When is the best time to exercise? - Training in the morning or evening

There is no doubt that regular exercise has a health-promoting effect on the human body. However, many sports people often wonder when is the best time to exercise - in the morning or in the evening - to get the most benefit. It turns out, however, that it's not just the time of training that's the subject of much discussion in the fitness industry, but also when it's better to exercise before or after eating. So let's find out what the scientific research says on the subject.

• Why exercise?
• When is the best time to exercise - training in the morning or in the evening?
• Is it better to exercise before or after eating?

Why exercise?

At the very outset, it is worth emphasizing that whether you exercise in the morning or in the evening, it is highly advisable, first of all, to make a habit of regularly practicing your favorite sport. The results of numerous studies clearly show that regular physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer (especially colon cancer and breast cancer), neurodegenerative diseases and depression. Regular physical activity increases muscle strength, physical and cardiorespiratory fitness, and improves bone mineral density, cognitive function and sleep quality, as well as preventing falls. So it's good to find at least 30 minutes a few times a week for your favorite physical activity, which, as we already know well, carries a number of health benefits.

When is the best time to exercise - training in the morning or in the evening?

When is the best time to exercise? This is a question that continues to bother many physical activity enthusiasts today, as well as people who want to lose weight and take care of their health. Current research shows that both morning training and evening training are effective in reducing body weight and body fat, as well as improving cardiorespiratory endurance and muscle strength. Morning as well as evening exercise also has beneficial effects on subjective sleep quality, daytime sleepiness and health-related quality of life. In some people, morning workouts, and even more so at high intensities, can result in increased feelings of fatigue during the day and reduced spontaneous physical activity during the rest of the day. It has also been suggested that for some people, the time to go to bed may be earlier when training is done in the morning (greater daytime fatigue), while it may be delayed when training is done in the evening (arousal from exercise). Despite the fact that training done in the morning allows you to devote time to your social life and other activities in the evening, it can be difficult for a certain number of adults to maintain long-term motivation to get up very early to make time to do a workout before work. It's certainly hard to unequivocally answer the question of when the best time to exercise is. This is influenced by a number of mandatory and leisure-related activities (including school, studies, work, family, language classes, courses and training, hobbies), as well as factors such as the specifics of exercise and a person's personality and temperament. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that for both building muscle mass and reducing body fat, morning training and evening training will work well. A far more important factor than the time of training is its regularity. The time of training is therefore worth adjusting individually to your needs.

Is it better to exercise before or after eating?

Exercise before eating

Another dilemma that spends the sleep of many people who train and want to lose weight is when it is better to exercise before or after eating. Training in the morning on an empty stomach, i.e. 8-12 hours after eating the last meal, is a very common choice for losing excess weight, especially running. Numerous people have high hopes for regular fasting workouts, as the body then oxidizes up to 30% more energy from fat. However, the fatty acids burned during fasted training do not necessarily come solely from adipose tissue, but also from triacylglycerols stored in the muscles. It is estimated that about 50% of the fatty acids burned during exercise come from intramuscular triacylglycerols in beginners, while up to 80% in trained individuals. In light of current scientific evidence, fasted exercise is unlikely to provide additional benefits in terms of fat reduction, compared to exercise after eating. It is worth mentioning that some people who regularly exercise while fasting, after a full night without food, may be more likely to suffer from hypoglycemia, injury, loss of muscle mass and decreased physical performance, as well as lowered immunity and malaise. It is not easy to answer the question of when it is better to exercise before or after eating. Fasting workouts will work well for people who like to train on an empty stomach and usually perform low-intensity exercises, not exceeding 60 minutes in total.

Exercising after a meal

Exercising after a meal is a great option for anyone who is bad at fasted workouts and clearly feels that they lack the energy to exercise when they haven't eaten a satiating meal in advance. Besides, the consumption of a full meal makes it possible to clearly increase the intensity of the exercises performed, which is of great importance for all those who practice sports, the specifics of which involve high intensity of effort. To find their own answer to the question of when it is best to exercise, recreational sports people should test both ways (training before and after eating), and then listen to their body and its needs.

Sources:

• Hackett D, Hagstrom A.: Effect of Overnight Fasted Exercise on Weight Loss and Body Composition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2017;2(4):43.
• Küüsmaa-Schildt M, Liukkonen J, Vuong MK, et al: Effects of morning vs. evening combined strength and endurance training on physical performance, sleep and well-being. Chronobiol Int. 2019 Jun;36(6):811-825.
• Saidi O, Colin E, Rance M, et al: Effect of morning versus evening exercise training on sleep, physical activity, fitness, fatigue and quality of life in overweight and obese adults. Chronobiol Int. 2021 Nov;38(11):1537-1548.
• Moholdt T, Parr EB, Devlin BL, et al: The effect of morning vs evening exercise training on glycaemic control and serum metabolites in overweight/obese men: a randomized trial. Diabetologia. 2021 Sep;64(9):2061-2076.
• Blankenship JM, Rosenberg RC, Rynders CA, et al: Examining the Role of Exercise Timing in Weight Management: A Review. Int J Sports Med. 2021 Oct;42(11):967-978.
• Creasy SA, Wayland L, Panter SL, et al: Effect of Morning and Evening Exercise on Energy Balance: A Pilot Study. Nutrients. 2022 Feb 15;14(4):816.