For most people who work until the late hours of the evening, morning exercise is not possible. If you always come home late, it would definitely be hard for you to wake up early just to jog or hit the gym. Also, if you are a night owl, night time is the time to play while day time is the time to sleep.
Luckily, there is still a way to stay fit even if you cannot do exercises in the morning. There are gyms like 24 Hour Fitness or Snap Fitness who will entertain you even at midnight or 3am. You can visit these gyms after work or dates.
The question is: Are night workouts as effective as the morning ones? Or are they even better? Is there really a best time to exercise? We have listed the pros and cons of night workouts to help you decide if it’s the right exercise time for you.
Pros
You are not in a rush – You do not have to be in a hurry if you are going to the gym at night. Your work in the office is done and you are just going straight home after your work out.
You can avoid the crowd – Only few people go to gyms at night. This means that the exercise floor and the shower rooms are not over crowded. You have better opportunities to utilize the gym’s facilities and equipments.
You are more focused – Since your other tasks for the day are already finished, you would not be distracted. You will be able to focus on your fitness program.
You can make more friends – Since night time gym goers are more relaxed, you have more opportunities to socialize and make friends. There are only a few people in the gym, so if you go there every night, there are higher chances that you will be close friends with some of them.
You can relieve stress from a hard day’s work – Whether your boss gave you a hard time or you and your boyfriend fought, physical activities will help you relieve stress and forget sad feelings, at least for a short time. So instead of crying yourself to sleep at night, you can release all of your frustrations on the treadmill.
You can wake up to better mornings – Exercising at night will help you feel better when you wake up the next day. Of course during the first days you will feel some muscle and joint pains, but as you progress, you will feel better. Also, since you don’t have to go to the gym early, you can spend more time with your bed and you can even eat breakfast.
Cons
Insomnia – Because of the energy surge in your body, you may have problems in getting to sleep after strenuous workouts. This depends on your body’s reaction to certain exercises.
Low Energy Levels – Because you are already tired from work. You might not have enough energy for exercises at night. Sometimes after a hard day, you just want to lay on your bed and sleep.
Fewer Night Outs – Because you are hitting the gym at night, you might have to say pass on some night time gimmicks with friends or dates. On the contrary, you can ask them if they want to hangout on the gym instead. It is definitely a healthier option than spending the night in clubs.
In the end, we can see that night workouts are as efficient as morning exercises. Whether or not it will work for you depends on your body clock. You should study your body carefully to know which time is the best for you to workout.