When Should You Exercise?

Everyone's schedule is different, as well as their diet, metabolism and their exercise regime. Exercising is important to your health as it gets your body active and helps combat many health risks.

The Australian national exercise guideline claims that the average adult should do 150 minutes to 300 minutes (2.5 to 3 hours) of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 minutes to 150 minutes (1.25 to 2.5 hours) of vigorous intensity physical activity or a mix of both.

But does the time of day that you exercise important to your fitness journey? Here are the pros and cons to exercising in the morning, afternoon, and night. 

Morning

For many, working a 9-5 job (+ travel time) makes it hard to find time to schedule in a workout. To make time, getting in an early morning workout before the day starts has become essential. Or if you're someone who has a bit more free time, some like to get it "out of the way" by making it the first thing to do in their daily activities. Despite these preferences, there are lots of benefits to exercising in the morning. 

Working out in the morning on an empty stomach has shown that your body burns fat stores instead of carbohydrates. It also encourages healthy eating as you've put the hard work in earlier in the day. As you have an early start to the day, working out in the morning helps you sleep better. It's also been proven to help as a mood booster for your day, as well as improve productivity. 

Afternoon

Afternoon is a great time to workout for some - you get the energy and fuel from having eaten meals, there's less people at the gym and it gives your body enough time to rest before you go to bed.

For instance, working out in the afternoon and having eaten will fuel your body to perform higher-intensity workouts compared to fasting in the morning. It can also give you an energy boost and avoid that afternoon slump. You're also more flexible from moving about in your day which will make it easier to do your workout. 

Evening

Evening is one of the most popular times to get a workout in as people have finished their 9-5 workday. Although many believe that working out later will affect your sleep, research has found that this is not the case.

As well as this, a study has found that working out later can reduce levels of ghrelin, a hunger-stimulating hormone, which assist with weight loss or management. Similarly to working out in the afternoon, you would also have more flexibility and energy in comparison to working out in the morning. 

So what's the best time? 

Truthfully? The best time is the time that YOU choose to workout. Not everyone has the same schedule or motivation, but you should work out when you know you will be consistent, as consistency is really the best way to workout. Muscle Protein is a great way to stay consistent and help with time management with our Whey Power due to its slow release formula taking up to 6 hours for your body to absorb, making you feel fuller for longer.