A.M. vs. P.M. WorkoutsBy Justine Kim [Fitness]
|
||
Does working out in the evening disrupt your sleep? Justine Kim weighs in on the pros and cons of both a.m. and p.m. workouts.  Does the time of day you choose to exercise make a difference in the results? There has been a growing debate over the optimum time to work out, due to the physiological effects exercise has on the body. Some people wake up at the crack of dawn and need the jolt of physical activity to energize them for the day. Others prefer to hit the snooze button and workout in the late afternoon or evening. Although research on exercise and timing is growing, it is still limited. Circadian Rhythms Human sleep and wake patterns follow a daily cycle called circadian rhythms. This cycle regulates our body temperature, blood pressure, alertness, metabolism and other physiological functions. Although the cycle is considered inborn, it may be reset based on individual behaviours and environmental cues. The time of day that we typically exercise is one of these cues. Basically, you can train your body to be most ready for exercise at a certain time of day by working out at the same time regularly. When you are planning on fitting exercise into your day plan, consider these pros and cons of a.m. and p.m. workouts: The Early Bird Catches the Worm - A.M. Workouts Pros: Some people are naturally morning people. They have no trouble waking up early, being full of energy and ready to start the day. If you are this type of person, a morning workout may be for you. Working out in the morning can boost energy for the rest of the day. It can also jump start your metabolism like eating breakfast does. The thermal effect of physical activity lasts for at least four hours after a workout. This increases the total calorie expenditure throughout the day. While your body is in sleep mode, it is in a process of regeneration, so if you choose to work out when you first wake up, you are using a fresh, repaired body. Research shows that morning exercisers are more likely to stick to it than late-day athletes. Cons: So you don’t feel raring to go first thing in the morning. In fact, dragging yourself out of bed is enough of a physical strain. Depending on eating and sleeping habits, some peoples’ bodies just aren’t recuperated in the morning. If your last meal was at 4:00 p.m. the previous day and you went to bed at midnight, chances are you will feel weak and tired in the morning. It has been a while since your last meal and your body has been in a state of fasting. Some people become very worn out from an early workout and feel the effects of fatigue and heavy muscles for the rest of the day. If your lifestyle and sleep habits don’t have you full of energy in the morning, an a.m. workout is not for you. |
||
| NEXTContinued on next page... | ||
|
||
|
||
