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By Heide Kennedy, Arizona Farm Bureau Communications Intern

Between my full-time job, and writing for Fill Your Plate, finding time to work out can sometimes be challenging. Recently, I’ve found myself having to squeeze in workouts at night, and in between jobs. While any kind of exercise that you can fit inside your schedule is always a good thing, a recent study found that the timing of your workout actually does play a role in managing your weight.

According to Tongyu Ma, assistant professor of exercise physiology at Franklin Pierce University, and also the lead author of the study, individuals who exercised regularly in the morning had a body mass index that was 2 units lower, and a waist circumference that was 1.5 inches smaller than those who exercised in the afternoon or evening. Ma notes that these findings show only an association, not a direct cause and effect, as more research would need to be done to get to that point.

However, there is some reasoning as to why working out in the morning seems to lead to greater weight loss results. Ma says that one reason is that our bodies have just fasted during the entire night, meaning we have fewer carbohydrates to use as energy during that workout, leaving fat as the next source of energy your body wants to use. Also, food and nutrition consultant Connie Diekman says that exercise boosts your metabolism, and by doing so earlier in the day, you are setting yourself up to continue to have an elevated metabolism the rest of the day.

Now, for some of us, working out in the mornings isn’t always achievable, due to work or other activities. While there may be more results from exercising in the morning, this doesn’t mean that there isn’t any benefit to exercising during other times of the day. It’s still vitally important to be getting in daily movement, no matter how you fit it into your schedule!

For more articles about exercise, check out the Fill Your Plate blog!