8 Pros and Cons of Afternoon and Evening Workouts
Is there an ideal time of day to work out, or does it all depend on your lifestyle? In this episode, we dive into the world of afternoon and evening workouts, especially for those who just can’t get moving in the morning.
I also explore the bonus benefits of evening workouts, like transforming leftover stress into relaxation but, of course, it’s not all perfect – I tackle the common challenges of evening exercise, from disrupted sleep to schedule clashes and that creeping sense of losing motivation as the day winds down.
Whether you’re rethinking your workout schedule or looking to optimize your current routine, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you find the best fit.
I also discuss:
(00:27) Pros and Cons of Afternoon Workouts
(10:10) Understanding the Cons of Evening Workouts
(12:39) Managing Workout Motivations in Seasons
(19:35) Choosing the Best Workout Time
and more!
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Transcript:
Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with Me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you with each episode and issue a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get hands, girl.
Hello. Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embracer of Podcasts. So last week we talked about the pros and cons of morning workouts, and now it's time to kind of shine some light on the pros and cons of afternoon and evening workouts. Because just like with morning workouts, afternoon and evening sessions do come with their own unique set of pros and cons. For some, working out in the evening is not just a preference, but it's a necessity, as all of our bodies naturally fluctuate throughout the day. Afternoon and evening workouts can offer their own unique set of benefits. And this means that for those of us who feel sluggish or unmotivated in the morning, exercising later can bring, you know, a lot better consistency and results. However, despite the physiological benefits, there are some certain challenges to working out late in the day. And so that's what I want to explore in today's episode. But before we do, I want to share this review. It comes from Len's Nick Boyd. She gave a five star review and said Love. I used movement with Julie for a few years, but I've never been a podcast girl until I recently started 75. Hard. I've loved listening to Embrace IRL during my outdoor workouts. It's really spoken to me at where I'm at in this place of life with my physical, mental and spiritual journey. I absolutely love it. I am so grateful. I love that so many of you guys are tuning in to the podcast. When you're doing, you know, outdoor walks or you're committing yourself to the 75 hard challenge, whatever it is. I love to hear that you guys are tuning in to the episodes and you're finding them helpful. So thank you so much, Lindsay, for tuning into the podcast and leaving a radio interview. If you could scooch over to Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review, that would mean the absolute world to me and our team. All you have to do is type in embrace your into the podcast app. Every Apple device has a free podcast app. First, make sure you subscribe so that you never miss an episode. And then once you're on that, embrace your page. You can scroll all the way down and leave a rating interview. Like I said, it just really helps us all kind of know how the podcast is helping you. And it also helps when women stumble upon the podcast, whether a friend recommends it or they just see it on the explore page or recommended podcasts under a different podcast. A lot of times people check out the reviews first to see if it's worth their time. So thank you in advance for doing that. It really does mean the world to us. We keep this podcasts free of ads, and so the only way that it grows is through word of mouth. And so I really, really appreciate that. All right, let's dive in to the pros of afternoon and evening workout. So part number one is that you are well fueled. So by the time you hit that afternoon or evening workout, you've probably at least eaten 1 or 2 meals. Hopefully, too, you know, having that extra feel from breakfast, lunch and possibly some snacks that can give you more energy for your workouts. And this is especially beneficial for either those high intensity workouts where you need more energy to push or if you are really trying to push in your strength and really building muscle, then it can give you a lot more energy for those workouts so that you can really push that weight and, you know, increase your progressive overload, whether that is your sets, Europe's overall weight, whatever it is. But there are so many benefits to being able to have more fuel in your system. There's also benefits to working out in a fasted state, like I talked about in last week's episode. However, it is so awesome to have the extra fuel when you are wanting to. Like I said, either have those high intensity workouts or really push in your strength for your workouts that can be super beneficial and fat burning and help with muscle building as well. Pro number two is burning off stress. So after a long busy day, it's really common to feel mentally or emotionally drained and working out in the afternoon or evening can absolutely be one of the best ways to release all of that pent up energy or stress that you had from the day. Exercise naturally boosts endorphins. The body's feel good hormones, which is a great way to improve your mood and reduce those feelings of stress or anxiety. And that way you can enjoy your night instead of bringing home that stress with you or into, you know, your dinnertime or into the bedroom or whatever it is, it really allows you to take that stress and just really it through your workouts. So whether it's a stressful day or it's been a great day, it can give you just that mental reset. Your workout can be a great way to do that and you're able to really walk away, you know, from the frustrations or the challenges of the day, leave behind any work related worries or family worries or whatever it is, and just have that time, whether it's 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes and just leave it all out in your workout. And that will obviously help mental health long term as well because you're able to release some of that pent up energy or stress. And working out in the evening is also a great way to kind of wind down after the day. I think it's because it can really help you transition from the busyness of the day to kind of a more relaxed evening. Right. It helps you shift out of work mode and more into personal life mode. But before you shift out of work mode into personal life, you can use this time in-between to. Clear your mind, let go of the day, stresses and focus on yourself. After all, your workouts typically are your you time. So, like I said, instead of, you know, letting the stress of the day carry over into your night exercise that night or the afternoon or evening can really help to release it at the end of the day, leaving you on a healthier, happier and more balanced note going into kind of your evening and your sleep routine. Pro number three is that it has a potential for better sleep. So while working out too close to bedtime might keep some people off exercising in the afternoon or early evening after work, that can really help you to fall asleep more easily at night. So when you exercise, your body temperature rises and then gradually cools down after your workout. And this cooling effect helps signals to your body that it's time to rest, which can help you fall asleep faster for those who struggle to fall asleep. And it can also help you to get into a deeper sleep For those who struggle to get a really good kind of sleep at night. But like I mentioned before, if your workout is too close to bedtime, it can be really stimulating for a lot of people, making it harder to fall asleep when you do go lay down. So what I would recommend if you can, is try to avoid working out at least two, if not three hours before bed, those 2 to 3 hours prior to your bedtime. Those should be can be your winding down time, depending on, you know, what your life's responsibilities are. You're getting kids riled up. You're getting them, you know, doing bath time, you're doing nighttime routines, whatever it is. But if you can at all avoid, you know, at least two hours before your bedtime, that's going to help a lot. You know, I've heard some people, though, they work out right before they go to bed. They work out, then they shower, you know, have a hot shower and then they happen a bed and they they fall asleep really fast. So, again, this could be kind of testing out the waters and see what works best for you. But this is what I've seen overall is giving a little bit of buffer between your workout and your sleep will help per number four is that you have more energy. Society talks about how your body actually does have more energy in the afternoon for workouts and the science on that. But to kind of expand on this thought in the morning, it's common to feel sluggish. You know, you're trying to still wake up even if you've had your coffee break by the afternoon or evening, you're definitely more awake, you're more alert, especially if you've had, you know, the cup of coffee earlier in the day. Caffeine can give you that extra boost, helping you to feel more energetic and ready to talk through your workout. Plus, as your body warms up throughout the day, you naturally feel more awake and ready to move. And this can make afternoon and evening workouts feel easier and more enjoyable compared to dragging yourself to the gym first thing in the morning. Pro number five is that you're less prone to injury, so you're less prone to injury later in the day because your body is physically more prepared by then. And here's why. Throughout the day, your body is gradually warming up as you move around, as you perform your daily activities. And this warming process increases your blood flow to your muscles, which makes them more flexible and less stiff. So warm muscles are better to stretch and contract without straining, which reduces the risk of injury compared to when you exercise first thing in the morning, your muscles may still be cold and tight from the evening. Plus your joints and connective tissues are more lubricated as the day goes on. I'm sorry, I don't really know any other word to use aside from that. But it's true that they are more lubricated. You actually have this fluid inside your body that helps cushion your joints and this fluid increases the movement. So by moving throughout your day, you're allowing your body to move more smoothly. And in turn, this helps lower the risk of joint pain and strain during your workout. So by the afternoon and evening, your coordination and reaction times also improve as well. You're more alert, you more focus, which makes it easier to maintain proper form and techniques during exercise, which, as I hope you know already, is a huge important factor in injury prevention. All right. So now that we've kind of explored some of the pros of afternoon and evening workouts, I obviously want to dive into the cons because there are some cons that you need to take into consideration. Again, I will never say morning or evening workouts are superior to one another because every single person is in a different season of life. Every person has different things that they need to think about when it comes to what they're able to stay sustainable to and something that they're able to stick to long term, because ultimately that's what's going to yield the highest results. But my responsibility and my job is to just share the pros and cons. So now that we've shared the pros, let me kind of share some of the cons of afternoon and evening workouts. Number one is risk of overstimulation. So like I've already talked about earlier in this episode, exercising too close to bedtime. This can kind of have an opposite effect, leaving you feeling rather wired instead of relaxed right before bedtime. Physical activity can increase your heart rate and boost adrenaline levels, which makes it and can make it harder for your body to settle into sleep mode. So if you are sensitive to this, it is definitely best to avoid high intensity workouts, especially right before bed. So if your evening workouts are falling, you know, 2 to 3 hours before bedtime and you are having trouble sleeping, you might want to consider an earlier workout. Con number two potential scheduling conflicts. So evening workouts are often at risk of being derailed by last minute life things. Unlike morning workouts which are typically done before your days, responsibilities pile up. Evening sessions definitely are more susceptible to being skipped due to unexpected circumstances like work demands, social events, family needs, or simply just feeling too tired after a long day. Continuing to push your workout until tomorrow can mean that you don't end up hitting your workout goals that week or the next week or the following week, which creates this common trend of being inconsistent with your workouts. Number three, if you do workout at the gym after work is typically way more crowded, at least in my experience. When I previously worked out at the gym for a decade. So if you are someone who prefers, you know, definitely a less crowded gym experience, quieter than the Post-workout rush hour might not be for you. The gym definitely tends to be busier in the evening. And so if again, if you do workout at the gym, that is something to take into consideration. Some people love it. Some people love working out alongside of like a ton of other people. But other people despise it because, you know, you're sitting around waiting for equipment. You feel like there is it's just crowded. You don't have a lot of space to really move around. You don't have a ton of freedom in the gym. You feel like there's so many people looking at you. If that is something that really impacts your workouts and I would highly suggest either moving their workout time a little bit earlier or even into the morning workout hour. You know, the morning is definitely going to be busy as well because there's all the other people that are thinking along the same lines. But I will say the majority of people struggle to get up in the morning. So, again, keep that in mind when it comes to just your own preferences. And if you are someone that likes to workout at the gym. Number four, lack of motivation. So after a full day, whether it's work meetings, personal responsibility, some people find that their motivation is just completely gone. Like they started the day with this full intention to tackle their workout. But once the time comes, the motivation is gone. And if you are lacking motivation, you're probably going to be thinking about all day how you don't want to work out and you're going to be talking yourself out of it. And so that is definitely something to keep in mind, especially as it gets darker and, you know, darker earlier and it gets colder outside for a lot of the states in the United States right now as we head into fall and winter. You just want to keep that in mind. If you are someone that feels like you're easily influenced, you know, you start the day with tons of motivation and then by the end of the day you're like, man, I just want to sit and chill and I don't want to have to worry about it. Definitely something to take into consideration. Even if you love your, you know, afternoon and evening workouts for summertime, but maybe in the seasonal changes, maybe that's a time for you to switch it up or it could be opposite. Maybe you love to, you know, not have the responsibility of working out in the morning when it gets colder and darker, you know, in the in the fall and winter months. And so you switch to an evening workout or vice versa. So keep that in mind and just really evaluate and ask yourself, is this something that I'm looking forward to? Is this something that I'm consistently able to, you know, hit my workout goals, whether that's three times a week, four times a week, five times a week, whatever it is. Ask yourself, like, is this realistic for this season of life? And if not, again, there are so many different things that you can change up and that could even be as simple as you know. All right. I'm going to do, you know, morning workouts for Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Based on your schedule. I'm going to do an evening workout on Tuesday or I'm going to have a rest on Tuesday. I'm going to do an evening workout on Thursday. You can absolutely, you know, switch it up. I would just say that you just have to figure out what you are able to stay consistent with and also what excites you, because at the end of the day, results come from consistent and perfect action. Let me say that again results come from in consistent in perfect action so your actions don't have to be perfect, but they do need to be consistent in order for you to start seeing results. So there you have it in terms of the pros and cons of working out in the afternoon and evening. Be sure to tune in to last week's episode. I talked about the pros and cons of morning workouts. And so that way, you know, maybe you've been someone that have work has worked out in the afternoon and evening for years and years and years and years, but you're just finding that it's no longer fun. And so if you haven't tuned in to last week's episode, I encourage you to tune in to see if maybe morning workouts would be something that you could try. Or vice versa. Maybe you've done, you know, morning workouts for years and years and years and years and you just have find yourself finding yourself, you know, waking up to dreading your workout every single morning. Then hopefully this episode just gave you some encouragement or just some tips on if this is something that works for you. Again, it is going to vary from person to person, and at the end of the day, I truly have found that the number one reason why people. Will struggle to get their workouts in consistently is because they don't have a plan. So they might love the time of the day that they're working out and that might be the best fit for their schedule and their season of life. But they do not have a plan, right? When you schedule a workout in, but you don't have an exact plan, it's so much easier to skip your workout. You're either not motivated because you don't know what you're doing or you just don't have the time or energy to figure out what you want to do. No plan oftentimes results in in working out aimlessly, and that's not motivating. What is motivating as having a plan to follow. Plus, when you have a plan to follow, all you genuinely have to do is show up and follow. You don't have to be motivated. You don't have to be energized. You don't really have to be anything. You just have to show up and crush your workout without wasting any time. So if you are someone that you know, all right, I have my workout time. I'm going to start morning workouts. You're going to start afternoon evening workouts based on my schedule and where I'm at in this season of life. But you don't have a plan. I have a plan for you. I genuinely believe that having a plan is one of the single best things that you can do in terms of your consistency. And so if you haven't already checked out my movement with Julie App, I do want to recommend that to you. Not only does it give you a solid plan to follow, it gives you options to adjust your workouts based on what you need that day. So you know, if you are short on time, I have a 30 minute variation. If you are tired and you just, you know, you don't want to do impact workouts or you don't have access to a bench, I have alternate exercises. If you don't have, you know, five days a week to work out, try to hit three main workouts, upper body, lower body and full body. There are so many different things that this app will allow you to customize. All you genuinely have to do is open up the app and figure out what it is that you want to do that day. Am I doing upper body? Am I doing lower body? Am I doing full body? Or if you want to do the five five workouts a week, just simply open the app and follow the plan and get it done. It's super simple video demonstrations for every single moment, so you never have to question what the workout or exercise actually looks like. Like I mentioned, there's alternate exercises, there's time, there's a 30 minute variation or a 45 to 60 minute variation depending on your time constraints. So there is a workout for you no matter what your circumstances is. So if you want to check it out, you can go to sale. That's s a l e that movement which Slate.com again, that sale as a l e dot movement jewelry.com. I will go ahead and link that in the show notes, but I genuinely believe that that is going to help you so much just to be able to follow something without going into your workouts mindlessly and wasting so much time. And you know, even if you're hitting your workouts consistently but you're not following a plan, you're likely not going to see the results that you're looking for because you're likely going to skip out on certain exercises that you don't want to do or simply just don't really know how to structure a workout. So again, essay elite at minimum wage Slate.com. To learn more, I will also again link that in the show notes below. Also, don't forget to check out episode 339. This is an episode that I did earlier in the year and this is how to become a morning person with your workout. So I think that that will be beneficial for you. And also Episode 341 How to be consistent with an Evening workout Routine. So again, depending on, you know, just if you're still weighing the pros and cons of morning or afternoon evening workouts, I think that these episodes will really help you. But here is what I recapped in today's episode for the pros and cons of afternoon and evening workouts. Number one, you're more fueled later in the day. Pro number two, you have the opportunity to burn off stress after work Pro number three, it can help to promote better sleep and deeper sleep at that pro. Number four, you have more energy in the afternoons. And then I also talked about the cons of afternoon and evening workouts, risk of overstimulation by working out too close to bedtime, potential scheduling conflicts, which will oftentimes result in skipping workouts. Con number three, if you work out at the gym after work, is typically the most crowded time. And lastly, con number for lack of motivation. Again, if you love this episode and you haven't already tuned in to the previous last week's episode, I will go ahead and link that as well. I talk all about the pros and cons of morning workouts so that you're able to really weigh your options in terms of which is the best for you in this season of life. I hope that this episode and the previous episode has helped you kind of decide what is best for you and really just overall helps you understand yourself and maybe why it is that you struggle with one time of the day or the other. You know, I typically find that people are typically one or the other, but I've also found that people have been, you know, maybe they've been an afternoon evening workout person for ten years of their life and they are just wanting a change, having just the tools and just the understanding of how morning workouts can be beneficial that. Can help you switch over to possibly being a morning workout person for the next ten years of your life. It's just. Or vice versa, right? It just kind of depends again, on your season of life. But I hope that you found this episode helpful. If you have a friend or a coworker or someone in your life that you feel like really benefit from this specific episode or just this podcast in general, I just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link and send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story, but that is all that I have for today's episode. I love you so much. I mean it. I'll talk to you in the next one.
All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram. Be sure to do so, Julie. A lot better. Yes, it's with a in the middle for that Daily Post workout, real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it.