The best time to exercise

When I was in high school, I would go to the YMCA to work out at night.

When I was in college, I would get up at 5:00am and go to the gym before early morning classes.

When I was a teacher, I would go for a walk or swim after school.

In the past two years, since I’ve had a little bit more flexibility in my mornings, I got my workouts done in the morning.

But now I’m back to trying afternoon workouts because I realized that morning workouts drain my energy before I’ve done anything else in the day!

So when is the BEST time to exercise?

​The New York Times recently published an article reporting on research done in Australia with a group of 30,000 adults with obesity that claimed the best time to exercise was at night to decrease the risk of death from any cause.

But a different study found that morning exercise is best for heart health and weight loss.

And yet another study said afternoon workouts are best for athletes.

So the best time to exercise? When you’re actually going to do it!

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for anything in life. And there’s likely no solution that is going to work for you for your entire life.

Annoying, I know.

The best way to eat? Low fat, high fat, low carb, high carb, gluten-free, paleo, keto, intermittent fasting, intuitive eating, vegan, no limits. There’s a reason why all these diets exist. Because some piece of research has shown that they were effective for the participants in the study.

The optimal amount of sleep? 8 hours? Think again. Some people need much more, and some people don’t need that much. And it changes as we age.

The perfect job conditions? Work remotely for flexibility, work in person for community, part-time, full-time, big salary and few benefits, lower salary with great benefits. Some people want a job that’s extremely fulfilling, others just show up for the paycheck.

So instead of looking out at the world for the answer to your health and lifestyle challenges, why not go inward and figure out what you want and what’s going to work for you, in the body you have, with the family and friends that surround you, and lifestyle you want to cultivate?

​The best way to be is the way that you can live in congruence with your values and goals. So stop looking outward and trust that you know what’s best for you, and then go do it.