The time of day can affect the body's response to exercise

For many consumers, workouts occur whenever there is a free time, be it early in the morning or later in the evening.

A new study reveals that even though training is essential, the time of day that consumers choose to do could affect their results.

"There seem to be significant differences between the effects of morning and evening exercises, and these differences are probably controlled by the body's circadian clock," said researcher Joshua Thue Treebak.

Morning vs. evening

The researchers asked mice to exercise during the early hours of the morning and later in the evening, and then assessed their muscle function and overall health.

The good news for consumers is that there is no better time to exercise – the body does not get an extra advantage by exercising in the morning or in the evening. However, the researchers found significant differences in the muscles when the mice were training in the morning instead of training later in the night.

"Morning exercise initiates gene programs in muscle cells, making them more efficient and able to metabolize sugar and fats," said Treebak. "Evening exercise, on the other hand, increases the energy expenditure of the whole body for a prolonged period."

While morning workouts were associated with better muscle cell function, which researchers attribute to the body's natural circadian clock, night-time workouts were associated with increased energy expenditure, which affected the number of calories we burn. daily.

In the end, researchers do not want to push consumers to train one day to another, because the study did not yield a net winner, but simply differences between the different hours of the day.

"On this basis, we can not say for sure what is best, exercise morning or evening," said Treebak. "At this point, we can only conclude that the effects of both seem to be different and we certainly need to work harder to determine the potential mechanisms of the beneficial effects of physical training performed at these two times."

Find the right moment

As this study has revealed, our circadian clocks not only control our sleep patterns, but they can also affect the results of exercise. A recent study found that the The best time to exercise can vary from one person to the next depending on whether you identify as an early bird or a night owl.

"Circadian rhythms dominate everything we do," said researcher Paolo Sasone-Corsi. "Previous studies in our laboratory have suggested that at least 50% of our metabolism is circadian and that 50% of our body's metabolites oscillate according to the circadian cycle. It makes sense that this exercise is one of the things touched. "

Those who prefer a night training can rest assured that their sleep will not be compromised, a recent study showing that exercising at night does not interfere with sleep patterns – as long as it is not an intense physical activity.