Researchers discover the best time to exercise if you want to lose weight

Those who go to the gym after work may want to adjust their schedules, research suggests.

An American study of 5,285 middle-aged adults showed that exercising between 7 and 9 in the morning was the best time to lose weight.

Participants in this category had a lower body mass index (BMI) and smaller waist circumference than people who exercised at midday or in the evening. This was despite the fact that they spent more time sedentary than the others.

Scientists said morning exercise may be better because it’s easier to stick to the schedule and people are less likely to be distracted by phone calls, emails or meetings.

Dr. Rebecca Krukowski, a clinical psychologist at the University of Virginia, said, “This is interesting new research that is consistent with common advice for achieving exercise goals.”

“That is, schedule exercise in the morning before emails, phone calls or meetings can distract you.”

He admitted, however, that the results could be attributed to other factors, such as having a more predictable schedule or not having caregiving responsibilities.

He added: “Predictable schedules could have other advantageous effects on weight that were not measured in this study, such as the duration and quality of sleep or stress levels.”

“In addition, “morning larks” who always get up early enough for morning exercise may be biologically different from their “night owl” counterparts.

Studies suggest that people who wake up earlier have circadian rhythms (or “biological clocks”) that tick earlier, which could improve sleep quality and ensure a consistent schedule, which can boost weight loss.

The scientists found that people who were early risers were 10 to 13 years older than those in the other two groups.

Most of them also had a college degree and said they had never smoked or consumed alcohol. They also had healthier diets and ate less than those in the other two groups.

For the study, published today in the journal ObesityThe scientists analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which assesses the health of about 5,000 adults and children in the U.S. each year.

They used data from 2003 to 2006, when participants wore fitness trackers (or accelerometers) on their hips to track exercise for seven consecutive days.

While NHANES still uses fitness trackers, they are now worn on wrists, making comparisons to more recent years less reliable.

In the study, data from the trackers was used to divide participants into three groups: in the morning, or from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., midday, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., or in the evening, from 5 p.m. to 8 pm, athletes.

The scientists then collected data on BMI and waist circumference in each group to determine which group was least likely to be obese.

Of the participants, 642 were in the morning group, while 2,400 exercised at midday and 2,187 in the afternoon.

BMI was lowest in the morning group at 25.9 kg/m2, putting them just above the healthy range of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2.

The results were similar between the midday and evening groups, who had a BMI of 27.6 and 27.2 kg/m2 respectively, putting them in the overweight range.

Waist circumference was also lower in the morning group at 36 inches (91.5 centimeters).

In the afternoon group it was 37.4 inches (95 cm) and in the noon group it was 37.7 inches (95.8 cm).

Dr. Tongyu Ma, an exercise physiologist at Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire, added: “Our findings propose that the diurnal pattern of moderate to vigorous physical activity could be another important dimension in describing the complexity of human movement.”

Researchers are divided on the best time of day to exercise to boost weight loss, but several studies point to the morning as best.

A 12-week study involving 100 adults from skidmore universityNew York, which was published last year suggested that women interested in losing fat would exercise best in the morning.

Another document of Karolinska Institute of Sweden A study published earlier this year also suggested that exercising in the morning was better for weight loss, after finding that mice had higher fat metabolism when they exercised early in the day.