When is the Best Time to Workout?

You have decided to start working out, and you start talking about it with your friends and family so you can get some motivation and have a bit of accountability.  One big question you have is when is the best and most effective time to work out?  You ask everyone, your father tells you first thing in the morning, your co-worker tells you the best time is mid day during your lunch break, the bus driver tells you in the evening when you get home from work. All these answers leave to you to wonder who is right, and the answer is all of them.  WHAT how can that be??  The key to the question “when is the best time to workout?” is the best time to workout is when it is the best time for you.

There are pro and cons to working out for every time of the day, but those are more about your ability to keep the habit than any real body science of one time being better than another.

Morning workouts are great because you start your day off with a boost, once you are done you already feel accomplished for the day, and it helps you to keep the workout habit in that you don’t have to worry about any last minute distractions interfering with your workout. Only real big con to morning workouts is you have to get up so darn early.

Mid-day workouts are perfect if you can’t seem to get out of bed early, and after work you are just to busy to even think about getting a work out in. Plus you get all the perks of a great afternoon lift to help you power through the rest of your day.   Con to lunch workouts, you are pressed for time, and you have to eat your lunch at your desk.

After work workouts are a great way to relieve stress from your day, and help you transition from work you to home you.  In many cases it is easier to get a group of people to work out with making it easier to stay accountable for your workouts.  After work out also offer a great excuse for bowing out of drinks with that co-worker you just don’t really want to hang out with outside of work.  Con to after work workout is those offers to get drinks with the co-worker you really enjoy spending time with.

To answer the question posed in the title of this article, the best time to work out is the time that works best for you.  You know yourself, and you know you downfalls about creating the exercise habit.  And if none of these times sound good to you, find a friend, join them whatever time they work out, and before you know it that time of day will be the best time of day for you.