There’s a lot of debate among fitness experts about when the best time to work out is- in the morning or at night? For most, it’s really a matter of personal preference. Some people say early birds are more motivated and therefore working out in the morning leads to a more productive day. There are health benefits to working out at night as well. Ultimately, as long as you are able to fit a workout in at all, that’s better than nothing and there are advantages to each. Learn about the pros and cons of working out in the morning versus the evening, and then determine which time of day works best for you!

Morning

If you’re able to get up at the crack of dawn to workout before school or work, good for you, because morning workouts are certainly not for everyone. A lot of people simply aren’t morning people, and that’s okay! If you’re the kind of person that likes to rise with sun and make your mornings as productive as possible however, then you will find that there are many advantages to working out in the morning.

For scheduling purposes, working out in the morning is great because it gets it out of the way and frees up your evenings to dedicate to yourself- whether that’s doing laundry, grocery shopping, going to a happy hour, or simply vegging out after a long day at work. Thanks to the flow of endorphins, you’ll also be more energized to get through the rest of the day. Working out in the morning also contributes to more restful sleep by lowering blood pressure, it’s better for losing weight by kickstarting your metabolism to burn more calories during the day as opposed to when you’re sleeping, and your body is more prepared for a morning workout as long as you had a good night’s sleep. The American Council of Exercise also reports that people who exercise in the morning are more consistent with their workouts.

Evening

After listing all those benefits to working out in the morning, you may think working out in the evening would be a terrible idea, but it has its own advantages that can be just as beneficial for your health. It makes sense, but if you work out at night, you’ll have more relaxed mornings because you won’t have to rush around. Studies show that you may be able to get a better workout in the evening, going 20 percent longer and at a higher intensity. Working out at night also allows you to tone up faster because muscle strength and function peak in the evening.

It may sound contradictory since I just said that working out in the morning is good for sleep, but if you get to bed about 90 minutes after your evening workout, you will have a deeper and more restorative sleep. Your muscles need time to recover after a workout, so getting a restful sleep is perfect for fitness goals. There are also psychological benefits to working out at night- it’s a great way to let off steam and lower stress levels after a tough day!

The point of this post was not to complicate your decision as to whether to work out in the morning or night. Hopefully you can see that there are clear advantages to each, so there is no right or wrong when it comes to working out, as long as you can fit it in. Figure out what works best for you and stick to your fitness goals!