Tuesday, October 15, 2013

When To Work Out

There are many people out there who will ask you "What's the best time to work out?"

The real answer here is : When you have time.

Think about it. Working out in the AM may not be an option for you.

Working out in the PM might not be an option for you.

The best time to work out is when you can fit it into your schedule.

Usually the next question is: Well for how long?

The answer is as much time as you can commit to, but a good minimum to go for is about 25 minutes. You need that amount of time to rev up your body and put in some good hard work.

If you're doing a shorter workout, for cripes sakes make it effective! If all you've got is 20 minutes, then do a good 20 minute HIIT workout on the Elliptical, the treadmill or the Arc trainer (especially if you're looking for an excellent Glutes scorcher!) or the step machine. For an excellent article on HIIT training click this link:

http://www.cutandjacked.com/HIIT-8-Week-Cardio-Interval-Training-Progression

The answer for me as far as when to work out, it's now in the AM.

When I started working out, however, it was in the PM. I always felt ridiculously tired after a workout so logic dictated to me that working out right as soon as I got home from work was the prime time for me to get 'er done.  However, I eventually began to notice that while I was initially fatigued after a workout, I'd start getting a big endorphin and energy rush just as I had finished showering and lay my head down to sleep.

So I switched my workouts to the morning. It required a bit more pre planning as far as food and just laying out my work clothes for the next day was concerned.

Then....I joined the gym. THAT move has been very beneficial to me and I love blasting out a good workout at the gym before work. But this meant way more prep and planning. I pack my backpack before going to bed the night before and make sure I have a snack for the morning because I bike to my gym (Personal Best time achieved this week: 23 minutes flat to the gym, a distance of 7 km!) as well as my post workout Protein Bagel (P28 Bagels they're amazing! and make my post workout meal so much easier!) with All natural PB & raw honey.

The main thing to take away from this post is: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. And of course your schedule!

Together, they will tell you when the best time is for YOU to work out. Remember: if you can commit to 30 minutes a day of an effective work out, its better than doing nothing. 30 minutes is just 2% of your day.

Get to it!

Be Fit. Be Happy. Be Healthy.

TurboBeFit

2 comments:

  1. I try to get my workouts in as early as possible, that way I don't talk myself out of it later in the day. :P

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    1. Same here. Usually I find myself in the midst of my workout during the week at obscene-o'clock and my brain finally catches up and is like "Whoa! Okay so we're doing this right now then!"

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