Benefits of Exercise Throughout the Day

The optimal time for exercising to improve your heart and lung health might be in the morning, according to researchers.

This timing could be influenced by our circadian rhythms, the body’s natural 24-hour internal clock.

The circadian clock controls several key body functions, such as hormone release and core temperature adjustments.

Dr. Karyn Esser, chair of the Department of Physiology and Aging at the University of Florida College of Medicine, explained that the time of day you are most active can significantly affect your physical performance.

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For older adults, consistent morning activity and an earlier peak activity time are linked to better cardiovascular fitness and walking energetics, as stated by a group of international researchers last month.

Walking energetics refers to how effectively the body uses energy while walking.

Dr. Esser was the senior author of the research findings, which were published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

It is worth noting that every individual possesses a chronotype, which reflects the body’s natural preference for being awake or asleep during certain times of the day, per The Sleep Foundation.

Understanding your chronotype and aligning your activities with it could significantly influence your health and fitness levels.

To reach their conclusions, researchers evaluated health data from 799 adults who participated in the Study of Muscle, Mobility, and Aging.

This group, with an average age of 76, wore wrist accelerometers for a week to track physical activity levels and also underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

The study also determined that maintaining a consistent workout schedule each day leads to better health outcomes.

However, more research is needed to fully understand the connection between exercise timing and health benefits.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises adults to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity weekly, along with two days of strength training.

This helps reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other negative health conditions.

Though previous research has shown that morning workouts can be linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, exercising at other times of the day also offers benefits.

According to the American Heart Association, what you do during your workouts may matter more than when you do them.

“While we are living longer, in general, we are not living healthier,” Dr. Esser shared with Medical News Today.

“It’s essential to discover methods to help people maintain or boost their health as they age, improve quality of life, and reduce the effects of age-related chronic illnesses.”

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Source: independent

The opinions shared in the GymNation blog articles are solely those of the respective authors and may not represent the perspectives of GymNation or any member of the GymNation team.