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 Among 375 people who had lost weight and kept it off for at least a
year, those who typically worked out at the same time every day
averaged about 350 minutes of exercise per week, versus 285 minutes
for those with inconsistent exercise schedules.
More than two-thirds of study participants worked out at consistent
times of day, mostly in the morning, the study authors report in the
journal Obesity.
"On average, those with high physical activity levels have a
consistency with their routine, and that includes finding an optimal
time to perform their daily routine," said senior study author Dale
Bond of The Miriam Hospital/Brown Alpert Medical School Weight
Control and Diabetes Research Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
Most guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-
to vigorous-intensity physical activity for health and 250 minutes
per week for maintaining weight loss over the long term, the study
team notes. Forming a "habit" of exercise is likely the best way to
meet the recommendations, they write.
"A good message for the general public is that the best time to
exercise is when you can do it, and if you can do it with
consistency, so much the better," Bond told Reuters Health in a
phone interview.
The researchers analyzed data on U.S. adults in the National Weight
Control Registry who had dropped 30 pounds or more, were long-term
weight loss "maintainers," and had answered an annual questionnaire
in 2018. Amid a broad range of questions, participants were asked
about their exercise habits, including the types, timing and
locations of physical activity during the week.
Everyone reported doing moderate- to vigorous-intensity activity
more than two days per week. The study team grouped exercise times
into early morning (4 a.m. to 9 a.m.), late morning (9 a.m. to 12
p.m.), afternoon (12 p.m. to 5 p.m.) or evening (5 p.m. to 4 a.m.).
They found that 68% of participants reported a consistent workout
time, and nearly half of these people were early-morning exercisers.
While the amount of exercise people got, on average, did not differ
by the time of day when they worked out, those who worked out at
consistent times averaged a higher total amount of exercise time per
week.
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Those with a consistent workout time were also more likely to
achieve the 250-minute weekly guideline for weight-loss maintenance.
"Looking at physical activity as something that's regimented, like
brushing your teeth, seems to resonate with people," Bond said.
"Those who do it first thing in the morning get it done before life
gets in the way."
Since this study included a group of highly-motivated people who
already lost weight and maintained it for years, additional studies
should work with those who are habitually inactive but at risk for
obesity, diabetes and hypertension, said Dr. Harriet Wallberg of the
Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, who wasn't involved in
the study.
"Timing of the exercise bout (morning versus evening) appears to
have an effect on blood glucose control in people with diabetes that
may differ from the non-diabetic population," she noted in an email.
"Moreover, with some forms of exercise (high-intensity training),
afternoon seems to be more efficacious in maintaining blood glucose
control."
Since lack of time for exercise is one of the most common barriers
to physical activity, finding the right time and cue to exercise
daily may be the key, noted Amanda Rebar of Central Queensland
University in Rockhampton, Australia, who also wasn't involved in
the study.
"When habits form, they make it easier to consistently engage in
exercise each day because rather than it being a new decision every
day, it's just doing what you do each day at that time," she said.
"Find a time to exercise that works for you and stick with it,"
Rebar said in an email. "Over time, it will become easier."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2JObcwt Obesity, online July 3, 2019.
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