specific to a type of workout - participants hit the exercise bike for six all-out one-minute sprints followed by four minutes of rest, for a 30-minute workout between 6-7 am, 2 - 4 pm and 7 - 9 pm. The result? They had lower levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and it did not affect their quality of sleep even when they worked out as late as 9 pm, reports The Telegraph.

The study was limited to a small sample size of 11-middle aged men.

This study is in direct contract to other studies that have supported the theory that exercising after the short fasting period that night provides better prepares your body for a leaner look. Low on carbs, the body burns it’s reserve fats.

There have been conflicting theories on the time for a long time. Experts also say that if you cannot drag yourself off the bed early in the morning, don’t sweat. The human body adapts to whatever time you choose to exercise, and will offer similar benefits no matter the time of the day.