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When is the best time to workout

Posted By: Sherry Nicely on 05/19/2011

I’m often asked “when is the best time to work out?”  I love this question because the answer is surprisingly simple: “Whenever you are going to do it!” 

If you are an early bird, then trying to work out at 8 or 9 p.m. probably isn’t for you.  Let’s face it, we early birds are usually in bed by 10 p.m. and starting a workout as late as 8 p.m. will probably have us wired and unable to fall asleep at our normal bedtime.  The same holds true if you are a night owl.  It really doesn’t make much sense to try and get up at 6 a.m. and get to the gym.

The key to getting and staying fit is to set reasonable goals and achieving them step by step. Hitting one goal will only encourage you to set another. Failing to meet that goal usually means people give up. 

So while it’s nice to envision the “new” you abandoning that late-night television and getting up at 5 a.m. for a jog, it’s better to be true to yourself.

For example, a lot of my clients are DC beltway types, working from early morning till late into the evening.  For them, a lunch time workout makes the most sense. For stay-at-home parents, mid-morning makes sense, after the spouse and kids have left the house.

So be realistic, don’t set overly ambitious goals, and stop making excuses.  Make up your mind to work out whenever YOU will get it done….. morning, noon or night.