Morning, Noon Or Night: What's The Best Time To Work Out?

(This article has been updated as of Dec 4, 2020. Covid has now dramatically accelerated the already growing trend toward online wellness coaching and age group-specific guidance on healthy habits. To address these needs directly I have launched a comprehensive online program for Boomers like me with my longtime colleague and favorite healthy eating expert , Anne Moselle, R.D. Check it out here.)

Do you wake up hating the day or raring to go?

Does the idea of heading to the gym or going out for a run after work seem more like a welcome release or a prison sentence?

Would a mid-day workout interrupt your productivity flow or give you a much-needed re-charge before the afternoon drag?

When it comes to cultivating fitness habits, the critical question is “Do mine work for me?” And the time of day you choose can either create, or remove the single biggest obstacle to actually making your workouts happen on a regular basis, which is where the true, life-long value of exercise lies.

Here are some pros and cons to each of the options:

Early AM

Cons: If you’re not a morning person or you tend to stay up late, you can feel sluggish and have a hard time enjoying, or even just getting through the workout. And some people have a very hard time going from being cozy in bed to moving around aggressively within the space of an hour or less.

Pros: You get it done before it can be interfered with, start your day with a burst of energy and are more alert and engaged (and often in a better mood) as you get going with the rest of your morning.

Noon

Cons: It limits your ability to schedule mid-day meals with friends or lunchtime meetings (which may be a “pro” for some!) and will cut into your work flow if you’re on a roll with projects or errands.

Pros: For many people it’s a welcome break from the morning rush and pressure to get things accomplished and it breaks the work day into two, separate, and much more manageable chunks.

Evening

Cons: This is the time most likely to get torpedoed by conflicting demands (late work, after school kid-schlepping, last minute runs to the store before dinner) and interfere with supper or family time.

Pros: If this is the time most likely to be between work and family responsibilities, it may be for you the “Golden hour of me time”. And often people feel like it’s their physical reward for a hard day of mental slaving.

In the end, though, the best time for you to work out is the time you will most likely actually do it! That may mean early, mid-day, after work/school or even late at night, although be careful on this one as it can interfere with restful sleep.

The best thing to do if you’re not sure is try each time period, provided your schedule allows. See when it fits in best and complements well the other priorities in your life (work and family commitments, rest and eating habits).

But whatever time you end up choosing, even if it moves around, make sure you put it in your calendar so it earns the same level of attention and importance you’ve placed on the other activities it will most assuredly make better.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They provide personal training and small group fitness solutions at their studio and a premium, innovative, medically endorsed web-based group coaching wellness program for the over-fifty tribe.