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Why it’s Better to Exercise in the Morning vs. the Night
First things first — any exercise is better than none.
But if you are looking to optimize your day, morning exercise is better than evening.
This is because of the mood and productivity benefits of exercise, lasting for hours after the workout has been completed.
Research has shown people can improve time management and workload completed by more than 70% on days when they exercise.
Additionally, a good workout can produce a mood boost for up to 12 hours afterwards.
This means if you exercise at 6am, you will stay upbeat and mentally sharp throughout the entire workday, and then get tired at an appropriate time closer to bed.
Conversely, if you wait to exercise until 6pm, you might have brain fog during the workday and only experience a few hours of benefits before bedtime (unless you stay up late into the night, which isn’t recommended). Working out too close to bed can also result in a bad night’s sleep.
Additionally, exercise is easier to adhere to in the morning, before the demands of the day have begun. Typically, very few people are contacting you at 6am, whereas plenty of things can derail your workout at 6pm (happy hour, anyone?).
Willpower is also higher in the morning, a fact supported by science.
Finally, working out in the morning means you’ve accomplished something meaningful to set the tone for your day. This one accomplishment can set off a chain reaction of other achievements throughout the day.
Exercise may produce similar physical results regardless of time of day, but the mental benefits of exercise clearly favor the morning.
