Is there really a "best" time to workout?

Is there really a "best" time to workout? Well different times of day have their own advantages but I have always pushed my clients to make a trip to the gym #1 on the checklist of their day. I can give you 5 good reasons why!

A SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT: Once your workout is completed you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the day. It’s done! You can find a million other things you “have to” do by the end of your workday. Now your evening schedule is clear to meet friends for happy hour, play with your children or take Fido to the doggie park!

BETTER EATING HABITS THROUGHOUT THE DAY: If you make the effort to get up and kick your butt in the morning, you’re gonna think twice about cramming those peanut m & m’s in your pie hole at 3 pm. Healthy eating and exercise go hand in hand and you know that you’ll ruin your early morning efforts by eating an empty calorie item.

METABOLISM BOOST: Waking up early, eating a small protein and carbohydrate dish (yogurt and fruit or peanut butter on banana) coupled with a workout is the number one thing you can do to start up your metabolism. Like an automobile, you first need to be sure you have gas in the tank and then turn it on. A good rev down the highway as opposed to a stop and go city commute will do wonders for your engine over time! The same is true for your body. Feed it, let it cut loose a little and then by the time you sit down at your desk for the day your metabolism is humming, allowing you to effectively burn calories you intake throughout the day.

HEIGHTENED ENERGY: While you may not be leaping out of your bed to get to the gym in the morning before work, you will be skipping out of the club after a good workout. Exercise is so much more effective than coffee! Coffee may be for closers but when they crash you’ll be one leading the charge at the office. Your high is endorphin induced and will last throughout the day with an effective high protein, fruit and vegetable diet.

SLEEP LIKE THE DEAD: So if you skip the coffee all day, eat well and had an early morning workout, your body will be ready to rest at a reasonable hour. The quality of sleep you experience is far better because your body is repairing itself after all of the hard work you exerted both in your workout and through your amplified metabolism throughout the day. Pour diet choices such as sugar and caffeine can delay the sleep cycle and if you never started your engine with a healthy workout, a slow metabolism isn’t going to burn them off.

TIPS FOR CHANGING YOUR ROUTINE TO MORNING:
1. Pack your bag the night before. You won’t want to unpack the bag in the morning to get ready at home.
2. Have a morning breakfast routine. Know before you go to bed what you will be eating and where it is in the pantry or fridge.
3. If you have children to get off to school, switch off gym days with your spouse and make Saturday “date day” to workout together. You should both be living healthy and can work as a team to keep the family working as a well oiled machine.

Join our fun team of Chicago Personal Trainers for an energizing workout today.

Live Healthy & Dominate Your Workout!
Shannon Helfrich
V.P/Co-Founder of The Bootcamp Express