When is the best time to workout? Know thy rhythms

I recently invited a friend to join me in a morning workout class, and declined saying the most amazing thing I’ve ever heard.

“No thank you, exercising in the evening works better for my rhythms.”

Holy crap! Mind blowing!!

Lesson gleaned: Know thyself, know thy rhythms.

In college, I thrived on evening workouts. These days, I can usually manage them midday, but I really wish I could be an early morning person. I don’t want to wake up early, mind you, I just want the FEELING of having accomplished a workout early in the day – the discipline of an early bedtime and early rise, the peacefulness of a sleepy house and a solitary pre-workout cup of coffee, a sweaty workout followed by a long, uninterrupted shower, the refreshing buzz in my muscles as I sit down for a day of work.

By my calculations, that would mean a 5am wake time for me.

No ma’am, these days, that’s a fantasy. I usually wake up around 7:30am with one kid yelling he peed the bed or another one kicking me in the head (since he crawled in next to me during the night). Or my dogs are barking at shadows outside.

I’ve told myself I lack the discipline for an early morning workout, but when I heard my friend offer this simple and airtight explanation, something clicked in my head.

I don’t lack the discipline. I just don’t want to.

It’s not worth it to me, waking up at 5am to get all those amazing benefits. I get a version of that at lunchtime that fits wonderfully with my rhythms – not the fantasy rhythms my head of my “ideal life” but the real rhythms of my day.

By working out at lunchtime, I get to sleep in, snuggle with my toddler, sip coffee at the bus stop with my kindergartener, wear my pajamas and work from home in the morning, then “suit up” in workout clothes midday. I can workout while the toddler naps, during a natural break in the day, and I return in the afternoon, showered, dressed, and feeling refreshed for a few more hours of work.

WHEN we workout is a simple calculation of our rhythms, not a character judgement. For some, it’s a matter of convenience; for others, it’s about building a new habit that we can enjoy and sustain, and one that sustains us.

I work with a client who has struggled with disordered eating and exercise addiction. Years ago, at the peak of her addiction, she would be the first one at the gym when it opened in the morning. If anyone arrived before her, her day felt “wrong”, like she had failed. Now she’s rediscovering exercise and trying to find her new rhythm by exercising in the late afternoon. She’s re-training her brain while she re-trains her body. She’s learning intuitive exercise. I think it’s brilliant.