When Is The Best Time For Cardio Exercise?
When is the optimal time for cardio exercise? Some people recommend in the morning, some at night, and many others at different times of the day. Learn the good and bad of each time of the day, and find which is best for you.
In the morning
For some people, exercise in the morning tires them because they use so much energy early in the day. But I notice the opposite effect: cardio in the morning keeps me alert and awake. Instead of waking up from bed feeling sluggish, I get up, stretch, do some cardio, and take a shower. I feel completely refreshed and ready to start the day. Early exercise makes me feel tired by bedtime, which helps regulate my sleep schedule.
Cardio, if done first thing in the morning, can be bad for your body. Exercising in the morning means exercising right after your body has been starved of food for the entire time you were sleeping. You should first eat to refuel your body and raise your metabolism, not force your body to use up the little remaining energy it has.
For people trying to lose fat, this could be good, because morning cardio forces the body to use its stored fat for energy. But cardio in the morning also forces the body to use energy from muscle. Is the exercise worth it if you burn muscle along with your fat?
At night
Some of my friends say that light exercise near bedtime makes them sleepier and helps them fall asleep more quickly. I tried doing cardio in the evening, and I could not sleep at all! The first day, I lay in bed for over three hours, unable to fall asleep because I was too hyped and alert. Perhaps if I did some light exercises, instead of sprints, I would not have been as awake. If you prefer exercise at night because you do not have time during the day, take a warm shower afterward: you will fall asleep more easily.
Near meals
Exercising near meals to “burn off” the calories seems like an attractive idea. But in most cases, the time you eat and the time you exercise do not affect each other.
I do not recommend exercising right after a meal because it interferes with digestion. It certainly will not make it easier for your body to digest if you are running around at the same time.
Eating right after an exercise is a good idea, because it gives your body the nutrients it needs to fuel itself. But plan the times of your meals by the times of your workouts, not the other way around. In other words, do not think:
I just ate, so I need to exercise to burn off these calories.
Instead, think:
I just exercised, so I need to fuel my body with nutrients.
This simple change in mindset will help you see the connection between diet and exercise much more clearly.
Near workouts
After I finish a cardio session, I feel worn out and not in the mood to lift weights. I have little energy left, so any workout after that suffers. But when I work out before I do cardio, I retain maximum energy for lifting weights, and I get a decent cardio workout afterward.
Ideally, you should rest between your cardio exercise and other workouts so that you do not exhaust yourself. Even a simple ten-minute break can restore your energy and improve your workout efficiency.
Personal recommendation
Currently, I eat breakfast as soon as I wake up, do 30 minutes of HIIT cardio, shower, then resume to my normal day. I chose this plan because of these benefits:
- I refuel my body as soon as I wake up
- I give my body time to adjust from sleeping to exercising
- I feel more alert throughout the day
- I naturally feel tired by bedtime, and fall asleep more easily
Making cardio work for you
Everyone reacts to exercise differently. I enjoy cardio in the morning, but some people hate it. I avoid cardio at night, but some people love it. To find the most comfortable time for you, experiment with exercises at different times of the day.
Remember these four basic cardio principles:
- Give your body energy to burn beforehand
- Do not shock your body into exercise
- Do not interfere with sleep
- Do not interfere with other workouts
Put on your running shoes and start doing some cardio!
What is your ideal cardio time? Do you find exercising later in the day better than exercising in the morning?
I think either in the morning or straight after work (on non-weight lifting days) are the best times for me. I too find that going for a jog in the morning is quite invigorating. It’s just the initial shock of getting up extra early that makes me tired. Once I’m past that and actually get out there and start running I’m fine.
Tom,
The first few times I tried running in the morning, I had a tough time because I wanted to sleep in! But I told myself to just get out of my room and lock the door, and exercising became easier after that. I find the first few minutes of waking up the hardest also.
Cardio is best done in the morning, though you should eat something no less than 30minutes before such as a small banana.