When is the best time to exercise?

Evening Exercise for Better Blood Sugar Control

According to a new study from Spain, people who are overweight or obese should exercise in the evening to best manage their blood sugar. The research, published in the journal Obesity, found that moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during the evening helps control glucose levels in adults with metabolic issues. This adds to a growing field of research on the best time to exercise for maximum benefit.

Morning Exercise for Lower Weight

While the recent study suggests evening exercise is good for glucose control, another study published last September in the same journal found different results. This study showed that people who exercise early in the morning tend to have healthier eating habits and lower weight.

The Study Details

In the most recent study, Antonio Clavero-Jimeno from the University of Granada and his team looked at 186 adults from the EXTREME project. This project studied time-restricted eating and its effects on body fat, body composition, and heart health in overweight and obese adults. The participants, aged 30-60 years, had a BMI between 25-40 kg/m^2 and were inactive for over three months before the study. They also had at least one metabolic problem, like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure.

Participants wore a fitness tracker to monitor their activity and a device to measure glucose levels over 14 days. The study found that doing more than half of their MVPA in the evening was linked to lower glucose levels throughout the day and night.

Does Time of Day Affect Weight?

In another study by Tongyu Ma from Franklin Pierce University, researchers used data from 5,285 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). These participants did daily MVPA. The researchers looked at when participants exercised—morning, midday, or evening.

They found that people who exercised at least 150 minutes in the morning had a lower BMI and smaller waist circumference than those who exercised the same amount in the afternoon or evening.

Conclusion

Both studies have their limitations and can't be applied to everyone. However, they both agree on one point: any exercise is better than none.

Sources

  1. Clavero-Jimeno A, et al. (2024, June 10). Obesity (Silver Spring). Impact of lifestyle moderate-to-vigorous physical activity timing on glycemic control in sedentary adults with overweight/obesity and metabolic impairments. Link

  2. Ma T, et al. (2023, October). Obesity (Silver Spring). The diurnal pattern of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and obesity: a cross-sectional analysis. Link

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