exercising before bed...

[janaq2003]

I have heard different things. I was wondering if I were to do my elliptical in the morning before I go to bed (I work 3 nights a week), will it keep me from getting adequate rest?

[christyb]

I do one hour of boxing and some of my other co workers also excercise in the morning before bed a good stretch a decent meal and i'm out like a light

[kbragg]

I got confused for a second:lachen: I see you work 3rd shift. While I don't work nights, I do exercise before bed and have no problems sleeping at all. Actually I sleep more deeply:yep: I take a hot shower after my workout. I find that I burn more fat that way as well (I exercise twice a day)

[dlewis]

I exercise before bed and sleep very well.

[BlondeByDesire]

I exercise before bed and sleep very well.

I second that ...

[sunshinelady]

It is better to exercise in the morning. Stretching and relaxation exercises are fine before bed. Callanetics makes me sleepy.

[Nonie]

I love to exercise before bed. I sleep well too, but I also feel as if the effects of my workouts are more apparent to me in the mornings if I have been working out regularly before bed.

[Oasis]

I don't workout before bed all the time but when I do it doesn't affect my sleep.

[Anancy]

When i used to work out in the evening before bed i loved it and i had no problems whatsoever.
I found my body felt more relaxed and i was out like a light and slept really well.

[kbragg]

I also wake up the next morning with a nice flat belly:yep:

[angellazette]

^^I know right! I always rub my stomach when I wake up in the morning after an evening workout.

[kbragg]

^^I know right! I always rub my stomach when I wake up in the morning after an evening workout.

:lachen:I thought I was the only one who did this! I also spend a few moments admiring it in the mirror:spinning: cuz I know as soon as I put food in it it's gonna round right back up:wallbash::lachen:

[JFemme]

Several nights at a week, I can be found at the gym, round 8-10 PM:look:

Makes me sleepy faster, and I sleep deeper...:yep:

[angellazette]

:lachen:I thought I was the only one who did this! I also spend a few moments admiring it in the mirror:spinning: cuz I know as soon as I put food in it it's gonna round right back up:wallbash::lachen:


You are NOT alone! lol

[calmsensual1]

someone correct me if im wrong but IMO I think its better to exercise earlier in the day.
I say this because when you exercise your metabolism raises not only for the duration of your workout but for the rest of the day. So whatever you eat throughout the rest of the day will be burned off quicker.

Whereas if you exercise before bed you may or may not eat anything after. And then if you go to sleep your whole body slows down anyway. Im not an exercise and sports science major so I may be wrong.

Dont get me wrong though, do what you've gotta do. Heck I just worked out for the first time at night last night and loved it. Slept very well too.

I just think that if youre focus is on losing weight it might be better to workout earlier.

[WhipEffectz1]

I always tend to workout harder at the end of the day because it puts me right to sleep.

[kbragg]

someone correct me if im wrong but IMO I think its better to exercise earlier in the day.
I say this because when you exercise your metabolism raises not only for the duration of your workout but for the rest of the day. So whatever you eat throughout the rest of the day will be burned off quicker.

Whereas if you exercise before bed you may or may not eat anything after. And then if you go to sleep your whole body slows down anyway. Im not an exercise and sports science major so I may be wrong.

Dont get me wrong though, do what you've gotta do. Heck I just worked out for the first time at night last night and loved it. Slept very well too.

I just think that if youre focus is on losing weight it might be better to workout earlier.

Actually it really depends on the type of workout you do. With cardio the temporary metabolic lift only lasts 30 minutes to an hour. Weightlifting's metabolic lift can last for up to 72 hours so it'll be lifted 24/7 anyway. Although there is some benefit to fasted morning cardio, if your intensity is not as high as say in the evening then the minute gain you may have gotten by working out early is lost with the loss of intensity. Basically what this means is the best time to work out is when you will DO the work out. Time of day is in consequential to weight loss.

One BIG plus of an evening workout though that can have a significant benefit is if you had a crappy day of eating or ate a lot of carbs near bedtime. By burning off those carbs before bed they're less likely to be stored as fat whereas if you workout that morning, those calories are pretty much guaranteed to be stored as fat due to the spike in blood sugar.

Another plus of evening workouts is it induces deeper sleep and lessens the cortisol effect which means your body will recover faster and build muscle rather than break it down. It has the a similar effect with morning cardio in that by exercising in the morning it destresses and energizes you which is important especially for people battling depression (since exercise also raises seratonin levels).

So the bottom line is there are only benefits and no real cons to working out at any time a day. It's about incorporating exercise into your daily routine so that it becomes a natural habit you will be consistent with rather than something you have to make yourself do by a certain time and when you don't exercise by that time you beat yourself up which raises cortisol levels, cortisol breaks down muscle, weakens the immune system, and causes belly fat (which we wants no parts of:wallbash:)

Anyway that is my incredibly anal scientific explaination:look::lachen:

[SweetCaramel1]

personally, after i hit the treadmill for 30 minutes and weights, i'm good until 11pm-midnight. and i mean wired

i do enjoy a deep sleep once i actually do get to bed though.

i say try both to see which you prefer :drunk:

[Lenee925]

I lift at night and get a slight endorphin rush for an hour, then I fall asleep.

[PinkSkates]

Personally speaking...exercise is good no matter when you do it. It is an individual matter of when is good for you. The human body can adjust to almost any schedule.:yep:

Technically speaking...exercise is best early in the morning. It boosts metabolism and has been proven to be the most effective time of day. I have read studies that exercise is prudent up until several hours before bed. Because exercise tends to wake up the body, chemically and otherwise, it is not recommended to exercise less than 2 hours before going to bed.