This is a question I get all the time – what is the best time of day to workout, so this week we are talking morning vs evening workouts…spoiler alert it really doesn’t matter! A lot of it is down to personal preference and when you can guarantee you can commit to being consistent and getting it done. There are definitely pros and cons of both morning and evenings for workouts but for me it is definitely the morning that wins.
Both morning and evening workouts require discipline and motivation to get them done and make sure they don’t get bumped down the to do list. First off let’s talk mornings…
Morning workouts have been proven to boost energy and alertness levels throughout the day, you benefit from the post-exercise endorphin release all day and can put you in a better mood to start the day. Working out in the morning does usually mean that other distractions such as work, socialising, cooking dinner, laundry and the rest don’t get in the way and cause the workout to be missed. That said, if you’re getting up super early to fit in a morning workout you might be cutting short your sleep which is vital for recovery as well as mental wellbeing. Did you know that 45% of women choose to workout in the morning rather than the evening? Furthermore, on average women who worked out in the morning completed more workouts than those who opted for the evening (from TreadMill Survey).
Evening workouts definitely have their benefits too. You don’t necessarily have a tight time scale in the evening meaning you might be able to fit in a slightly longer workout (as you’re not rushing to finish in time for work or school run) so perhaps you could fit in that core finisher or a longer cool down? Some studies have reported that people found they could train harder in the evenings vs mornings, although this did vary between strength and cardio. This may in turn help you sleep – if you’re training a little harder and not getting up quite as early to train pre-work you might just find your sleep quality improves. In contradiction, some people report that workouts too late in the evening will result in an inability to switch off and they end up going to bed later. In addition it can be harder to be consistent in the evenings due to other commitments.
So the true answer to this is to do whatever works best for you! If working out in the morning is going to help you be consistent then go for it, if it’s the evening then definitely do that. The difference in performance is so minimal, that it really doesn’t matter. So my take home message is that consistency is key!
Let me know what works best for you – get in touch.
Caroline x
