When Is the Best Time of Day for You to Workout?  

For some people, waking up early in the morning to get ready is a cakewalk; they can apply their makeup, do their hair, and put on heels, even after a long stint lifting weights at the gym.

For others, the sound of the morning alarm brings nothing but misery, and the thought of doing anything except getting dressed and in the car sounds absolutely exhausting.

However, a trip to the gym is as important as a healthy breakfast for both types of people, so does it make a difference which time of day your muscles get their workout?

The advice can be contradicting: Magazines will tell you working out in the morning is best, while online articles recommend that spending the evening in a sweat is ideal for your metabolism. What’s the truth? Whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or simply get some extra activity into your life, is there truly a “right” time of day to hit the gym?

Hitting the Gym Before Work 

Whether you work in an office or you work from home, chances are you have to wake up relatively early during the week to get to work on time. If you are a morning person who can easily wake up early, working out in the morning can be ideal.

Morning workouts are beneficial in a number of ways. They:

• Boost your immune system throughout the day.
• Lower your appetite so you can avoid overeating, particularly at breakfast.
• Inspire you to continue healthy eating throughout the rest of the day.
• Give you energy in the morning to crush whatever is waiting at the office.

Exercising in the morning can also help to get your creative gears turning, so you might want to try and get in a quick run to the gym first thing in the morning to help motivate you for the rest of the day.

Hitting the Gym After Work

If you’re not a morning person, the thought of waking up even earlier to take a run or lift some weights may be torturous. Rather than feeling energized after getting your heart pumping, you might feel sluggish and uninspired when you arrive at work and take a seat at your desk.

In this case, there’s no shame in choosing to work out in the evening. Not only does working out after leaving the office help to eliminate any stress you might have experienced during the day, but chances are you’ll also have eaten two or three meals beforehand, and therefore will have the energy to break a sweat.

The benefits of working out after a day at the office also include:

• Stretching and working your muscles after sitting all day.
• Having a better chance at a good night’s sleep, because your body should be exhausted.
• Giving you a few extra hours to sleep in.

Option Three: Hitting the Gym While at the Office 

Things like standing desks and using exercise balls in lieu of computer chairs have become commonplace at many offices, but people are now seeking additional ways to incorporate daily exercise into their work life.

Desk treadmills, for example, give you the opportunity to take a gentle walk while you fill out spreadsheets and chat with clients on the phone. Many are designed to be quiet and portable, so even if you work in an office, you can avoid interrupting any nearby co-workers.

Some businesses have also implemented designated exercise rooms in their buildings, allowing their employees to get a quick strength-training or elliptical session in during lunch. These employee exercise rooms not only offer a way to break up the monotony of the work day, but may also help to build better interpersonal relationships between employees and managers who would not otherwise see one another during the day.

If finding the time to exercise during the workweek is just not possible for you, reserving a sweat session for the weekend can work as well. Just remember that regular exercise, regardless of when it happens, is important to keep your body healthy and can also help to improve your motivation and productivity between clocking in and clocking out. The fact of the matter is that the best time of day to hit the gym really depends on your body, your schedule, and your needs–it doesn’t matter when you do it, so long as it happens!