Is there a best time of the day to exercise?
If you want to get more bang for your exercise buck, you may be questioning if there is the best time to exercise to lose weight for maximum results.
Depending on what you are reading, you might find that they tell you that a) morning is the best time to exercise to lose weight or that b) early evening is the best time to exercise.
So what’s our philosophy at The Healthy Mummy HQ?
Exercise When You Can
The general agreement among fitness experts is trying to fit exercise in the morning as it can give you a boost for the rest of the day.
“When you do a vigorous session in the morning, your metabolism is raised post-exercise for up to 12 hours, which is going to make you more efficient at using stored fat,” says accredited exercise physiologist Dr Jarrod Meerkin.
“At night your metabolism drops, so you are not going to gain the same benefits you would expect to achieve exercising at night as you would in the morning.”
But at The Healthy Mummy – although this may be true – we think the very best time to exercise is every day, whenever you can.
We are all busy mums like you, and find it difficult to dedicate an hour at a specific time of day to regular exercise.
So instead, we recommend squeezing in blocks of activity whenever possible.
Got 15 minutes until you need to do the school pick up? Got a 20-minute window where both of your kids are napping at the same time (lucky you!)? Can you find a spare 15 minutes in your morning by setting your alarm to get up before everyone else? Feel like exercising while your kids are playing at the park like the healthy mummy pictured above?
Mornings
Another way to think about it is to work out what time of day you have the most energy and then work around that.
So if you are a morning person, why not get up before the kids, or use the crèche at the gym, or organise a babysitter, so that you can get moving in the morning.
Many people believe that morning is a great time to exercise as you can get it out of the way before the day unfolds with its inevitable interruptions and errands to run.
You also tend to workout on an empty stomach (be sure to have a good breakfast afterwards such as a Healthy Mummy Smoothie). This means you are less likely to feel sluggish and tired halfway through your workout.
After Lunch
This is a popular time to fit some exercise in for those of us whose children nap at lunchtime. It is a great way to fight the 2pm sleepiness that can often hit us after a busy day.
This is the best for those who will have time for a quick shower afterwards. It will also give you the energy to face the rest of the afternoon, including witching hour that can strike a household at around 5pm.
The exercises on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge App are designed for busy mums so you can do them whenever you want!
Evenings
If evenings are better for you when the kids are asleep and you are ‘off the clock’ then do whatever you can to make evenings your time to shine.
Set up one night per week where you head out to a fitness class while your partner does bedtime, or set up The Healthy Mummy exercise videos on YouTube in the spare room and get your workout in.
You can use the time to reflect on your day and think about what you need to do tomorrow. Or you can pop on your headphones and think of nothing but the Black Eyed Peas. Up to you.
For convenient, mum-friendly workouts, join the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge!
If you want to take charge of your health and weight – then join our 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge TODAY.
With more than 3,000 delicious (and healthy) recipes, 350 exercises & 24/7 support – the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge is designed (and proven) to help busy mums like you lose weight!
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