FITNESS Is morning the best time to exercise?

All hail the morning workout?


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

When is the best time of day to exercise? If you ask a dozen people, chances are you’ll get a number of different answers. There are many who believe that a morning workout is best, yielding both physiological and psychological benefits.
In the first instance, many people believe that working out in the morning helps you burn more calories than working out at any other time of day. They cite an increase in your body’s metabolism as the reason for this. Metabolism is the amount of fuel your body uses each day in the form of energy. We use calories to measure our metabolic rate. So, a high metabolism means you burn more calories each day. But does working out in the morning increase this daily metabolic rate?

Expert opinion
The research experts at Columbia University think not. Their studies show that working out in the morning does not raise metabolic rate any higher than working out at any other time of day. So, if you are torturing yourself to get up 30 minutes earlier because you think it’s the best time to shed a little more weight, save yourself the trouble.

Fuelling up
Furthermore, if you get up and exercise before breakfast, this may be doing you more harm than good. After a night’s sleep, the body is low on the glycogen level, its major source of fuel within the muscles. Glycogen is also used to fire up your brain in the morning. So, exercising before eating in the morning leads to a sparring contest between your brain and your body over the available fuel stores. This means your workouts will be shorter and probably of lower quality. The answer is to take on some form of carbohydrate before you exercise. Fruit is a good source. Then wait ten minutes before exercising.

Working out
If you are not a runner, and going outside is not attractive, I recommend a short, high-intensity workout indoors. Combine skipping or high-knee jogging with bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, lunges, planks and burpees to create an effective workout. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds, resting for one to two minutes when completed and repeat as desired. Beginners do five minutes, working up to ten to 15 minutes.

Mind matters
So, if morning workouts don’t boost metabolism or burn more calories, why do them? I believe that exercising in the morning is psychologically beneficial because it places exercise at the forefront of your day. Giving this early priority to exercise can help with your focus and attention, perhaps even your work performance as research shows. The active mindset you invoke may also help with your food choices during the day and help keep your exercise regime on track.

Know yourself
There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to establishing the optimal daily workout time. We are all individuals. Your daily energy levels will be dictated by your body’s natural rhythms, known as the circadian rhythms. Some people naturally feel more energetic in the morning, for others their peak is in the afternoon. Arrange your workouts according what suits you best.

Paul O’Brien is a personal trainer and life coach based in Westport.