New study finds the best time of day for men and women to work out

A new study has revealed what time of day will help you get the best results from your workout. Photo / Getty Images

Working out can often be the activity that you want to procrastinate but new research shows getting up and getting it done can be very beneficial to your health.

According to The Sun, hitting the gym or getting some fresh air with an outdoor walk or run in the evening may be standing in the way of you reaching your weight loss goals.

Following a study done by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, scientists found that working out at a certain time of day will optimise the results of your workout.

The study, which was conducted on mice found that those who exercised in their “early active phase” – aka. late morning for humans – had an increased fat metabolism – the rate at which you burn fat. Meanwhile, mice that exercised during times they would usually rest – aka. late afternoon – wouldn’t have as successful fat-burning results.

“Our results suggest that late morning exercise could be more effective than late evening exercise in terms of boosting the metabolism and the burning of fat,” said Professor Juleen R. Zierath from the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery and the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Karolinska Institutet adding, “If this is the case, they could prove of value to people who are overweight.”

Gym - crunch - sit-up - abs - exercise - gym. Photo / Jonathan Borba, Unsplash

“The right timing seems to be important to the body’s energy balance and to improving the health benefits of exercise. But more studies are needed to draw any reliable conclusions about the relevance of our findings to humans.”

The study which was published in the PNAS journal also noted exercise results did not differ depending on what the mice had eaten.

Despite the findings, a disclaimer on the study noted that as the experiment was conducted on mice, it could not be entirely accurate. While mice and humans share many traits, they also have important differences.

One of these differences includes mice being nocturnal creatures.

The Sun has also noted the study contradicts previous studies that found exercising in the evening could be more beneficial for those wanting to lose weight.

Even more so, New York doctors found the optimal time to work out could differ for each gender.

After conducting a 12-week training program that saw 26 males and 30 women partake, research led by Professor Paul J Arciero at Skidmore College found the best time to exercise depends on what your fitness goals are.

One finding published in the Frontiers in Physiology stated women who want to lose fat around their belly and hips should exercise in the morning.

It also noted women exercising at this time of day may also benefit from a rounder bottom and shapely legs.