If you ask someone “In your opinion, when is the Best Time of Day to Run?” each of runners may affirm to run with the fastest speed at one particular time.
As a matter of fact, different people usually have various preferences. So, the way each of us responds to our exercises, including running, hiking or workout cannot be similar. Regarding running as the most regular activity, we may choose different periods in our timescale to run. Therefore, when is the Best Time of Day to Run? This question was a hot discussion topic among fitness experts and runners for decades. Some prefer to run in the early morning, while others say afternoon or evening runs bring them more benefits. Let’s discuss to find out the difference between them.
When is the Best Time of Day to Run and the affected factors?
You might hear that running in the early morning is the best as it helps to avoid the unexpected distractions or get the metabolism during your day. Besides, this way can derail the regimen. Is it true? Do you agree with different times of running may result in various effects? The critical factors which provide you sufficient evidence to decide when is the Best Time of Day to Run are listed as below.
Natural rhythms
Research shows that the best time to do exercises can be when the temperature of your body is at the highest level. For most people, such good time of running is the afternoon, around 4 p.m. Despite most of the runners go out and run in the early morning, it is considered not the most suitable time for the body to do exercises.
In this period of the day, all the bodily functions can be at the worst performance. The temperature of your body is low after you wake up. Also, the muscles are usually stiff with the reduced lung function. There is a high chance that you are starving as you only slept for several hours and have not yet had food intake. However, it does not mean you should not take a morning run or that it is inherently not good for you.
Individual habits
You may choose the best time of day to run by your own habits. However, in most of the case, such best time should be when you run most consistently. In fact, the incredible benefits of your physical activities can be accurately linked to your amount of exercises on the consistent basis. Your individual habits may form with the following elements:
- Your social setting, which should be standing out among others.
- Your time of doing this in a day.
- Your location.
If you used to run in the morning, you should be aware of its benefit before changing the routine to run in the early evening or late afternoon. At first, a morning run may help you to be motivated before a busy working day. You may realize that morning exercisers can be more suitable for the workout regimens rather than people running in the evening or afternoon. Furthermore, early morning can be the coolest and most beautiful part of your day during some warmer months. So, you will be more comfortable and safe if you choose to do exercises in the morning.
Busy timetable
If you have a stressful job with a full working schedule, a morning run will make you sleep better. There is a study stated that running in the morning let you sleep with better quality than evening or afternoon exercise. Of course, there is the controversy over whether you should run in the evening, afternoon or morning. However, some running can be more fantastic than no exercise at all.
Run whenever it suits best for the busy schedule as no matter when you run or do other exercises, you will still get their great benefits.
What if you choose to run in the morning?
If you are healthy and fit, a morning run has plenty of benefits. Even though you are naturally in the better state in the afternoon, the body may adjust in order to improve your performance in all mornings. Let’s look at some reasons to for a morning run:
- As it is harder to run in the morning, this activity may make you mentally tough.
- If you are training for one race which is mostly held in the early time of the day, try to practice running in the morning.
- The moderate exercise of 30-minute run in the morning can improve sleep and lower your blood pressure. You may spend the time to run in the early morning whenever you may arrange your time.
- Research expresses that most of the morning exercises can be more consistent and robust than their evening and afternoon counterparts because the motivation may come easier and quicker in the morning.
- You may start the metabolism by a morning run and keep such exercise revved up some hours after the run by combining the interval training.
- If you are running for the purpose of losing weight, a morning run with your empty stomach may help you much. Fasted training are proven with the beneficial usage for your weight loss.
As a matter of fact, it is rather harder to wake up quite early every morning. You may find more difficulties to do a morning run because the body is currently fighting it. There are some little risks relating to strokes and heart attacks and strokes regarding this activity. Studies show that the pressure of the ambulatory blood can reach the highest level in the morning. For this reason, many people already suffer strokes and heart attacks at this point.
Fighting this above phenomenon is somehow futile as you will never win. However, you may train your mind and body for the morning runs, yet do not expect to run at your best.
In the case you prefer evening or afternoon running
Our bodies may reach their peak performance in the early evening or afternoon from 4 pm to 7 pm. It is when the temperature of the body is at the highest level, and your muscles are flexible and warm. At such time of day, the environmental temperature can also be at the preferable performance-wise that is why several records are actually broken in the evening or afternoon and some athletic events can be scheduled.
Runners who give evening or afternoon running a try state that they tend to be stronger, faster and may reach the longer distance than doing morning runs. Aside from your muscles and body being relaxed, the lung power can be 6% more efficient in the afternoon than another point of time. If you are transitioning from running in the morning to evening or afternoon runs, consider some factors before making this switch.
- Social interaction, daylight, and mealtimes may affect performance.
- While you can be mentally at the best early in the morning, testosterone reaches the highest level at noon. So, it decreases as the day passes by, making you harder to be motivated and committed to doing exercises in the evening or afternoon.
- Avoid running in the late evening if you find it rather hard to find the right directions at night.
- There are lots of changing dynamics in one day, and some circumstances which you cannot control may make you skip running due to conflicts in the schedule.
- You should not do a noon run, because your lungs may lose their power during the lunch break. At that time, the sun is at the highest place in the sky so that you are asking for some trouble when running.
Tips to have an excellent run
To achieve the most comfortable and enjoyable run, you should pay attention to several matters:
Listen carefully to your own body
In the case, you do not usually wake up early in the morning, do not push yourself to run at 6 a.m. Otherwise, you can feel miserable as well as hate this experience. So, do what is the best thing for you.
Eat something light
If you cannot run or do exercises in the morning, try to do in the afternoon. You should only have a morning run when you are training especially for a weekly race. By this simple way, you can get the advantages of both options.
Be consistent
In fact, your body may adapt to all schedule with the sufficient time. Your own abilities can improve simply and quickly by choosing the right point of time to run daily. If you prefer a night run, let’s do it. Otherwise, a morning run should be a good choice. The particular time can influence your way of feeling about your running time, so select a fixed point of time then stick with this time.
Get enough sleep
Sleep plays the primary role in deciding whether you may run efficiently, especially early in the morning. In the case you had the terrible night, the running performance is negatively affected no matter you choose what time. Performance can improve when you do an afternoon or night run. However, you will fight the circadian rhythm which can mess up the body clock.
Final word
If you are training for the specific race with the tight training schedule to follow, it is much harder for you to blow off your morning runs. Otherwise, you can change your time of running from morning to afternoon or evening if applicable. However, those differences between these two periods of a day would be small in comparison with the significant effect of running consistently.
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