Night owl or early bird? Does it matter when you exercise?
Apple CEO Tim Cook sends out company emails at 4:30 a.m. and heads to the gym at 5:00. LeBron James often exercises at that same early hour - even when the season is over. Lots of highly successful folks use the morning hours to get their workouts in. But there are advantages to working out late.
A 2010 study found that postmenopausal women who took evening strolls lost more weight and fat than women who took morning strolls. Another study found that muscle strength is optimal in the early evening - so later workouts may let you do more. And still another found that you build slightly more muscle in a late-afternoon/early-evening workout. Researchers also agree that the afternoon, when your core temperature is higher, is the best time for high-intensity exercise, such as swimming, running or biking.
But truth is that late, early or in between doesn't matter if you don't work out consistently.
Here are the advantages of (building up to) an exercise routine that includes: 10,000 steps or equivalent daily; strength training for 30 minutes, two to three days a week; cardio for 20 minutes, three times a week; 40 jumps a day; and stretching before and after workouts.
-You reduce your risk for obesity, cardiovascular problems, metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, depression, certain cancers and falls.
-It becomes easier to fall and stay asleep (when done three hours before bedtime).
-Besides feeling GREAT overall, you'll see improvements in sexual arousal (for women) and reduction of the risk for ED (in men).
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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