Every year the cooler weather encourages us to hibernate. Circadian rhythms change in the winter months, making it more difficult to summon the motivation to move. If exercise dropped off your schedule sometime around Easter it can be challenging to begin again. A good starting point is choosing the right time of day.
There’s a lot to recommend early morning exercise. It’s done before the day gets in the way and you increase your metabolic rate for the hours ahead. The morning provides the opportunity to do fasted cardio, often a good way to burn body fat. Many people prefer to exercise when it’s light and mornings provide the best of limited opportunity at this time of year. But morning exercise doesn’t work for everyone. If you already have an early start for work then later in the day may be the only practical time for a workout. Strength, flexibility, co-ordination and stamina often improve as the day goes on, making it a good time for weight training. A lot of people find it helps to have a couple of meals on board prior over the day before attempting intense exercise. And being at the gym is a great way to avoid spending every night sitting in front of the TV eating treats.
Exercising somewhere between early morning and post-work can be a great way to break up the day, particularly if you have a sedentary job. Getting blood circulating to your brain can improve your cognitive functioning and help avoid a late afternoon energy slump and the associated snacking. A middle of the day workout is even more efficient if you can time it for off-peak gym times (late morning or early afternoon). Then you can zip around with minimal interruptions and be back to work for an efficient afternoon. The middle of the day can be an effective exercise time for people who feel the cold. It’s more temperate than mornings or evenings.
Your personal temperament plays a big role in the ideal time of day for exercise. We all have an individual chronotype or body rhythm. Some people are natural larks and easily get out of bed for their morning exercise. They find it puts them in a good frame of mind to make healthy choices for the rest of the day. Other people are natural owls and find it more difficult to rise early; often they enjoy an evening workout to blow off steam after a busy day at work.
Going against your natural temperament can make it more difficult to maintain intensity, motivation and general good health, particularly if you’re losing sleep to do it. Rest is necessary for your body to renew, repair and regulate hormones. If you’re under stress and sleep-deprived, then getting up early could be counter-productive. It could also potentially overstimulate your appetite for the remainder of the day. If you’re somebody who struggles to wind down at night then getting your heart rate and adrenaline up close to bedtime could make it more difficult to get a restful sleep, particularly if you’re prone to overheating.
All my clients have different temperaments and different responsibilities, so everyone’s scheduling solution is unique. The important thing is to get a mix of cardio, strength and flexibility exercise in a sustainable manner. Most people end up needing to exercise at a variety of times of day to fit everything in. There are always times of the week, month and year when it’s easier to push back against your natural inclination. If you’re an owl trying to be a part-time lark it makes sense to experiment with the type of exercise you find least unpleasant. Save the more onerous components of the exercise mix for the times when you have the most energy.
Ultimately, your fitness needs to fit in around your life, not your life around your fitness. No scheduling solution is perfect, but your winter wellness is worth the effort.