Day or Night Exercise - Which is Right?

Exercise is essential - for your health, your body and your overall wellbeing. But is there a better time to exercise - a time when fat burning is elevated and benefits are highest?

That question has been under controversy for years. In fact, if you ask ten different experts you just may get ten different answers!

The key is finding out what works best for your body. Let's face it - all bodies are not created equal. What works for one may not work for another. And what works best now may not be true a few years from now.

Many body builders and exercise enthusiasts swear by a morning cardiovascular workout. They claim an a.m. exercise routine burns more fat, thus the calories you consume throughout the day will be less likely to be stored as fat. In fact, a study performed at Kansas State University shows a kilogram of fat is burned sooner with exercise in a fasted state, or after you wake up before breakfast.

When you sleep, you don't eat - in other words, you fast. And though your metabolism is slowest during sleep, your body does deplete things like glycogen, which converts to glucose, an important carbohydrate in body metabolism. Performing a cardiovascular workout (one that increases your heart rate) in the morning before breakfast may cause your body to burn more fat since glycogen storages are somewhat depleted. Eating breakfast releases insulin. Insulin, also somewhat depleted after sleep, causes the mobility of fat or fat burning to be slowed - this is why some say a cardiovascular workout is best in the morning.

Morning routines can also increase your metabolism for a period after the workout, called the "afterburn". Exercising later in the day may be wasting the after burn since metabolism slows drastically with sleep. But this increase in metabolism may not be as great as you think. A low intensity workout, say a leisurely stroll, will burn an extra 9 - 30 calories afterwards, whereas a moderate workout, like a brisk walk can increase the calorie burning to around 75 for a period of time. Only intensive workouts can boost metabolism significantly for up to 24 hours.

But burning even an extra 75 calories with the after burn of a workout can add up to losing around five pounds of fat per year.

Exercise has a positive effect on the body. Working out in the morning can enhance your mood throughout the day by the release of endorphins; it can increase mental alertness and sharpness for up to eight hours; it can enhance most bodily functions; it can put you in a healthy mindset and give you a sense of accomplishment; and, roughly 90% of those people who chose a morning routine stick to it!

Sticking to a regular time helps regulate your circadian rhythm, your internal clock, making it easier to do some things, like get a good night's sleep and get up for work. In fact many "night owl's" who switch their routines to a morning workout find they are better morning people with more energy to get through their day!

But making a commitment to exercise is more important than when you chose to workout. If you workout in the morning and burn more fat you will burn more glucose during the day. The opposite is also true - if you exercise later in the day and burn more glucose, you will burn more fat during the day.

The one thing most medical professionals including physicians, dieticians, weight loss consultants, physical therapists and exercise physiologists agree on is the fact that you need to burn more calories than you consume for any weight loss goal - and getting physically active is key, no matter what time of day you choose.

So whether you like to get up a little early when your energy is at its peak and rev up with a workout or prefer to relieve the day's tension and stress by exercising later in the day is not the most important issue - it's getting - and sticking - to a regular exercise program that's key.

So it doesn't matter, day or night, working out is always right!