Researchers say exercising between 7–9 a.m. is best for weight management. Morning exercisers had a lower body mass index and waist circumference than those exercising later.
Experts say better sleep, mental health, brain health, and physiological health are also important benefits of exercise. The early bird exercising in the morning is best at catching the weight management worm, according to a new study.
Researchers report that even though epidemiological evidence has been controversial over the optimal timing of physical activity for weight management, their findings suggest that exercising between 7–9 a.m. appears to be the best time of day to garner health benefits.
The researchers said that moving during those hours best enhances the association between daily moderate to vigorous physical activity and obesity prevention.
The study was published today in the journal ObesityTrusted Source. “Our study provided a novel tool to explore the diurnal pattern of physical activity and to investigate its impact on health outcomes,” said study author Dr. Tongyu Ma, a research assistant professor in the Health Sciences Department of Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire and the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in China.
The researchers said previous research has focused on the frequency, intensity, and duration of physical activity, but few studies focused on the diurnal (daytime) pattern of accelerometer-measured physical activity to classify the time of day of human movement.
The researchers noted it’s unclear whether accumulating physical activity at different times of day is equally associated with obesity prevention.
They also said it’s unclear whether meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) physical activity guidelinesTrusted Source of 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous physical activity, with different patterns, is equally beneficial for reducing obesity risk.
Is morning exercise more effective for weight loss? The researchers explored whether the diurnal pattern of accelerometer-measured moderate to vigorous physical activity influences the relationship between such human movement and obesity.
