Everyone knows that practicing sports is good for your health. We all have our reasons for doing sports, it can be to lose weight, to improve our physical performance, to let off steam or for many other reasons.
However, to reach your sport goal, you must be disciplined, motivated and you must respect a specific exercise schedule. But at what time of the day should we exercise, knowing that the effects on our body and our organism will be different depending on the time of day we exercise.
Is it in the morning to start the day with a good rhythm or is it in the evening to let off steam after a long day of work ?
One thing is for sure, we don't all have the same motivation and the same schedule to do our workout. Everyone has a busy life with work, chores and activities, so it's hard to find time to exercise. Also, some people have energy in the morning, while others have energy in the evening.
In any case, the best time to exercise is when you can work out as regularly as possible, with as much energy as possible while positively influencing your internal clock. There is no ideal time to exercise during the day. In fact, the ideal time to exercise depends on your internal clock.
However, the benefits and effects on the body are different depending on the time of day when we do our sports session :
Advantages of doing sports in the morning
• Excellent for weight loss.
• Stimulates the metabolism (a high metabolism consumes more calories).
• Reduces appetite and limits snacking.
• Get in shape for the rest of the day.
• Helps you fall asleep at night.
• Warms up muscles and awakens the body and mind.
• Generates endorphins that regulate mood and reduce stress.
Advantages of doing sports in the afternoon
• Better physical performance because of higher body temperature.
• Better flexibility and endurance.
Advantages of doing sports in the evening
• Allows you to let off steam and to evacuate anxiety, stress and frustrations.
• Reduces the risk of injury because the body is warmed up and the muscles are more flexible.
On the other hand, it is not recommended to practice sports 2 to 3 hours after eating because it is in the middle of digestion and nausea could occur. Moreover, it is also not recommended to do sports intensively after 7 pm because the increase in body temperature could prevent some people from finding sleep in the evening.
We could therefore say that the ideal time to do your sport is between 4pm and 6pm.
Yves Bondroit coach for QNT