by Elliot James
If your schedule is as full as the average schedule in this day and age, you will understand when we say that it can be challenging to cram in workouts on a regular basis. In fact, a lot of people only have two choices of when they can exercise; and that’s before and after their workday! This is why it’s important to set aside a consistent time to work out. Otherwise, it’s really easy to let your daily life get in the way of things.
Are you still figuring out your workout routine, or thinking about switching it up in order to get better results or increase your motivation? You’ve probably heard a whole spectrum of opinions about the best time of day to work out and how to go about setting your workout schedule. So how do you figure out what’s right for your fitness journey? Is working out before bed a good idea?
Everybody is different, and there’s no one universal workout schedule that will fit into each of our lives. It’s up to you to figure out what works best for yourself! While working out before bed might not be the best situation for everybody, there are certainly some reasons why you should consider it. Here are some of the pros and cons of working out before bed.
Working out before bed – Positives
Saving your workout for the period of time before sleep can certainly make your morning easier to deal with if you’re somebody who has a lot of trouble rolling out of bed. If you’re somebody who dreads the thought of fitting in a workout before you head off to work for the day, you can definitely benefit from exercising at night.
If you’re anything like the rest of us, you probably have a bit of tension that could use some release. This is another reason why exercising before bed is a good idea because it can really help to relieve tension and overall frustration. If you notice you’re a bit stressed after work or school, you should definitely try a nighttime workout.
Another positive of working out at night is the fact that your body has been used to movement throughout the day, so you don’t need to put as much energy into your warm up. With your joints loosened and lubricated, you aren’t as likely to deal with an injury while you’re working out. Obviously, somebody with a sedentary job doesn’t move as much during the day, so be sure to take this into consideration as well.
Working out before bed – Negatives
It’s safe to say that there are a whole lot of distractions that can occur before bedtime to lure you away from your nighttime work out. Whether it’s a nap, an invitation to go out with friends, errands, Netflix, or a promising date night, there are a million different ways to get distracted from your fitness goals if you decide to save your workout for later. So, a nighttime workout might not be for you if you know that you lack the discipline to avoid distractions and really stick to it.
If you work out an hour or two before going to sleep, you could have issues falling asleep if you’re doing high-intensity workouts. This is because of all that adrenaline and endorphins! Exercise also plays a role in increasing our core temperature, and that can keep you from feeling sleepy. If you find that your heart is still racing when you lay down to sleep, try to focus on gentle exercises such as yoga and save the intensity for the weekend. It’s a good idea to play around with different times and exercises to really see what your limit is and set a schedule that works for you.
If you’re working out at a gym, you’ll find that it gets pretty busy during the afternoon and evening. If you’re somebody who doesn’t like a crowded gym or you’re concerned about not being able to access the machines that you’d normally use, you might run into some challenges with working out at night. However, if you are working out at home, this won’t be as big of a concern for you.
Here’s a quick recap to help you decide if working out before bed is right for you:
Pros
- Keep your morning simpler (and stay in bed longer)
- Relieve tension of the day in a healthy way
- You’re already partially warmed up
Cons
- Can be hard to avoid daily distractions
- The potential to interrupt your sleep cycle
- The gym gets crowded in the afternoon and evening
Author Bio
Elliot James hopes to offer engaging and seasoned advice in the realm of fitness after working closely in the industry for a number of years. He is now most recently working with Gunsmith Fitness, a company who provides women’s wrist straps and other weight lifting equipment.
