Workout & Exercise: earlier or later?
By: Darren Rieck
Good question. According to a recent Los Angeles Times Health section holding off your workout until later in the day is recommended for peak performance. The writer sited a study using several highly trained athletes and found that they improved their times by an average of over 5 seconds when working out later in the day.
That being said, there is no question that when competitive athletes shave 5 seconds off their time it could prove significant during a race. But this does not translate well to most of us trying to squeeze in a workout whenever we get a chance. After all, if I save 5 seconds on my jog it is not going to make any difference whatsoever to what I am trying to achieve, which is about an hour of exercise each day.
We are all different, and what works best for you is what is recommended. Personally, the last thing I want to do is get up at the break of dawn to get a workout in. Even though I always feel great after beginning my day with a jolt of activity, a lot of the good feeling is simply knowing I already got my workout done.
What works best for me is to fight off my late afternoon energy drain and exercise then. Yes, when my energy level seems low, I start my workouts. An hour or so later my mind is clear and my body refreshed by the activity, and the fact that I felt tired beforehand has long been forgotten. So do that workout earlier or later, whatever is best for you.
Keep in mind:
1) Avoid jumping out of bed and exercising first thing in the morning. Always allow yourself 30 minutes to an hour to let your body "wake-up" as well.
2) If you decide to workout later at night, remember to allow yourself enough time to cool down before lying down for the night. Some people may have trouble falling asleep right away.Darren Rieck is a Health Scientist and founder of HEALTHandFITNESS.com
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