Should I work out before or after work? Have you found either is easier to stick to?

I recommend working out whenever you can. While most of us are either "morning people" or "evening people," there are no great advantages to either time of day. Most of us have to fit our exercise sessions within our daily obligations, and are forced into one category or the other.

Morning people like to exercise before their day begins. There are fewer interruptions and their energy and mental acuity is highest. If you work out at lunch, you break up the day and recharge your batteries for the second part of the day. Evening people can relax and blow off steam that builds up with the stresses of the day.

Any workout time is better than none. As a cyclist, I've always preferred early morning before the traffic gets too heavy. And during hot weather, it's cooler in the morning and the air quality is usually better than later in the day.

Whenever you work out, your metabolism will remain elevated for a time afterward. A workout prior to a meal is a good way to keep your furnace running hotter and burn calories at a faster rate, even as you take in new calories. I don't like to work out with anything in my stomach. I try to allow for a couple hours between a meal and my workout. I eat a decent breakfast (skim milk and cereal or yogurt and fruit, juice and coffee) at 5:30am during the week, and start my workout between 11:30am and 1pm. I will usually eat one or two pieces of fruit mid-morning, making sure that there is still at least an hour to go before I start my workout.

Find the time that suits you best, but don't let scheduling get in the way of maintaining your exercise program. Work out whenever you can.

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