Choosing to exercise in the morning or evening is often a product of a work schedule or childcare responsibilities.

But is there any science to support working out in the morning versus working out in the evening.

This was a relatively small study from Skidmore University that collected data from 27 women and 20 men who were already highly active with a regular exercise regimen.

An international consortium of researchers in January 2022 did a fascinating research study that looked at the molecular changes occurring in the cells of multiple organs in mice to try to quantify at the most basic cellular level what happens when exercise is done in the morning versus the evening.

One possible explanation is that women tend to spend longer in the deep sleep stage and therefore tend to be more alert and ready to exercise earlier in the morning. But there are plenty of men who prefer to exercise in the morning as well.

This brings us to one of the biggest myths of sleep and exercise; that working out too late in the evening or close to bedtime will lead to reduced sleep quality.

So men and women whose goal is strength training might see greater benefits with evening workouts. .

Bottom line: This was a small study and there’s still a lot we don’t know about the time-dependent benefits of exercise.

It adds to the body of evidence that metabolic benefits are higher for men who exercise in the evening.

Whether you exercise in the morning or evening, the key point is that you are exercising and certainly reaping its many benefits