Morning vs. Evening: What’s a better time to exercise to lose weight?
Weight loss is a mountainous task, which requires consistency and determination. One has to make small progress every day to achieve their weight loss goal. But sometimes even small things can make a great difference like your sleeping routine or the time you are exercising.
Here is the right answer!
When it comes to exercising for weight
loss, it is generally believed that your effort and regularity matter
more than any other thing. And the timing merely plays a role in
shedding kilos.
However, this might not be true completely. As per
some researchers, exercising in the evening can help you achieve your
weight loss goal faster than exercising in the morning.
Evidence supporting evening workout
A review of two studies, which was carried out to assess the link between body clocks and physical activity concluded that exerrcising in the evening might be more productive as compared to exercising in the morning.
Both
the studies were carried out primarily on mice. The major challenge the
scientists had was to translate mouse hours into human ones because
mice are nocturnal. Later the scientists carried the same test on 12
humans and found the results to be similar.
The reason why it is considered better
It is said that the oxygen consumption is
lower in the evening, which improves your performance and you
eventually lose weight a little faster. In the study, it was also found
that a protein known as HIF-1a, which has a crucial role to play in
weight loss, is activated by exercise in different ways depending on the time of day.
In
fact, as per the American Council on Exercise, the performance level is
better in the evening due to flexed and warm muscles. Moreover, the
exertion rate is low, the strength is optimal and the resting heart rate
and blood pressure are in control.
When should you exercise
Certainly, there are proofs that
support the claim that exercising in the evening is better than
exercising in the morning for weight loss, but the pieces of evidence
are very limited. More research is needed to come to a strong conclusion
on this matter.
Till that time whether you choose to exercise in the morning or the evening, try to be consistent and add variety in your workout routine. Here are a few things you need to be careful about if you are exercising in the evening.
Exercise 4-5 hours before going to bed, else it will be difficult for you to fall asleep at night.
Fuel yourself properly before exercising. Your body needs energy to perform strenuous exercise.
Add different kinds of workout like strength training, body weight exercises and cardio for better results.
Remember only exercising will not help you reach your goal. A healthy and nutritious diet is equally important.