The best time of day for exercise has been revealed

Sports activity after 18 hours prevents cardiovascular diseases

Scientists followed the health of obese people over the long term and found that those who exercised in the evening were least likely to have cardiovascular problems or die compared with those who did not exercise and those who exercised. sports at other times.

There has long been debate about whether physical activity may be more beneficial at certain times of day. The human body has an internal clock, or circadian rhythm, that subtly affects mood, metabolism, body temperature and more, so it’s likely that timing could affect the results people get from exercise. However, scientific findings are mixed. While many studies have shown that afternoon and evening exercise are generally better, there have been others that support the added value of a morning routine.

The new study was carried out by researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia who had access to data from the UK Biobank, an extensive research project that has been monitoring the health of people in the UK for many years. The team studied about 30,000 obese volunteers over the age of 40 who had no previous history of cardiovascular disease. As part of the initial analysis, these volunteers agreed to wear activity trackers for a week.

Experts used these measurements as an indicator of people’s typical level of physical activity. They identified respondents who engaged in moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activity, then categorized these volunteers as those who typically exercised in the morning, afternoon, or evening after 6 p.m. By comparison, they used people who did little to no exercise at all, meaning that on average they did less than one vigorous physical activity per day.

The volunteers were followed for an average of nearly eight years. The researchers found that compared to a baseline of not exercising, and after controlling for other factors such as age or smoking history, people who exercised in the morning or afternoon continued to feel better. But ultimately, it was those who exercised in the evening who had the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease and death overall. And this same pattern held true when researchers studied only a subgroup of people with type 2 diabetes.

The results, published in the journal Diabetes Care, are still observational in nature. And as the study itself suggests, regular exercise is good for your heart and health, no matter when it happens. Some recent studies have also shown that morning exercise may have its own unique benefits, such as better fat burning. But the authors note that their findings, if further confirmed, could help those who want to optimize their cardio training, especially if they are obese or diabetic.