Everyone wants to know when it is the best time to exercise. Well, who doesn’t? Everyone wants to make sure that they maximize the time that they spend on working out.
I’m sure you have heard or read various versions from different people about when you should exercise. Well, do not worry as I am about to give you proper facts about when is the best time to exercise.
At the end of the day, remember that exercising is better than not working out. If someone chose to exercise during the best times of the day, but only did it once in two weeks, he would still be far behind another person who exercises regularly at other times of the day!
Therefore, please do not be obsessed about this. This article is to help raise awareness. It would also be very helpful to know if you lead a busy lifestyle.
Exercise The Moment You Wake Up
The best time to exercise is when you wake up in the early morning. This would mean that after waking up, you wash up and begin on your workout routine for the day.
Why is it so effective? The reason is, when you wake up in the morning, your body does not have any food in your stomach. When you start to exercise, your body has to turn to the fat stored in your body.
Therefore more fat get burned when you work out early in the morning, on an empty stomach.
I am not a big fan of this method of exercise because, I’ve tried it personally, and although I did not have any problems, you might experience gastric pains. Some might be able to take it, others will suffer because their bodies cannot handle working out on an empty stomach.
This does not mean that you are weak. It just means that your body is not used to it yet. If you continue trying to exercise on an empty stomach, your body will adjust in a few weeks and you’re good to go!
This is one of the best time to exercise that I will talk about.
Work Out After Meals
Do not work out immediately after meals, mind you!
Another best time to exercise is two hours after meals. Two hours is a rough guideline suggested by doctors and health professionals. This amount of time is an estimate of how much time it takes for your body to digest the food inside your body after your meal.
In my opinion, working out after meals is the best time to exercise. There is little risk.
When you work out after a heavy meal, you actually help to raise the metabolism rate of your body. Your body’s metabolism rate is basically how fast your body is able to burn fat.
Therefore, exercising effectively means that your body can better burn the fat that you consume. Isn’t that great? Of course, you need to be conscious of what you eat. No amount of exercise can help you if you refuse to pay attention to your diet.
The one tiny risk that you might face, is that your body does not digest in two hours and takes longer. This means that if you actually exercised immediately after the two hour time frame, you might experience indigestion.
My advice would be to start slow. Try doing a few repetitions of a certain exercise and see how you feel. If no discomfort sets in, you should be able to exercise without any problems. If you do feel pain, stop immediately and try working out after three hours the next time.
Should the pain persists, see your doctor immediately.
Working Out Before Your Sleep
Like the previous few paragraphs on exercising after meals, you should not exercise 15 minutes before bedtime. When you exercise too close to bedtime, it can actually cause you to be more alert for a long period of time.
The rule of thumb is to exercise two hours before bedtime.
Exercise has been scientifically proven to help you fall asleep better at night by helping your body regulate its sleeping cycle. Is that too confusing? Basically, if you exercise appropriately, you sleep better.
As I’ve mentioned before (and some of you might be aware), exercise helps to boost the metabolism rate of your body. This means that you burn fat faster and for a longer period of time.
Choosing to exercise a few hours before bedtime means that you burn fat while you sleep! Yes, it is not as significant as if you were to go running or when you engage in physical activity. However, if you regularly work out before bedtime, it can make a significant difference.
Final Words
Knowing when is the best time to exercise should not make or break you. Don’t become overly obsessed with when you should exercise. It is counterproductive to your fitness aims and goals.
For me, I exercise whenever I have the time, which can vary from the evenings to a few hours before bedtime. I’m not a morning person, so working out in the morning will be the last thing I’ll ever do.
I’ve seen many people who let this issue get to their head and they fail to exercise regularly. They become convinced that working out at a certain time is enough, so they do so once in a blue moon! This is really sad..
All in all, I hope that you will just keep in what I’ve shared with you in this article and to not be obsessed. You can achieve more if you keep yourself focused on your long term fitness aims.
You can do it!