A recent study, published in Nature Communications, suggests that people who exercise in the afternoon may live longer as compared to people who work out in the mornings or evenings. The study defined mid-afternoon from 11 am to 5 pm, evening from 5 pm to midnight, and morning from 5 am to 11 am. It, however also emphasised that moderate to intense activity at any time of the day was better than none at all.
For the study, 92,000 people in the UK participated and had their health and demographic data evaluated from a biomedical database. Participants were given accelerometers that measured when and how intensely they worked out over a seven-day period. Researchers then looked at mortality records after several years and found that about 3,000 (or 3 per cent) of the participants had died, with about 1,000 from heart disease and 1,800 from cancer.
People who worked out in the mid-afternoon had a lower risk of dying, both in general and from heart disease, compared to evening and morning exercisers (Pic source: Pixabay)
According to the results, people who worked out in the mid-afternoon had a lower risk of dying, both in general and from heart disease, compared to evening and morning exercisers. The same held true for people with “mixed” exercise times or those who regularly changed their workout schedules.
Dr Aashish Contractor, Director- Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai, commented on the study, saying, “This is an interesting study, which once again underscores the importance of moderate to vigorous physical activity, in reducing deaths from all causes, and also from cardiovascular disease and cancer”.
Dr Contractor, however, doesn’t think that the time of workout is of great significance; he rather stresses on the importance of working out regularly. “The researchers showed a slightly greater benefit in the afternoon versus morning or evening exercise, but honestly, I don’t think that’s an important take-home message. What’s far more important is to get physical activity as part of your daily and weekly routine. It’s best to do it at a time of your convenience, which you will be able to maintain in the long term,” the expert said.
📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!
