What's the Best Time to Workout?

Do you rise early looking forward to starting your day with a sweat sesh or is evening your time to destress after a long day?

Much debate has surrounded this topic for years, and you will get a variety of answers. Some may argue that your best bet is to work out in the morning. Those who rise early to get in some exercise may find that they are more likely to stick to their workout because they have scheduled it in early. In addition, they may find they have more energy throughout the day from getting that blood flowing early on. Having a sense of accomplishment before you really need to get into your day can have its advantages.

However, for some, the evening might prove to be better. Maybe you use it to destress after a long day or it just simply fits better in your schedule.

I have personally experienced both ends of the spectrum. I started getting into an exercise routine when I was in college at Eastern Illinois University. I attended the group fitness classes at the campus rec center in the afternoons/early evenings after my classes for the day were completed. Once certified to teach, I began a few classes in the morning, but tended to gravitate to the evening classes.

Fast forward a few years later, I was a stay at home mom to our son, Lucas, and I started teaching again. Mornings were my preference at the time since Lucas slept in late and I could fit in an at-home workout with my husband, Adam, or teach a 5:30 a.m. class at the gym before he needed to leave for work. It worked great with our schedule for that time in our lives, so it was a perfect fit.

After our daughter, Adelyn, was born, Lucas started preschool and mornings were turned upside down. Between multiple wakeups at night with a newborn and rushing to get Lucas to school on time, I was just struggling. I tried several times to keep up with the morning workout routine, but I found that it caused more stress than it was worth. I would fit in my personal workouts during nap times and I eventually started teaching in the evenings, which I found to work well with our schedule. While I mostly now teach in the evenings, I have enjoyed having a few morning classes in the mix, but definitely later in the morning after we are in our routine for the day.

I share my experience to show you that it’s OK to have fluctuations on your time of working out when you are going through different stages of life. Having kids has taught me many things, but one of the big ones is being FLEXIBLE. I used to have high expectations of getting things done, and accomplishing my workout early in the day, but I quickly learned that it is OK to need to change things for a bit. It doesn’t have to be permanent and one day, you can get back to your old routine. Do what works for you and what feels good NOW. In this moment.

From my own account and my professional experience in the fitness field, I will always say PICK A TIME OF DAY IN WHICH YOU CAN COMMIT. If you know you can set your alarm an hour early and stick with it, by all means go for it! If you know the evening is going to be the time that works best for you, then lace up those shoes at the end of your workday and get to it! The important part is that you are moving your body and embracing all the benefits exercise brings – mind, body and soul.