Exercising is a New Year's resolution for three-quarters of French people. However, it's always difficult to find the right time to exercise. We often work around our schedules. Is it better to train in the evening or in the morning? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
The benefits of working out in the morning.
Motivation.
After a good night's sleep, it's always easier to find the motivation to go to your gym than after a hard day at work. Working out in the morning frees up time for the evening. Take advantage of this time to pamper yourself or see your friends, for example. And the only setback you might have in the morning is a broken alarm.
Well-being.
Exercising your morning workout is stimulating and also helps optimize your mindset to tackle your day. During a workout, your body releases endorphins and dopamine. Cardiovascular exercise is a great way to release endorphins. This substance generates a feeling of well-being and happiness. It's a good stress reliever. However, endorphins are only released after at least 30 minutes of exercise. Dopamine is a hormone related to pleasure, the feeling of reward, and motivation. It's an excellent booster for feeling good and motivated throughout the day.
Did you know?
Dopamine strengthens neural connections and stimulates perseverance.
The disadvantages of training in the morning.
Get up.
It's easier to get organized in the morning before work than in the evening. However, you have to set your alarm earlier, which can be difficult for some.
A more substantial warm-up.
In the morning, your muscles are cold. They have less blood flow and are therefore stiffer. It's essential not to skip the warm-up, which should be thorough. Injuries can also occur more quickly.
The benefits of training in the evening.
Sports performance.
After a day of being awake, your muscles are warm. Muscle elasticity is therefore better. Be careful, this doesn't mean you shouldn't warm up—quite the opposite. However, the warm-up will likely need to be less intensive than if you were exercising in the morning. Furthermore, studies from the University of Birmingham have shown that the higher your body temperature, the better your performance.
Stress.
It's common to prefer to get up gently in the morning, go to work, and then let off steam in the evening with a workout. Exercise is a great way to relieve all the stress accumulated throughout the day. What better way to do it than after a hard day's work?
The disadvantages of training in the evening.
Sleep.
Exercising too intensely in the evening can cause sleeplessness. This is because your heart rate and arousal levels are higher than normal, which isn't conducive to quality sleep. If you exercise, make sure your session doesn't end too late.
Motivation.
While we love exercising and feeling much better afterward, it can be difficult to find the motivation, especially after a long day. Plus, it's easy to have setbacks in the evening, like being overloaded with work or simply wanting to see friends or family.
In summary.
The time you choose to train will simply depend on you and your goals. For example, a mother won't have the same opportunities as a competitive athlete, for example. Make the choice based on your individual needs and the advantages of each.
