IN a recent study, it appears more people lose weight when they exercise before noon, than after 3 p.m. Chronobiology, the study in which when we do something alters how our bodies respond, is of great interest now. Many studies have looked at how when we eat affects weight control. There is far less information about how the time of exercise, by itself, influences whether people lose weight or not. This study recently published in the journal Obesity looked to uncover if there was an effect on weight loss that’s dependent on the time an individual exercised.
In a 10-month study, scientists tracked down when individuals exercised. They found that those who exercised in the morning than those who exercised in the afternoon, lost more weight. For reasons unknown, few individuals also exercised around lunch. The scientists also uncovered that early exercisers tend to be active throughout the day as this was measured by these people taking more steps in total. They also ate a bit less, although the difference was somewhat insignificant, around 100 calories/day on average.
So, what does this mean for us?
1. It appears that exercising in the morning sets our mind for the day to pursue activity and better health.
2. Doing exercise early in the morning exercises willpower which may carryover to saying no to that treat or snack.
3. If our schedules do not permit us, exercising at any time of the day is still better than no exercise at all.
4. There are still health benefits to exercising in the afternoon. The study just shows that there might be a difference in weight loss when one exercises in the morning.
Overall, exercise is good and it’s something that we must always continually do as part of our routines and lifestyles.