Let's talk to those who are wondering what the most productive time of day is for exercising. We discussed exactly this topic.
Well, not to brag, but no one in our office doesn't exercise. We're not Biscolata men or Victoria's Secret women, but we all exercise. (In fact, soon this might even be one of the boss's hiring requirements!) Joking aside, we do exercise, but even if it's everyone's common interest, it doesn't mean everyone agrees. While the copywriter says, "I do my workout, and then I start my day," the designer interjects, "Oh come on, you should do it in the evening. Then you can sleep soundly..." The customer representative asks, "What's the difference?" While we're bickering like the Seferoğulları and Tellioğulları, the editor puts an end to it: "Good topic. Let's write about this, everyone." And so we write.
Those Who Say "It Should Be Done in the Morning"
Those who think this way are not saying anything wrong. Exercising in the morning has serious benefits. There are also studies suggesting that exercising in the early morning, especially before breakfast, is more effective for fat burning than at other times of the day. In fact, on this subject, Professor Anthony Hack from the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill says that morning is the best time to exercise for fat burning. He largely attributes this to the body's hormonal structure being designed to support this goal.
Some other studies also show that exercising in the early morning and on an empty stomach is more effective for weight loss. Morning exercise helps you control your appetite better throughout the day, and when you don't overdo the calorie intake you need during the day, you naturally lose weight.
Let's talk about one last benefit of morning exercise and then move on to midday exercise. Some studies show that morning exercise has positive effects on focus, attention, visual learning, and decision-making. This 2019 study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine also parallels another study by the Journal of Obesity: In this research, obese subjects who exercised in the morning chose much healthier foods throughout the day without any guidance.
If you're one of those who love morning exercise, we know these things will motivate you. However, if you're still saying, "They could cut me, and I still couldn't exercise at the crack of dawn. Even making coffee is hard for me," we understand you and will move on to the benefits of exercising at midday or in the evening.
Those Who Say "Exercise is Done at Midday"
Research doesn't say that you can't exercise at midday or in the afternoon. You can. However, if your goal is primarily to gain strength, improve performance, and build more muscle mass, then exercising at midday is said to be more suitable for you.
Studies show that our body temperature reaches its maximum between 2 PM and 6 PM. Since body temperature increases performance, it is said that performance-oriented exercise is more beneficial during these hours. Body temperature allows muscles and tendons to be more relaxed. This increases mobility.
For relatively more challenging exercises like weightlifting or fast running a distance of 5 km, glucose is the primary fuel source. Again, high body temperature also helps glucose metabolism. Midday and afternoon hours, when glucose is metabolized, make these types of workouts more efficient.
Of course, you might be thinking, "I sometimes can't even go for lunch, how can I exercise?" In that case, let's talk about the evening hours. Because we can say that the idea that exercising in the evening offers no benefits is wrong.
Those Who Say "Evening Exercise is the Best"
To say "the best" would be an exaggeration; we haven't come across any research claiming this is definitively the best time. However, there's also no research suggesting that evening exercise is useless.
The most common question that comes to mind regarding evening exercise is, "Will it prevent me from falling asleep?" It's not an illogical question; exercising increases heart rate and affects the nervous system, which raises the question of whether these could make it harder to fall asleep.
While experts believed this to be true until recently, two separate studies conducted in 2018 and 2019 show that exercising 1 hour before sleep does not have a negative effect like making it harder to fall asleep. On the contrary, it has even been observed that exercises, especially those like yoga that are more suitable for ending with meditation, can improve sleep quality.
Another important point here is this: If you take a shower immediately after exercising and try to go to bed and sleep right away, this situation might make it a bit harder to fall asleep. However, exercising a few hours before sleep has not been shown to have a negative effect on sleep quality.
Furthermore, according to another study conducted by the University of North Texas, performing anaerobic training in the evening allows you to perform better. This is because the study highlights that while cardiovascular efficiency and endurance are better in the mornings, overall performance is better in the evenings.
So? When Should We Exercise?
Well, the conclusion from all our research is that we should choose the program that suits our exercise goals and our body's daily fluctuations. So? So, our team argued in vain; it doesn't seem possible yet to say there is a definite ideal time for exercise.
You should determine your own time according to your training type and life pace. What's truly important is consistency... Because, no matter what time you exercise, if you can't maintain consistency, it wouldn't be very logical to expect any benefit from exercise. However, it's possible to change your hours, organize them, and even break out of your routine to surprise your body, especially during challenging times like a plateau phase. In other words, you can shift the routine you established in the morning to midday or evening.
We're starting with a warm-up. 😉