Yes, you can exercise at night

Evening exercise has more benefits than drawbacks

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning. This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is to try using evenings to fit exercise
into a full schedule. You don't need to worry that
evening exercise will keep you up all night. Instead, it

(00:27):
might make life feel more doable. I know that many
people listening to a podcast called Before Breakfast are well
morning people. I get lots of letters from people who
listen to these episodes while grabbing coffee on route to
the gym. I'm a big fan of morning exercise, and
for many people, this is the time of day that

(00:48):
works best. But that isn't the case for everyone. Maybe
you start work at six am and the bedtime required
for your five am wake up is already pushing the
limits of what you consider normal. Maybe your kids wake
up unpredictably. There's little more frustrating than setting an alarm
for five am, only to have your kids here that

(01:08):
alarm too. Maybe you've got your morning routine down to
a science and you don't want to rock the boat
by adding something else. That's fine. Evenings can actually be
a great alternative. The old assumption was that evening exercise
was a bad idea because it would keep you awake.
New research has revealed that this assumption is false. People

(01:33):
who exercise sleep better than people who don't exercise full stop.
It doesn't really matter when the exercise happens. That said,
if you've had a tough day at work and then
have battled to get your kids to bed, you might
not be highly motivated to do much in terms of
a hard workout. Maybe there are logistical barriers. You're the

(01:55):
only adult at home, for instance, so leaving your sleeping
little ones to go to the gym isn't an option.
But there are ways around all of this. First, you
don't have to exercise daily. Maybe start by aiming for
two evenings during the work week. Choose these evenings ahead
of time so you can shepherd your energy during the day.

(02:19):
Knowing that exercises in your plan for the evening can
make it slightly more likely to happen. Second, choose something accessible.
If you have a treadmill, stationary bike, or a weight
set at home awesome if you don't. Search on YouTube
for exercise videos that use body weight, or try a

(02:40):
service such as open fit that streams fitness classes as
part of that accessibility. Think short. You don't need to
exercise for an hour as you're starting out. Thirty minutes
is fine, and if that seems daunting, go for twenty
or fifteen. Even small amounts of activity turn out to matter.

(03:02):
If you live somewhere safe with lots of sidewalks and
street lights, and you wear reflective clothing, you could walk
or run outside, but I know that's not feasible for
many people, and even if it is, sometimes the weather
doesn't cooperate, so it's good to have backup options. Third,
and most important, when you've chosen a time, just do

(03:25):
it before you do anything else. Once you collapse on
the couch, you probably won't get up again. So don't
put yourself in that position of having to exert extraordinary willpower.
As soon as you've gotten home or after you've tucked
the kids into bed, get to it. Don't worry if
you don't feel like it. We can do plenty of

(03:47):
things we don't feel like, especially if we know it
will be over soon. Promise yourself you'll stick with it
for ten minutes and then you can quit. I'm willing
to bet that by ten minutes in you'll be feeling
more motivated, and you'll be willing to go to twenty.
If you're looking for extra motivation, try watching a favorite
show or listening to a favorite album while you're doing

(04:09):
your workout. The upside of exercising from say eight thirty
to nine pm is that it happens, and then you
still have an hour or so to veg out before
you need to go to bed. This can be plenty
of time to wind down, crack open that beer, read
a book, hang out with your partner, or whatever it
is you do. Especially if you're only aiming for two

(04:30):
evenings a week. This doesn't need to be a huge sacrifice,
and now you're the sort of person who exercises with
all the upsides that come with that. If you're an
evening exerciser, I'd love to hear about it. You can
let me know at Before Breakfast Podcast at iHeart media
dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

(04:54):
and here's to making the most of our time. M Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod.

(05:15):
That's b the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

(05:37):
a production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from
my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.