When is the best time of the day to exercise? Most of the time, people would say that the best time to exercise is in the morning. But is it true?

A team of Dutch researchers published a study in the journal Physiological Reports, which showed that bodies could be more receptive to the benefits of exercise at specific times of the day. 

The New York Times reported that men at high risk for Type 2 diabetes who completed afternoon exercises increased their metabolic health far more than those who exercise in the morning. This adds to the growing evidence that the time when people exercise may alter how bodies could benefit from that exercise.

Biological Clock Impacts Overall Health

The news outlet reported that scientists have long known that the timing of the activities in a person's day influences the quality of one's health. Studies show that bodies contain a biological clock that responds to biological messages related to the daily exposure to light, food, and sleep.

In that sense, these clocks create multiple circadian rhythms that prompt the bodies' temperature, hormone levels, blood sugar, blood pressure, muscular strength, and other biological processes throughout the day.

When these circadian rhythms are disrupted, it could impair a person's health. For instance, people who work the night shift and whose sleep patterns are disrupted tend to be at high risk for obesity and Type 2 diabetes. 

Moreover, whether how the timing of doing an exercise could influence metabolic health has been less clear, wherein some say exercise in the morning is better. But these studies do not usually discuss the circadian effects of exercise.

The new study that focused on men at risk of Type 2 diabetes showed that timing workouts could change their metabolism and improve blood sugar levels.

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Afternoon Exercise Is Better Than Morning Exercise

The team of researchers assessed men who are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by putting them into workouts in two different time slots during the day. One group exercised between 8 am until 10 am, while the second group exercised between 3 pm to 6 pm.

The men did the same workouts: riding on stationary bikes in the lab three days a week. After three months of data collection, the results showed that working out in the afternoon yielded better results than those who worked out in the morning.

Inside Hook reported that the people who exercise during the afternoon had an easier time losing their weights in their waistlines, and were better at handling their blood sugar levels, a crucial part as they were pre-diabetics at the beginning of the experiment.

The researchers are not exactly sure what caused this, but they believe that it has something to do with "metabolic health." They said that it is possible that the exercise jumpstart metabolism after dinner.

Assuming that a person is not a midnight snacker, the body finds it easier to break down its last meal, so they tend to sleep in a fasted state. In turn, it has lots of benefits for one's circadian rhythm.

"I believe that doing exercise is better than not doing exercise, irrespective of timing," said nutrition and movement sciences professor Dr. Patrick Schrauwen of Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands. "However, this study does suggest that afternoon exercise may be more beneficial."


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