What time of the day should I exercise, and why?

The researchers looked at 160 overweight or obese women who’d lost at least 10 percent of their body weight through diet and exercise. Their goal: to maintain that weight loss over a two-year period. The women were given three options when it came to when and what type of exercise to do: noon, 8 p.m. or 8 a.m.

After three months, reduslim cena the researchers followed up with the participants and found that people who exercised at 8 a.m. had the best results when it came to maintaining their weight loss. And after two years, those that exercised at 8 a.m. most often continued to exercise at that time.

Why 8 a.m.? That’s likely because it’s when you’re in the most active part of your circadian cycle, explained Charles Fuchs, a professor at the University of Chicago and one of the authors of the study. The circadian rhythm is your body’s internal clock, and it’s designed to wake up and go to sleep at a particular time, to help keep a consistent body temperature and to regulate activities and hormone production.

"In your normal waking life, you have a circadian rhythm that’s entrained to the light-dark cycle, and to the world in general," said David Just, a professor at Harvard University’s School of Public Health and the lead author of the study. "The body functions a little bit differently in the evening, and it’s supposed to go to sleep and wake up to a regular body temperature, but it can get distorted from a disrupted sleep pattern."

People with irregular sleeping patterns often experience difficulties getting sleepy as they normally would, which can make it harder to fall asleep at night. That can potentially cause the body to stay awake and increase its energy expenditure, which can then lead to weight gain.

But if you’re trying to lose weight, exercising at the same time every day can help you maximize your calorie burn, according to Just. He added that just engaging in light physical activity five times a week can also boost energy levels during the day and lead to weight loss.

Instead of exercising at your lunch break or in the evening — times when you may be less energetic and more likely to decide to eat something bad for you — Just suggests that you exercise instead at 8 a.m., which