Huge myth about exercise finally debunked

Aptitude

By News.com.au

If you’ve ever wanted to take a nap instead of getting up for the 6 a.m. gym class you signed up for, now you have the perfect excuse.

A new study has identified that the best time to work out is in the evening, as sweating after 6 p.m. has a surprising health benefit compared to doing it first.

Researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, found that people who exercise at night have a lower risk of developing heart disease and death than those who exercise in the morning.

The exercise programs and results of 30,000 obese people with an average age of 62 were analyzed over eight years in an effort to answer the age-old question: Does the time of day you move your body make you a difference in your health?

The study found that obese people who exercised after 6 p.m. had a 61% lower risk of death and a 36% lower risk of developing heart disease compared to obese people who did not exercise after 6 p.m. All.

Conversely, participants who exercised in the morning experienced about half the benefits, as they were only 33% less likely to die and 17% less likely to develop heart disease.

“This study suggests that the timing of physical activity could form an important part of recommendations for the future management of obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as for preventive health care in general,” Professor Emmaneul Stamatakis, study author and director of the Mackenzie Wearables Research Hub in Charles. » said the Perkins Center.

Researchers made a surprising discovery when they analyzed each individual’s physical activity over a week using a 24-hour fitness tracker.

Their physical activity was not limited to exercise, but included things like walking and cleaning the house, while differences in age, gender, smoking habits and diet were also taken into account.

Participants were divided into four categories based on when the majority of their activity took place: morning, afternoon and evening.

Morning athletes trained between 6 a.m. and noon, while afternoon athletes worked out a sweat from noon to 6 p.m.

Evening participants exercised from 6 p.m. to midnight and achieved the best results compared to the other two groups, the study concluded.

The researchers stressed that the findings were observational, but said they were based on smaller trials conducted in the past.

“Due to a number of complex societal factors, around two in three Australians are overweight or obese, putting them at much higher risk of major cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, as well as premature deaths,” said Dr Angelo Sabag, senior lecturer. in exercise physiology at the University of Sydney, said in a statement.

“Exercise is by no means the only solution to the obesity crisis, but this research suggests that people who can schedule their activity at certain times of the day may better offset some of these health risks. “

Health fanatics have long debated the ideal time to workout for the best results, with some saying it’s best to get up early, while others prefer late at night.

But the new data certainly seems to suggest that arriving at the gym early isn’t always the best option.