Most likely, after reading the headline, you have already chosen one of the camps.
In one, people can’t imagine how to get up in the morning and run. And in the evening, they feel cheerful and ready to go in for sports.
In the other, the situation is the opposite. Morning is the time to train, to charge yourself with positive energy for the whole day. And in the evening, after a hard day, you want to rest – not at all.
So who is right from a medical point of view? When is it healthier to run – in the morning or in the evening?
- Individual characteristics of the body;
- The body’s biorhythms.
Everyone knows the term “biological clock”. But what exactly is it? What is the mechanism of their work? Let’s find out.
We have a whole family of circadian genes in our bodies. They encode proteins that are synthesized at night.
This process affects the functioning of the brain and internal organs, regulating the quality of sleep, peaks of activity, appetite, body temperature, and the ability to reproduce.
But everyone’s biological clock works differently. Depending on individual circadian rhythms, there are three chronotypes: larks, pigeons, and owls.
In larks, the peak of activity occurs in the morning, and sleep begins and ends earlier. In owls, the body starts up in the late afternoon, and in the morning, activity is sharply reduced. Pigeons are an intermediate option.
Therefore, it is more efficient for everyone to run according to their circadian rhythms.
Work schedule
The biological clock is a feature of the body that is inherent in DNA. But there are also external factors that have a huge impact on training time. This is our work schedule.
Night shifts, shift work, irregular working hours – this throws off the regimen. When you have to get ready for work by 8:00 a.m., and maybe even send your children to school, you don’t have enough time for a morning run. Working until late at night makes it impossible to do an evening workout.
Thus, there is no single recipe for when it is more useful to run. But each training regimen has its pros and cons, and we’ll focus on them.
Features of running in the morning
Larks need to take into account the peculiarities of morning jogging in order not to harm their health and get the maximum result.
Nutrition
The most pressing question is whether you can run on an empty stomach. And if not, when and what to eat? We’ve analyzed the answers of sports experts to give you a scientifically based answer.
Running on an empty stomach
Running on an empty stomach is popular among those who want to lose weight.
But running on an empty stomach is not recommended, especially for long distances for an unprepared body. Glycogen stores after sleep are minimal, and there is practically no energy for training. Jogging dramatically loses its effectiveness.
Physical activity lowers blood sugar levels, which are practically non-existent anyway. Instead of losing weight, you may faint!
Feelings of weakness, dizziness, ear congestion, tremors in the limbs are signals that the body is working to wear out. Therefore, it is better to run for health after a light breakfast.
After breakfast
Running on a full stomach is also a bad idea. Indigestion, nausea, and reflux of gastric juice into the esophagus can occur. In addition, food must begin to digest for glucose to enter the bloodstream.
Therefore, a light breakfast of fast carbohydrates is recommended 30-40 minutes before the start.
What can it be? Toast with jam, a glass of kefir, 2 bananas or tea with honey and oatmeal cookies. This snack will quickly give you energy, vigor, and strength in the morning.
Water regimen
In addition to nutrition, it is important to take care of the amount of fluid in the body. In the morning, the blood has increased viscosity. This is due to the loss of water along with exhaled steam, filtration through the kidneys, and the lack of replenishment at night.
It is difficult for the heart to pump thick blood. The heart rate rises, the body gets tired faster, and the effectiveness of training decreases.
A glass of warm water with breakfast will help replenish fluids. Be sure to drink it 30-40 minutes before the start of your workout.
If you are going to run for endurance for 50 minutes or longer, take some water with you on your run.
Warm up
Given the peculiarities of the body’s temperature regime, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of a morning warm-up.
Dynamic exercises will help increase blood flow to the legs. Among them: squats, lunges to the side and forward, pendulum-like swaying of the legs with the support of the arms, circular movements in the hip joints.
In the morning, the warm-up should be 10-15 minutes longer than in the evening. The body needs more time to disperse the blood. The benefits of physical fitness before such a race are very high.
Features of running in the evening
For owls, there are also some useful tips on how to start exercising properly.
Hormone levels
Circadian rhythms regulate hormone levels in the blood. The peak concentration of cortisol (a stress hormone) occurs in the morning (6-8 am). In the evening, its levels decrease significantly, and the cardiovascular and respiratory systems improve.
Therefore, running is healthier in the evening. In addition, your speed will be several percent higher at the same heart rate.