i'm sure this topic has been talked about before, but i was wondering....

is it alright to do cardio at night? like between 10 and 11pm? i've gotten lazy about doing my cardio and walking lately. i used to get up around 4:30pm and do my cardio. it was hard, but i knew i had to do it, so i did. now that school is out, i'm going to bed much later. i'm finding it hard to get up. so, it's been almost 3 weeks since i did any cardio. (one week of that i was out of town on vacation.) so, i thought that maybe tonight, i would do my cardio.

is there any calorie/fat burning advantage to doing cardio first thing in the morning? i prefer to get up and do it. once i'm up and working out, i feel better. then, the rest of the day i feel proud that i started the day out right. because of that confidence, i usually eat right and take time on my lunch hour to walk....making the whole day a success. rather than NOT do my cardio, though, i thought i'd try it at night.

lately, i'm in a rut. thanks everyone!

alicia

Alicia,

I do my workouts a night, too. Generally the thought is that if you work out in the morning, it can boost your metabolism and give you energy for the day. There is also the common belief that eating at night is bad for you, as your body doesn't have an opportunity to burn off the fat and calories you've consumed. I took those two and put them together: If I work out at night, it will burn any extra fat or calories that I have left to use up, keeping them from becoming absorbed into my body while I sleep. Might be nonsense, might not be right, but it works for me!

If you're more comfortable or motivated to work out at night, that's when you should do it. In my opinion, any workout counts!

Good luck!

You can do your cardio anytime you want! Some say late-night exercise will prevent a good night's sleep, but if it doesn't bother you, go ahead.

Also I wouldn't worry about whether you will burn more calories in the morning or the evening. Don't micro-manage, it wouldn't make that much difference anyway. It is better to do it at night than not at all. 

 Best of luck.

Hi stillworking06, 

Thanks for writing!  There are many schools of thought and opinions about what time is best to perform cardiovascular exercise.  The truth of the matter is whenever time that best works for you is the best time!  Morning exercisers enjoy the benefit of getting it done early and therefore don't have to worry about other things getting in the way of their workout.  Additionally, as you mentioned, individuals who exercise early do feel a sense of accomplishment and tend to eat better throughout the day, feel confident, and get their metabolism in high gear,etc. In that sense, there are some calorie burning/fat burning advantages to working out first thing in the day! 

However, there will be times that you are unable to get it in early, or you may go through different seasons in your life that working out in the morning just isn't gonna happen.  If that is the case, feel free to workout whenever your schedule allows you.  Just make sure that it is on the schedule and that you are committed to it.  It has to be a priority!  

Stay committed and keep working!  With the help of alli, a healthy, low-fat diet and regular structured exercise, you should see amazing results!

Best in health, 

Kelli

 Alicia, I think if you do cardio at night you might have trouble falling asleep leaving you up later and more tired the  next day. I didn't read everyones post, so I don't know if someone already said this. I just joined tonight. Somewhere I read it is better to do it in the morning and not eat first, but I think most people must eat. I can only stomach coffee in the morning. Plus when I go to my Jazzercise I don't want to be interupted by having to go to the bathroom, so I try to limit the coffee too. I do bring water with me. I seem to have also read somewhere that you burn calories better if you do it this way. I don't know I imagine there are a lot of theories out there. Do what works for you is probably the best. Good luck on your plan! I hope it works for me too! :) Nancy

Hi Cowabungababe,

Thanks for writing! Just to comment on your message.... If at all possible, working out in the morning is the best scenario simply b/c you have less interruptions that can get in the way of your exercise that day, it provides a sense of accomplishments and gets your mind and body revved up!  It is true that you can burn some serious calories and fat by performing cardio on an empty stomach or with a cup of coffee.  Caffiene hasCaffeine been shown to promote a fat-burning effect if taken about 30 minutes or so before exercise.  However, you don't want to perform more than 30+ minutes of cardio on an empty stomach as you will begin to burn muscle.  Water is always important before, during and after a workout! 

Exercising late at nite can prevent you from falling to sleep easily.  However, if later in the evening is the only time available to exercise, just try to keep it to 2 hours or so before hitting the hay.  Take a warm bath, drink some hot tea and read for 30 minutes or so and you should have no problem! 

Best in health to all, 

Kelli