By Gabe Sanders PhD, NSCA-CSCS
There is an ongoing debate among fitness professionals and researchers regarding the optimal time of day to exercise for optimizing weight loss. Many people question if morning, midday, or evening exercise is best for weight loss and stress management.
It is also possible that the time of day does not matter for weight loss from a physiological standpoint, and it may be more advantageous for stress management.
Timing of Exercise may play a pivotal role
With that said, here are some recent research findings to address the question about optimal weight loss practices. Research has shown that weight loss resulting from exercise interventions is typically less than what one might expect based solely on the energy expended during workouts.
This intriguing phenomenon can be attributed to compensatory mechanisms in the body, like decreased energy expenditure elsewhere or increased food intake post-exercise. But here's a twist: the timing of your exercise might play a pivotal role in these compensatory responses.
Some studies hint at the morning hours being the golden period for exercise. Willis and colleagues, for instance, observed that overweight young adults who undertook intensive aerobic exercise in the mornings shed more weight than their evening-exercising counterparts.
Alizadeh's study also bolstered the idea of morning workouts being superior for weight loss. However, in the seesaw of scientific discourse, other research has indicated evening exercises might be more effective in reducing fat mass.
But before you get overwhelmed, it's worth noting that many of these studies had limitations, such as small sample sizes or lack of objective energy balance measures. This underscores the need for a more comprehensive study to decisively conclude whether morning or evening exercise reigns supreme.
Weight Loss can happen at whatever time you exercise
An interesting study aimed to bridge this gap by examining the feasibility of assigning individuals with weight concerns to morning or evening aerobic workouts. This 15-week regimen required participants to engage in four exercise sessions weekly, with the intensity and duration gradually increasing. The results?
A commendable 94% of participants stuck to the study till the end, and both morning and evening groups demonstrated high adherence to their respective workout schedules. Weight loss was evident in both groups, albeit slightly more in the evening exercisers. Also, while morning exercisers upped their energy intake, the evening group displayed a decrease.
In a nutshell, while this study establishes that both morning and evening workout schedules are feasible for weight loss, it stops short of declaring a clear winner. The takeaway? Listen to your body. If you're a morning person, embrace the sunrise with your workout routine. If evenings feel right, go with that flow. The key is consistency and finding what works best for you. Future research may guide us further, but for now, whether you're an early bird or a night owl, just keep moving!
Article’s Source
Creasy SA, Wayland L, Panter SL, Purcell SA, Rosenberg R, Willis EA, Shiferaw B, Grau L, Breit MJ, Bessesen DH, et al. Effect of Morning and Evening Exercise on Energy Balance: A Pilot Study. Nutrients. 2022; 14(4):816. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040816
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