Monday, May 12, 2014

Ask Dr. Halton


When is the best time to do my cardio?

I get this question all the time from new clients. The short answer is: anytime you want. I have successful clients who exercise in the mornings and I have successful clients who exercise in the evenings. I have even had a few who worked out at 10:00 PM!

Having said this, I have read research that showed early morning exercisers were more likely to stick to their routine. The reason for this is simple and makes a lot of sense. If you reserve time to work out in the early morning, very few unexpected life issues will pop up and cause you to miss the session. If you wait until the evening, any number of work or family “emergencies” can keep you from exercising.

It also depends on if you are a morning person or not. I, for one, love doing cardio in the mornings but don’t enjoy weight training in the AM. I just don’t feel as strong first thing in the morning and always save my weights for later in the day if possible.

So, in summary, do your cardio anytime that you want as long as you are doing it consistently. If you are an evening exerciser and you find you keep missing sessions because of interruptions, consider switching to the AM to improve your consistency.

No comments: