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Ready for my 6:05 am exercise class
It’s a debate that has been raging in the fitness world for decades: is it better to exercise in the morning or at night?
Early risers will tell you that there’s nothing like sweating when the sun comes out and before sitting at a desk for eight hours.
But night owls will love how exercising after dark helps release the stress of the day.
Both groups can select scientific studies to support their claims.
A study conducted in Australia in 2024 showed that people who exercise in the evening have a lower risk of developing heart disease and death than those who exercise in the morning.
While a 2021 study concluded that morning exercise was better for losing weight, because you move more.
Personally, I’ve always done a morning workout, so I’m not afraid to do it after a long day at work.
But I was curious to see if I could change my routine and get out of an exercise slump after slacking off for the previous month.
I also thought I should do some kind of physical activity before a vacation to Italy that included lots of carbs and ice cream.
I took a 6:30 pm class after work at the SLT gym in downtown New York City, which offers a combination of Pilates, cardio, and strength training.
So, I set out on a two-week experiment. For one week I exercised at night and another week I maintained my usual routine in the morning.
That’s how it was.
THERE IS A DIFFICULT START
The first Monday I was scheduled to start my workout routine after work, I actually forgot to workout when I got home because I’m so used to finishing my workouts in the morning.
I realized this while walking my dog after dinner, so I decided this would be my workout and we walked 1.5 miles together.
I felt guilty for not going outside, but my dog enjoyed the long walk.
The next day I was determined to exercise, so I went for a (very slow) jog.
Running is not one of my favorite exercises, but the weather was nice and I went out two miles along the Hudson River.
It was nice to run along with the sunset, but I was very tired and couldn’t help but think that affected the effectiveness of my jog, especially since it took me about two minutes longer per mile than my usual nine-minute interval.
I was also very hungry when dinner arrived. I hadn’t eaten since 1pm and expended energy and calories during the race.
This meant that I definitely overate. What was supposed to be a dinner of just chickpeas and vegetables turned out to also include popcorn, hummus, sour cream, and onion crackers.
Also, at 8:30 pm, this was 90 minutes later than my usual dinner time and too close to my 9:30 pm bedtime to do proper digestion.
LIFE IS INTERFERED
On the first night of my nightly workout routine, I forgot to exercise, so I went for a walk with my dog.
I had a doctor’s appointment at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, and when I got home 90 minutes later, I surrendered to the fact that working out wasn’t in my plans.
Skipping a workout made me feel guilty, but it also made me realize that working out at night created too many opportunities for my workout routine to clash with my schedule, making it easier to excuse not working out.
To motivate myself to exercise in the afternoon the next night, I signed up for SLT, a boutique fitness class that is a mix of Pilates, cardio, and strength training.
I was waiting for him all day, but when he arrived at 6:30, I was tired and hungry.
The workout kicked my butt and thank goodness for my high energy trainer, Amy, who helped me master more advanced moves.
After class, Amy told me that she’s personally a fan of nighttime workouts because she “needs my mornings to slow down a little bit.”
But Zoe, another SLT instructor, told me that some people find it harder to exercise at night because they think “it’s time to go home,” while in the morning they’re ready to get up and leave the house, so which may seem easier to get this over with.
Cardiologist Dr. Erik Van Iterson said Cleveland Clinic exercising at night could interfere with your ability to fall asleep and suggested exercising at least an hour before going to bed.
While I loved working out while doing it, I knew I still had a 35-minute drive home and then I had to make dinner.
ALEXA HANGRY HAS ENTERED THE CHAT
When I walked in the door shortly after 8 p.m., my husband immediately noticed how irritable I was because I hadn’t eaten since lunch and all I wanted to do was go to bed.
I was making dinner and kept asking how long until it was ready. He told me that ‘Hungry Alexa’ needed to ‘chill out’ and, for the sake of our marriage, suggested that I no longer exercise at night.
Monday and Tuesday of my morning workout week included two at-home Peloton barre classes.
When the end of my after-work workout came to a close on Friday, I was so sore from last night’s class that I could only muster the energy for a 20-minute low-impact digital Peloton yoga class in my living room and A quick stretching session before calling it a night.
I rested over the weekend and was excited to get back to my regular morning routine.
Despite my personal distaste for an afternoon workout routine, people can benefit from it as evening workouts have been associated with greater flexibility and better aerobic performance and strength.
SWEATING BEFORE DAWN
Monday morning, bright and early, I got up and took a digital Peloton barre class in my apartment. I had no problem getting out of bed at 6am and sitting on my exercise mat for 30 minutes.
The same thing happened on Tuesday. One of the reasons I get up so early is to have enough time in the mornings. So after my workouts I can make a protein shake, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, and drink coffee.
And the benefits of morning workouts extend beyond my routine.
Exercising in the morning has been associated with lower blood pressure, better sleep, and greater weight loss because morning exercise improves fat burning and appetite suppression, although I refuse to be beholden to a number on a scale and don’t weigh myself regularly.
I love having time to myself in the morning and find that it really centers me before I start the day.
On Wednesday I headed to Club Pilates for a 6am class. Luckily, the studio is next to my apartment, so the commute wasn’t bad, but it was a bit jarring to leave while it was still dark.
I walked down the street from my apartment to a 6am Pilates class.
On Friday I went to another exercise class before sunset, this time at (solidcore), also in front of my apartment.
However, I loved the community mentality that everyone in the class had. No one wanted to get up at dawn, but we were committed and felt camaraderie in making a difficult decision before the rest of the city woke up.
It’s also nice to meet your 6am team and look forward to seeing your training partners, which motivates me to get out of bed.
My building has a great gym, so on Thursday I took advantage of it and did a 30-minute HiiT workout at 6:30 am. I loved sweating and feeling more productive while everyone else was getting out of bed.
And although it was a hard workout, I didn’t feel tired; I actually had more energy.
Friday was another 6am class, this time in (solidcore), a Pilates type exercise class.
The energetic music, packed class, and my instructor, Geena, really got me going. As hard as the training is, I felt very proud of myself for doing something so rigorous before the sun came up.
My 5:30am workout meant I had the gym to myself.
Geena told me that she prefers to exercise in the morning because exercising helps wake up your mind and body, so if you exercise too late in the day, you find it difficult to fall asleep, and I agreed.
As my two-week experiment came to an end with the last hamstring stretch in my class (solidcore), I reflected on my experiment.
I found that when I exercise in the morning, I am in a better mood the rest of the day thanks to the release of endorphins, the happy hormones produced by exercise.
I also tend to make healthier choices. I just worked hard for an hour, why ruin it with a greasy pizza for lunch?
But the week I worked out at night, I found myself saying, “Well, I’ll work out tonight, so I’ll burn off these fries later.”
And while my dog may have enjoyed our walk training, my husband definitely didn’t enjoy my bad mood.
Combine that with my lack of motivation, conflicts with after-work plans, and training amnesia, it’s safe to say I’ll continue setting my alarm to exercise early in the morning.