8 Benefits of Evening Exercise
Key Takeaways
Exercising at any time of day will provide health benefits.
There are several different reasons why a person might choose to exercise in the evening, such as avoiding heat and sun exposure, getting more sleep in the morning, and releasing stress from the workday.
Research has shown that there are some benefits to evening exercise, including better blood sugar control and better sleep.
It’s important for exercise to be consistent to get the benefits. The best time of day to exercise is whatever time you find easiest and most convenient, because this will be the best way to form a sustainable long-term habit.
Exercise is one of the most important things that you can do for your health. When people decide to add more exercise to their daily routine, they often wonder when the best time to exercise is.
Unfortunately, there isn’t necessarily a “best time” for everyone. Instead, there are different advantages to choosing different times of day for exercise.
Choosing to exercise in the evening can have several benefits. Here are some of the reasons that someone might prefer to make evening their workout time.
1. Cooler weather
Here in Singapore, our weather can get quite warm during the day. While some people enjoy being warm, many others find that it’s more challenging to try to exercise when it’s hot. Most people get tired more easily when they get overheated. Sweating a lot can also feel wet and uncomfortable.
You’re much more likely to exercise consistently when it feels good to exercise. If working out in the heat of the day is not appealing to you, don’t force yourself to do it anyway. This could make your workout routine less likely to be sustainable over the long term. Instead, you could try exercising in the evening, when it’s not so hot and you’ll enjoy it more.
2. Blood sugar control
Many people enjoy a walk after taking their evening meal. In fact, there’s research to show that there are benefits to exercising after eating. Several studies have shown that people who go for a walk after taking a meal experience a much smaller rise in blood glucose. In fact, the blood glucose spike is only about half as large in people who walk within 60 minutes after eating, compared with those who don’t go for a walk. While strenuous exercise soon after eating may lead to uncomfortable symptoms like heartburn, adding a brisk walk after your evening meal might help to keep your blood glucose under control.
3. Sun protection
If you exercise outside during the day, then you’ll be exposed to the sun during the time of day when the sunlight is most intense. Sun exposure is the primary risk factor for melanoma, a type of skin cancer that can be deadly. While you could choose to cover up to avoid the sun, this is often not very comfortable when it’s also hot outside. Instead, you could choose to exercise in the evening, when the sunlight is not so intense and is much less likely to cause damage to your skin.
4. Get better sleep
Sometimes, people worry that exercising in the evening will disrupt their sleep. In the past, it was believed that the hormones and blood flow changes of exercise would interfere with the body’s ability to get to sleep if exercise was done within a few hours of bedtime. However, new research has shown that the opposite is actually true. Studies have found that people who exercise in the evening actually fall asleep faster and sleep longer than those who don’t exercise. Very vigorous exercise within one hour of bedtime might make it harder to fall asleep, but as long as you don’t wait until right before bed, evening exercise might actually help you sleep better.
5. Increased muscle strength
Choosing evening for your workout may also improve your workout performance. Interesting research shows that a person’s maximum muscle strength during the day is actually reached in the early evening. Although researchers still aren’t certain why this is, it’s believed that changes in nervous system function, blood flow, and body temperature may all play a role. If your workout includes strength-based exercises, like weightlifting, rock climbing, or body weight exercises, then you might find that your performance is just a little bit better in the evening.
6. Reduce stress
Although the benefits of exercise for physical health are undeniable, it’s also great for mental health. Physical activity can be very helpful for reducing stress and improving mood. You might find that a workout in the evening helps you to let go of the stress of the workday and the commute home, so you can have a more relaxed evening. Chronic stress is a factor in the development of many different health problems, so reducing your stress is an important way to protect both your physical and mental health.
7. Sleep later in the morning
Many people need to get up early in order to get to work on time. In order to get a morning workout, they need to get up even earlier. This can lead to getting less sleep in order to exercise. While exercise is certainly beneficial for health, sleep is too, and it’s not ideal to trade one for the other. By choosing evening for your workouts, you don’t have to miss out on sleep in the mornings in order to get the benefits of physical activity.
8. Share your workout
Although many people certainly enjoy exercising alone, it can also be great to share your workout with others. It’s usually more challenging to coordinate shared workouts in the mornings, but in the evenings, it’s easier. You could go for a walk with a family member or friend, or you could meet up with a friend to go to the gym or play a sport together. Strong social connections have been shown to be important for your health, so sharing your workouts is a great way to do two healthy things at the same time.
Create a consistent exercise habit
There are many potential benefits to exercising in the evening. However, morning exercise also has its own benefits. The truth is that the best time to exercise is whenever it works best for you. Your exercise habit needs to be consistent in order for you to get the benefits, so you’ll want to choose a time that feels the most sustainable for you. Instead of trying to force yourself to exercise at a time that doesn’t feel good, choose the most convenient and enjoyable time. This will help to keep you physically active for many years to come.
Many people find that it’s helpful to have the support of a health coach as they develop a new exercise plan. Our NOVI Health clients in all of our programs receive support from health coaches. They can be a great source of information and advice, to help you develop the right plan for you – and stick to it.
Find out how you can achieve optimal results from evening exercise for weight loss with NOVI Optimum Plus which combines fitness coaching with a digital diet, specialist doctor consultation, and GLP-1 RA medication.