The Best Time I Found to Exercise

There are many theories on this, but this is not a trivial question. If you fail to find the best time to exercise in your own life, it’s likely that you won’t be able to incorporate exercise in your life.

First, there’s the indisputable fact that the best time to exercise for most people is: whenever there’s time. Not everyone is lucky enough to work from home, but everyone has different work and personal commitments to take into account. If the only time you can exercise is on the weekends with short sessions during the week, then so be it.

When it comes to energy management though, every time of the day offers different rewards for exercise

Exercising in the Morning

For many, the morning is the best time to exercise for the simple reason that it gets done. When I was traveling a lot, I often woke up a little earlier to get my workout in for the day. That lost half an hour or hour of sleep can often be made up by going to bed earlier at night. And if you manage to exercise in the morning, you’ll start your day right. You’ll probably eat healthier for breakfast, and you’ll have a generally good vibe about yourself that will carry on during the day.

For me, mornings are not the best time to exercise because that’s when I tend to be at my most creative. If I spend time to exercise in the morning, then that means my work day will start later, and I’ll lose those precious hours of heightened creativity and productivity. For that reason, I almost never exercise in the morning except when I’m traveling.

Exercising in the Late Morning

Many people who work from home find this to be an ideal time to exercise: right before lunch or around 11 a.m. for many. You may have had a light breakfast in the morning, and had a few hours to get the gears of your body/machine in motion. At that time, energy is generally high and you haven’t had a heavy lunch so you’re ready to go. Exercising before lunch also increases your appetite for lunch, which for many is the biggest meal of the day anyway.

I will sometimes exercise at that time but it’s not my preference. Depending on my schedule, it may be my second choice for exercise time. But it’s not my first choice. I find that exercising before noon cuts my day in half and I find it difficult to get back in a routine after I have to take a shower, eat, etc.

Exercising in the Mid Afternoon

In the mid-afternoon (between 2 and 4 p.m.), most people exercise a drop in energy. You can rev up your metabolism and avoid this down period, caused by our circadian rhythms (in nature, it would be the perfect time to nap), by exercising around that time.

After many trials and errors, I have found that this is the best time for me to exercise. I’ve already gotten a lot done during the day, and I’m ready for a break. At first, you may find it difficult to find the energy to exercise around that time, because the body is naturally slowing down. However, the body is adaptable and if you get into a groove, it doesn’t take very long to get used to it.

I find that exercising around this time enables me to avoid this drop in energy. I might even take a quick nap before or after my workout. The key is to avoiding eating a big heavy lunch. Eat relatively lightly for lunch, and have a post-workout snack. Then, make dinner your biggest meal of the day (you’ll need to have some breakfast if you want this routine to work for you).

Exercising in the Early Evening

This is another popular time for exercise (between 6 and 9 p.m.) because that’s usually the only available time for exercise that many people have. Also, it’s a time when the body experiences a shift in energy and generally you feel more alert and awake, as long as you haven’t had your dinner yet, or had an early or light dinner.

If I didn’t get in my workout in the mid afternoon, I will often exercise at this time. But I will generally eat a very light, early dinner, and then eat more after the workout. If your workout was particularly intense and you’re not used to exercise at this time, you may find it more difficult to fall asleep. But the body is adaptable so overtime, you’ll find it easier to sleep.

Exercising in the Late Evening

This is not a particularly good time for most people to exercise because exercising this late will usually interfere with sleep. But if you tend to go to bed late this time may work for you. Energy is often still high until close to bedtime. And again, the body is adaptable and will adjust to your routine if you consistently follow it around the same time.

What about you? What’s your best time to exercise?