Morning VS Evening Workouts In Malta: Which One Is Better For Your Health?
Historically, people have always enjoyed the prospect of finding the next best hack that’ll take their health gains game forward. But have you ever stopped to consider, that perhaps even the time of your workout could play a role?
You may be surprised to learn that it does.
Scientists from the University of Melbourne put this to the test by making a group of overweight gentlemen – of whom were all on a diet high in fat – work out either in the morning (6:30am) or evening (6.30pm).
Then they compared the two groups, both of whom broke their sweats over an indoor bicycle.
What did they find?
From a fitness point of view, there was no difference at all. In just five days, the boys were able to adapt to the exercise in such a way that they increased their own personal bests, regardless of the time.
But from a health point of view, people were better off training in the evening.
Persons who trained in the evening showed better blood sugar control, for starters. They even showed marked improvements in their cholesterol scores.
Overall, it was seen that the evening group had a better capacity to deal with the damage wrought by an overall bad diet.
Are the results that straightforward?
Although it looks like it, the distinction between morning and evening training is a little more nuanced. Many factors play a role in one’s ability to get the very best out of training. Results otherwise skewed by…
… Sleep, for starters.
If our biological clocks have thought us anything, it’s that any disruption in usual sleep and wake times could impact our health more than sticking to our workout time.
Working out in the morning after a horrible night’s sleep could be the reason why certain persons fared worse at dawn. A point to consider since subjects involved in this study were awakened in a spit-and-shine fashion and placed directly on an exercise bike.
Of course, there’s still more to it. How healthy you are, in general, and what diet you’re on, also in general, probably play the bigger roles.
What is this information worth to the Maltese?
It’s no secret that Malta has a problem with obesity in general, a problem undoubtedly attributed to our day-to-day eating habits.
In light of this, there is a strong case to be made that the Maltese would benefit more from working out towards the end of the day, rather than the beginning.
Breaking a sweat after a whole day of eating would help ensure nutrients in the food you consume throughout the day are able to get to the right places in your body, and not simply turned into fat.
It would also slot in nicely following a day at work, a good old-fashioned sesh to destress those heavy work vibes. Unless you work awkward shifts, at which point, you might want to reconsider.
Pro tip: physical activity at any stage of the day is still better than not working out at all, so missing your workout because the time just ain’t right ain’t no excuse.
Do you prefer working out in the morning or the evening?