Best time to exercise varies for men and women: Study

A study by scientists in the US has found that the best time to exercise varies for men and women due to a combination of factors such as difference in biological clocks and sleep-wake cycles.

The study, published in Frontiers in Physiology, revealed that women burn more fat if they exercise in the morning while men burn more fat in the evening.

The experts studied 30 men and 26 women - all active and healthy, and between the age of 25 and 55 - over a period of 12 weeks. They monitored the impacts of various forms of exercises on the participants.

The participants were divided into two groups, one exercised in mornings while the other exercised in evenings and all of them followed a specially-designed meal plan. The fitness programme for the participants included sprinting, stretching, resistance and endurance training.

The researchers came to the aforementioned conclusion after testing everyone's blood pressure and body fat over the course of the study, as well as their flexibility, strength and aerobic power. However, all of the participants improved their overall health over the 12-week period regardless of the time of the day.

"The best time for exercise is the best time you can do it and fit it into your schedule," said Dr. Paul Arcerio, the lead author of the study, according to a report in BBC.

The study found out that women looking to reduce belly or abdominal fat and blood pressure should exercise in mornings, while women trying to improve muscle strength in their upper body along with their mood should take evening exercise.

According to Dr. Arcerio, evening exercise was found to be "ideal for men interested in improving heart and metabolic health, as well as emotional wellbeing." However, the men were less sensitive to the time of the day as opposed to women.

All participants involved in the study were of a healthy weight, but the researchers say that it could also work for overweight and obese persons. It said that the difference may result from the fact that women are more likely to store abdominal fat than men and they also have different internal body rhythms.

The scientists suggested that more studies need to be done to find out what causes these differences.