is there a better time of the day to exercise?

[easttexasdaisy]

Okay I shouldn't look at other books, but this one has weights in it so was reading up on the exercise part. From the book Body for Life he says if you exercise first thing in the morning after drinking some water, but not eating that cardio/aerobic exercise can be up to 300% more effective at burning fat. I'm all for burning fat but could this be realistic? Have any of you found a time to exercise that is better than another?
Just trying to dial in my exercise some. Kind of haphazard at the moment. Some days i walk, some bike, some lift light weights, some exercise tapes of aerobics or yoga. But am all for making things more effective. And I do exercise just have lots of variety.

[pammie]

yes, some people claim that morning is a more effective time to exercise. how much more, I cannot tell you.
But in all honestly, the most effective time is when you can get it in.
What I mean is, if you are well intentioned to get up and do it in the morning but in actuality you end up turning your alarm off and going back to sleep...than it ireally is not effective at all, is it.

do it when you can. for me that is after work and before dinner 8about 4pm everyday)

[2big4mysize]

I do the BFL program and love the weight lifting part the cardio wasn't enough for me. I love Bill Philips philosphy on weight loss and exercise.

One thing is on Atkins we are fat burning 24?7 so it doesn't matter when we workout

BUT when you workout you increase your metabolic rate and that lasts after you get done too so if you do it in the AM then you are burning up more fat during the day then if you waited toill later.

Fit it in when you can get it in and remember it is a mandatory part of your Atkins.

[loonatika]

I can lift weights first thing in the morning - but just find I can handle HIIT or cardio later on in the day when I'm more alive.

[BonnieL]

I find if I get up and have breakfast and do email, then do a good cardio session(40-60 minutes), I get the most benefit. I lift weights on my weight days after the cardio. Some days I do my cardio twice. Helps get the kinks out when I get home, and trying to speed things up.

[Isabeau]

I remember my chiropractor telling me, mind you years ago, to not do any stretching exercises first thing in the morning, especially those that stretch your spine. Something about gravity and compression. In terms of my cardio and weight training stuff, I find I have to do it on an empty stomach, otherwise I don't feel so well.

[SCUBAgal]

Heres my take on it from my years and years of exercising (you'd think I'd be a skinny minnie, but exercise alone doesn't cut it!) and living with an exercise GOD..

Morning, empty stomache is better in the since that you will burn more (you glycogen stores are low from sleeping all night...a mini fast)..BUT

MORE IMPORTANTLY...the best time to work out is when you feel best working out. If mornigs just aren't your thing then by all means do it when it is. Because if you aren't giving it your all then its not as effective so morning or not isn't going to be better...does that make sense? Work out when you can do it at YOUR peak intensity. They do say to not eat for 3 hours prior to working out and then you'll get relatively the same benefits as doing it first thing in the morning.

Eating within an hour afterwards is also good because your body is at a prime for absorbing nutrients.

You know what though...the "advantage" of doing it one time over another is minimal enough that you really aren't going to notice some life changing difference...do it whne YOU want....all that matters is that you DO IT!

Hope that helps!

[cleochatra]

I have exercised late at night (10pm-11pm) and for some reason I seemed to lose more weight than when I switched to exercising at noon. It could be totally coinkydink?

[snorkelman]

do whatever works, but the best time for cardio is proven to be first thing in the morning before you eat.

Sorry to say cleochatra, but doing cardio late at night is the worst time to do it (because your body cannot keep the metabolism up high for several hours afterwards because it drops real low as soon as you sleep).

Anyway, no exercise is the worst. I am just telling you what is the best time to do it if you have that luxury.

[Healthy4Life]

I find for ME it's better to do it first thing in the morning (I'm an early morning girl).

I think for ME again the longer in the day I wait to exercise the MORE likely I am to talk myself out of NOT exercising.

[ttdriver]

I used to do first thing in the AM (4:30) .. that was a good way to kickstart me for the day and worked well, 'cept I was so dead tired by 8:00 in the evenings!

So now, I run in the afternoons after work and it REALLY helps me burn off the stress of the day.

I guess it boils down to whatever works best for you .. BOTTOM LINE: JUST DO IT! :nod

Betty

[will7128301]

does the term Morning apply to third shift as well? or when you wake up is morning? I've been on 3rd shift for about 3 years now... I wake up go to work before work and use the gym there....is that "morning"?

[snorkelman]

When I say morning, i assume that you sleep at night, but the point is: After you have been sleeping for 6-8 hours, you body has been fasting from food.

At any time before you eat that first meal of your day (breakfast means "break the fast") is when you want to do your cardio workout.

If you wake up at 8pm, then do your cardi after you wake up and before you eat.

[will7128301]

just checking to make sure you weren't speaking of a biological clock. Thanks! With morning and breakfast gets mixed Morning can mean AM or it can mean PM for third shift but if your talking a biological morning then it all boils down to the AM thing...glad to know I can have my "morning" work outs! and that Im not working through the other ones, thank you very much Snorkel!

[iyamamaschke]

I have read in numerous places that you don't want to workout on an empty stomach I'll have to find the articles to justify me saying this so I don't get smacked. Sorry.

I have never exercised in the morning cause I just am not a morning person I need to do stuff and get moving a bit then I exercise sometimes fairly late. Everyone is different and has different bodies what works for one does not necessarily work for the other. Like Betty said Just Do IT!!

Sarah