Practicing physical activity is the good resolution of ¾ of French people. However, it is always difficult to find the right time to practice your sports session. We often do this according to our schedules. Is it better to train in the evening or in the morning? What are the advantages and disadvantages ?
The benefits of working out in the morning.
Motivation.
After a good night's sleep, it's always easier to find the motivation to go to the gym than after a hard day at work. Exercising in the morning allows you to free up time in the evening. Take the opportunity to pamper yourself or see your friends for example. And the only setback you may have in the morning is a failure to wake up.
The well-being.
Practicing your morning sports session is stimulating and also allows you to optimize your state of mind to attack your day. During a sports session, your body will release endorphins and dopamine. Cardiovascular exercise is a very good way to release endorphins. This substance generates a feeling of well-being and happiness. It's a good stress reliever. However, endorphin is only released after at least 30 minutes of sport. Dopamine is a hormone related to pleasure, the feeling of reward and motivation. It is an excellent booster for feeling good and motivated throughout the day.
Did you know ?
Dopamine strengthens neural connections and stimulates perseverance.
The downsides of working out in the morning.
Get up.
It is easier to get organized in the morning before going to work than in the evening. However, you have to set your alarm earlier, which for some can be difficult.
A more substantial warm-up.
In the morning, your muscles are cold. They are less irrigated and therefore stiffer. It is essential not to skip the warm-up which should be consistent. Injuries can also happen more quickly.
The benefits of training in the evening.
Sports performance.
After a day of being awake, your muscles feel warm. Muscle elasticity is therefore better. Please note, this does not mean that you should not warm up, quite the contrary. However, the warm-up will probably need to be less thorough than if you were exercising in the morning. In addition, studies from the University of Birmingham have shown that the higher the body temperature, the more optimal the athlete's performance.
The stress.
It is common that we prefer to get up slowly in the morning, go to work and come and let off steam in the evening during a sports session. Sport is a good way to release all the stress accumulated throughout the day. What's better than doing it after a hard day's work?
The disadvantages of training in the evening.
The sleep.
Excessive physical activity in the evening can cause difficulty falling asleep. Indeed, your heart rate is elevated as is your level of excitement, compared to normal. Which is not favorable for quality sleep. If you practice physical activity, make sure your session does not end too late.
Motivation.
As much as we love doing sports and feeling much better afterwards, it is sometimes difficult to find the motivation. Especially after a long day. In addition, it is very easy to have setbacks in the evening such as an overload of work or simply the desire to see your friends or family.
In summary.
The time you choose to train will simply depend on you and your goals. For example, a mother will not have the same opportunities as a sports competitor, for example. Make the choice based on you and the advantages of each.
