The body’s internal clocks, or circadian rhythms, synchronise functions like hormone secretion, body temperature, and metabolism over 24 hours. These rhythms influence how our bodies respond to exercise, affecting energy metabolism and gene expression. Exercise can also help re-align disturbed internal clocks, crucial for metabolic health. The ideal timing is individual, influenced by age, sex, metabolic conditions, and chronotype (morning vs. evening person).

Morning Workouts

Exercising in the morning, especially before you’ve eaten breakfast, can be a great way to help your body use more of its stored fat for energy. After sleeping, your body has less readily available energy from carbohydrates (called glycogen). This “low fuel” state encourages your body to tap into your fat reserves instead.

Studies show that when people exercise in the morning, they tend to burn more fat during their workout and even for some time afterward. Doing morning exercise regularly can also contribute to keeping a healthy weight over time and may lower your risk of obesity.

Fasted Cardio: Is Working Out on an Empty Stomach Better?

You might have heard about “fasted cardio”—that’s when you exercise without eating beforehand. Some people think it’s a great way to burn more fat because your body has less sugar to use for energy, so it might turn to fat stores instead. Also, a hormone called cortisol is naturally higher in the morning, and some believe this helps with fat burning too.

However, when scientists have looked closely at this, the results are a bit mixed. While a few smaller studies suggest it might help improve your body’s shape, other studies show that exercising on an empty stomach doesn’t actually lead to more fat loss overall compared to exercising after you’ve eaten. However, there may be some downsides to this..

You might not perform as well: If your blood sugar gets too low, you could feel lightheaded or even faint. This means you might not be able to work out as hard or burn as many calories during your exercise.

Hormone concerns: While cortisol is natural, too much of it over a long time might actually make it harder to lose fat or could even lead to losing muscle instead of fat.

For better blood sugar control, especially if that’s a concern for you, exercising after meals (especially dinner) might actually be more helpful.

Evening Workouts

You might find that your body feels strongest and most ready for exercise in the late afternoon and early evening. This is because your body’s temperature is a bit higher then, which helps your muscles work better and use energy more efficiently. You might also feel like you have more energy for your workouts at this time, which could mean you can exercise for longer or at a higher intensity.

Special Benefits for Some:

• For people with Type 2 Diabetes: Doing intense exercise in the evening has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels, something that wasn’t seen with morning workouts. Also, exercising after your meals, especially after dinner, can really help with managing blood sugar.
• Heart Health: One big study even found that being active in the afternoon was linked to a lower risk of heart disease and living longer.

Clearing Up Myths

You might have heard that exercising in the evening can ruin your sleep, but that’s usually not true!

• If you do moderate to intense exercise, as long as you finish it at least 2-4 hours before you go to bed, it generally won’t mess with your sleep.
• In fact, regular exercise, no matter when you do it, actually improves your overall sleep quality. This is because it helps you burn energy, reduces stress hormones, and can even help your body produce melatonin (the sleep hormone).
• Very intense exercise right before bed (less than an hour before) might make it a little harder for some people to fall asleep, but these effects are usually not harmful.
• Gentler activities like yoga or a walk in the evening can actually help you sleep better by reducing stress and anxiety.

Benefits of Exercising

While exercise can certainly help with managing your weight, it offers a huge number of amazing benefits for your health that go far beyond just the number on the scale.

Here’s how regular exercise helps your whole body and mind:

• A Stronger Heart: It lowers your chances of getting heart disease, high blood pressure, and even strokes.
• Better Blood Sugar: It helps prevent Type 2 Diabetes and makes it easier to manage if you already have it.
• Lower Cancer Risk: It can reduce your risk of developing several types of cancer.
• Stronger Bones and Muscles: It keeps your bones and muscles healthy and strong, which helps prevent conditions like osteoporosis (weak bones) and keeps you moving easily.
• Improved Mood and Mind: It’s a powerful tool against depression and anxiety, makes you feel happier, and can even sharpen your thinking.