United States: A new study has suggested that exercising in the morning helps with weight loss. The study published in the journal Obesity found that workouts between 7 AM and 9 AM have been associated with having a lower waist circumference and body mass index than people who work out during the midday or evening.
The research team studied health and activity data from 5,285 people who had participated in the 2003 to 2006 cycles of the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
After participants had their BMI and waist circumference recorded, they wore activity trackers on their right hip during waking hours for 10 hours or more each day for four to seven days.
According to the analysis, those who exercised in the morning, between 7 AM and 9 AM, had an average BMI of 27.5, compared with midday and evening exercisers, who had a 28.3 BMI on average. Midday was defined as 9 AM to 4 PM, and evening as 5 PM to 8 PM The average waist circumference, adjusted for diet quality and calorie intake, was 96 centimetres (37.7 inches), 97.8 centimetres (38.5 inches), and 97.5 centimetres (38.4 inches), respectively.
These findings were found to be true regardless of sex, ethnicity, education, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, or sedentary behaviour.
“This research added valuable evidence that is based on a national sample of US participants, which has not been done before on the topic of timing of exercise and weight loss,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Tongyu Ma, a research assistant professor of rehabilitation sciences at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, remarked.
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