Best Time to Walk

Walking offers numerous mental and physical benefits. If you choose the right pace and effort, walking can be an excellent form of zone 2 cardio, improving heart health.

Beyond that, walking can uplift your mood, improve your sleep, and even strengthen your immune system.

Interestingly, experts suggest that the timing of your daily walk can influence the specific benefits you receive. Here’s how to determine the best time for your daily steps.

Morning Walk Benefits

Morning walks have some unique perks. For starters, completing your walk early helps ensure it gets done without interruptions later in the day.

Additionally, starting your morning with sunlight exposure can improve the quality of your sleep. A 2024 study published in the Journal of Health Psychology highlights that early sun exposure supports better sleep at night by helping regulate the circadian rhythm.

Morning walks may also improve blood pressure, insulin levels, and insulin resistance, particularly in individuals with metabolic syndrome, according to a 2023 study in the Journal of Physiology.

However, contrary to common belief, morning exercise doesn’t seem to significantly impact body composition.

While some believe walking in a fasted state (before eating) burns more fat because it relies on fat stores for energy, experts like Dr. Michael Russo caution that it may also lead to fatigue or muscle loss if protein levels are low.

Fasted walking might work for some, but it’s not a requirement for weight management.

Advantages of Morning Walks:

• Ensures your walk is prioritized early in the day.
  
  
• Sunlight exposure regulates your circadian rhythm, enhancing sleep quality.
  
  
• May improve blood pressure and insulin resistance.
  
  
• Fasted walking may help burn fat, though results can vary.
  
  

Afternoon Walk Benefits

If mornings aren’t your thing, afternoon walks can be just as beneficial—perhaps even more so in some ways. By midday, your energy levels and nutrition tend to peak after your earlier meals, allowing you to get more out of your exercise.

Walking after meals is especially valuable for digestion, as it helps regulate blood sugar levels.

Richardson explains that moving post-meal increases blood flow to skeletal muscles, which use up extra glucose from your food.

A 2023 Sports Medicine study suggests walking soon after eating maximizes these benefits.

Another notable advantage of midday walking is its potential to reduce all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risk.

Research published in Nature Communications in 2023 found that moderate to vigorous activity in the afternoon—including power walking and other high-intensity forms—had significant health benefits compared to morning walks.

Advantages of Afternoon Walks:

• Higher energy levels and sufficient nutrition make exercise more effective.
  
  
• Enhances digestion, stabilizing blood sugar levels.
  
  
• Reduces overall and cardiovascular disease mortality risks.
  
  

Evening Walk Benefits

Just like post-lunch walks, evening strolls can aid digestion, particularly after dinner.

An additional bonus is that staying active after your meal might help you avoid unnecessary snacking, according to Richardson.

Instead of heading straight for the couch or bed, an evening walk can keep you moving and stave off late-night cravings.

That said, evening walks sometimes need to factor in how they impact sleep.

While walking at night is beneficial for some—like night owls whose sleep-wake cycles and melatonin production may improve—early birds might find their sleep disrupted.

A Frontiers in Pharmacology review from 2023 found that evening exercise could delay the body’s natural sleep process for some individuals.

If you enjoy walking in the evening and haven’t noticed it affecting your sleep, experts agree there’s no need to worry.

Advantages of Evening Walks:

• Aids digestion and improves blood sugar regulation after dinner.
  
  
• May reduce late-night snacking habits.
  
  
• Suitable for some individuals' sleep patterns, depending on personal rhythms.
  
  

When Is the Best Time to Walk?

Walking is incredibly beneficial, no matter what time of day you do it. The key is choosing a time that fits your schedule and sticking with it consistently.

Regularity can help establish a lasting habit and contribute to regulating your circadian rhythm, whether you prefer mornings, afternoons, or evenings.

It’s also important to consider that much of the research around exercise timing has been conducted on men, as pointed out by Richardson.

This means the effects of walking at different times for women are less understood, giving you all the more reason to experiment and see how various timings make you feel.

Ultimately, the best time to walk is the one that fits seamlessly into your daily life and makes you feel great. Lace up your sneakers and find out what timing works best for you!

Source: womenshealthmag

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.