In the morning or in the evening? According to experts, this is the perfect time to sport

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I have been an early riser all my life and I also like to wake up before the first alarm ringing. What sounds like a bad joke for others is everyday life for me. I like to get up early in the morning and walk a round.

But not all people can get excited about early sports. For example, it is for me when I pass my gym in the evening and see how a lot of weights are raised there.

Apart from the daily routine and the time capacity, everyone seems to have a different rhythm. But what time should you train best? At what time is the most effective? And what factors does the whole thing depend on? We have found answers for you.

Chronotypes and the daily rhythm

As already described above, there are people who are super easy to get out of bed in the morning, but are already tired in the early evening. On the other hand, there are people who have to press slumber several times and become really productive and active in the evening or even at night.

That has with thatChronotypento do. Your personal chronotype depends on two factors: genetics and light conditions. This internal clock looks different for every person and can express itself differently. One often speaks of the biorhythm.

Owl or Lerche?

Many have certainly heard of the different chronotypes "owl" and "lerche".

The “owls” include people who like to sleep in for a long time, but accordingly go to bed late. “Larks” represent the opposite of it. They get up early, but they also get tired in the consequence of it.

There are also different chronotypes between "owls" and "larks". Most of us are actually relatively close together and represent a mixture of both chronotypes.

If you want to find out which chronotype you belong to, you canquestionnaireanswer from the Leibniz Institute for Labor Research at the TU Dortmund.

Reading:

Chronotypes and physical activity

This means that the chronotype has a proper influence on our physical activity. A scientificStudyWith 5,156 participants, Finland tried to gain further knowledge on the subject.

For 14 days, the study participants were given an acceleration sensor to see how long people sit or go. To do this, they had to fill out a questionnaire about the biorhythm that revealed more information about them.

It came out that men who were active in the morning or during the day have moved more on average than those who did sports in the evening. At the same time, they sat less.

The early chronotype was also associated with more movement in women.

The late type was associated with lower activity in both men and women. Men in particular have sat more or more in the late chronotype.

Early risers have better sporting performance

In further studies and evaluations ofStudiesIt came out that people who trained in the early morning of submaxim (average) strain in the early morning felt less strenuous than the late types.

At the same time, the early risers also showed a better sporting performance. This was examined using competition times.

According to the scientists, it cannot be precisely recognized whether the time ultimately influences the effectiveness of the training.

The optimal training: time and measures

However, the authors of the above -mentioned studies advise you to always listen to his own biorhythm and to trust the body.

That means:If you have to torture yourself out of bed tomorrow to go to sports, you should better train in the afternoon or evening. However, if you jump out of bed in the morning, you can use and train the energy.

So here it makes sense to listen to your gut feeling instead of pursuing any trends or the like. However, there is nothing against trying out both forms for themselves and seeing which model you get better with.

Essen: Before or after sports?

Anyone who goes to train in the morning can rarely go down a whole breakfast. You need energy for the upcoming training, which you simply only get through the food. Here is a big oneguide:

Before training

It is best not to eat a main meal just before the training session. A small snack is enough, for example from fruits or nuts. At least two hours should have passed after the last main meal.

Tipp: As a runner, I can do something to eat badly in the early morning hours. Therefore I like to use a little nut in dates (such as this from Koro)* back. These simply go down and give you enough energy.

During the training

Only water should be consumed during training. If you still need something to snack, you can fall back on shakes or seals. For endurance athletes, it is worthwhile to always have a few glucose in your pocket.

After training

After sport, the energy stores should be filled again. A balanced meal of easily digestible carbohydrates, a good dose of protein and little fat is particularly good here.

Which portion sizes and which food you eat exactly depends on your training goal. For example, if you want to build muscle, you should pay attention to sufficient proteins. The whole thing is quite individual and should be tailored to your own body.

In the podcast with Prof. Ingo Froböse you can find out in the ninth episode when the best time is to eat.

Something important at the end:When and what sport you do is still up to you. It is important that you feel comfortable and enjoy it. This is the only way you can hold on to it in the long term and follow a healthy and active lifestyle.