What Is the Best Time of Day to Exercise?

December 24, 2019

As we ring in the new year, it’s the perfect time to evaluate your health and fitness routine. Is there something you can do to make 2020 your best year ever?

If you’ve vowed to exercise more next year, then you’re not alone. According to a survey from NPR, getting fit is the number one New Year’s resolution this year.¹But, if you’re like most people, finding time to add yet another commitment to your schedule isn’t easy. And, if you are carving out time for this activity, you want to make it count, especially if you’ll be battling crowded gyms.

We’ll share the best time of day to head to the gym or venture out for a run around the block.

Best Time to Work Out

By far, the best time to work out is in the morning on an empty stomach. You can burn the most fat at this time, which is ideal for weight loss. Even though you might feel like you’re dragging yourself out of bed, in actuality, your cortisol and growth hormone levels peak in the morning. This allows your body to better access those stubborn fat reserves, improving your results.²

In addition to burning stores of excess fat, an early morning workout can help curb your appetite and inspire you to make better eating choices throughout the day. Given that weight loss is 75% diet and 25% exercise, having the willpower to resist a morning bagel or an afternoon snack attack can spell the difference between success and failure.³

Those early morning workouts can also improve your mood for the entire day and improve how you react to stress. If you’re someone who tends to “stress eat,” then a pre-dawn workout could have multiple benefits.

Not a morning person? Even if you dread the alarm and press snooze, you might find that establishing a morning routine that includes exercise can become second nature if you give it a chance. Try vowing to stick to this routine for 30 days and see how you feel.

If, after 30 days, you don’t feel fantastic or you do not see results, you might not be working out to your potential, and that’s okay. If you’re part of the 20% of the population that’s a night owl, then there’s a good chance that this schedule won’t work for you, no matter how much effort you put into it.⁴

Second Best Time to Work Out

Your lunch hour is the second-best time to work out, and if your schedule doesn’t allow for an early morning workout, then consider lunchtime as your next best option.

Most likely, you’ve had at least one meal in your stomach by this time, so you’ll have accessible glucose in your system to give you the boost of energy you need to reach peak performance. If your workouts are high intensity, then this is an ideal time for cardio and weights.

If you tend to suffer from afternoon energy crashes, a lunchtime workout will also invigorate you to get through the day and avoid snack cravings.

Third Best Time to Work Out

After-work sessions at the gym tend to be the most convenient, but you could be sabotaging your sleep if you’re not careful. Evidence suggests that evening workouts can wind you up and make it hard for some people to fall asleep.⁵

To avoid a bout of insomnia after a workout, give yourself plenty of time to relax after a gym session. Don’t simply shower and go to bed immediately after you exercise. Instead, enjoy a healthy dinner and enjoy some downtime. If you still feel like you’re not tired, try meditating for 15 to 30 minutes to quiet your brain.

Bottom Line

Even though the data support the benefits of morning workouts, the best time to exercise is whenever you can fit it into your schedule. Fitting a brisk walk, a jog, a spin class, or weights into your routine, no matter what the time of day, is infinitely better than doing nothing at all.

Here’s to a healthy 2020!