L’physical activity it is essential to keep our body healthy by reducing the risk of cardiovascular mortality. In addition to the intensity and frequency with which you train (for adults and the elderly 150-300 minutes at moderate intensity or 75-150 at vigorous intensity, according to WHO recommendations), it is also advisable to carefully evaluate the moment of the day in which physical activity is practiced (chronoactivity). A new study coordinated by Gali Albalak of the University Medical Center of Leiden (The Netherlands), published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. has in fact examined the association between chronoactivity and the incidence of cardiovascular disease for the first time in a large population, identifying the best moment of the day in which to train to prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
I study
The study examined data, taken from the UK-Biobank, relating to over 86,000 adults (of which 58% were women) between the ages of 40 and 69 and without any cardiovascular disease at the time of recruitment (between 2006 and 2010). Between February 2013 and December 2015, the group of participants was asked to wear a triaxial accelerometer for seven consecutive days in order to record physical activity over a 24-hour period. Participants were followed up for 6 to 8 years, or until the onset of cardiovascular disease or death from coronary ischemia or stroke. During the follow-up there were 2,911 participants who developed coronary heart disease and 796 who had a stroke.
Better to train in the morning between 8 and 11
The scholars divided the participants into four groups, based on the time of maximum physical effort: around 8, around 10, around 12, around 19. The 12 o’clock group served as a reference. Comparing the moments in which the participants carried out maximum physical activity over the 24 hours, it emerged that those who were most active in the early or late morning, therefore between 8 and 11, had respectively 11% and the 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease than the reference group. Furthermore, those who were more active in the late morning had a 17% reduction in the risk of ischemic stroke compared to the reference group.
Women have the biggest advantages
The benefits of a morning workout appeared even more pronounced in women. Specifically, those who were active at 8 or around 10 had 22% and 24% lower cardiovascular risk, respectively, than the reference group. Additionally, women who were more active in the late morning had a 35 percent reduction in stroke risk compared with the reference group. “Although we cannot draw conclusions, because ours is an observational study and does not explain the cause and effect mechanism – said Albalak -, these results add to those of other studies that have shown how important it is for health to be physically active , suggesting that early morning activity, and particularly late morning activity, may be most beneficial.”
Exercising in the morning helps women burn belly fat
According to another study, conducted by Skidmore College of Saratoga Springs, scheduling the time of day to exercise, based on hormone levels and metabolism, could influence not only cardiometabolic health, but also body composition and muscle strength. Specifically, the researchers reported in their study that women who exercised in the morning burned 7 percent more abdominal fat and reported greater leg strength than women who exercised in the evening.