A good evening workout can make you feel happy, calm, and prepare you for a good night’s rest. And if you have a busy schedule, evening workouts may be the best way to stay on top of your fitness routine. There’s been debate as to whether late night workouts will keep you up at night. While vigorous, high-intensity workouts can raise your heart rate too much, disrupting your sleep, light to moderate intensity exercise before bed has been found to be incredibly beneficial for your health. This type of exercise can reduce stress, improve sleep, and burn calories. Wondering the best evening workouts for weightloss? We’ve got you covered.
9 Benefits of Evening Workouts
- Disconnect from the day’s stresses and help you clear your mind before bed
- Easier to fit into your daily schedule
- Improved performance and strength during your workout
- Better sleep, including quickly falling asleep and staying asleep
- More time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and restorative deep sleep
- Increased endorphins, which improve your mood and help you relax
- Reduced depression and anxiety
- Wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day
- Better focus and steadier energy levels the next day
5 Dos and Don’ts of Exercising at Night
- Do: light to moderate intensity exercise. This level of activity shouldn’t impact your ability to fall asleep and may actually help you get better quality sleep.
- Don’t: engage in vigorous workouts such as HIIT, running, jumping rope, speed cycling, or heavy weightlifting. Intense physical activity can stimulate your nervous system and raise your heart rate too much, making it hard to fall asleep.
- Do: workout at least one hour before bedtime. Even better, aim to finish your workout 90 minutes before going to bed to give your body enough time to relax and wind down.
- Don’t: over do it. 30 minutes of moderate exercise per day can help alleviate anxiety and help you sleep better at night. If you’re going to be working out at night, don’t over do it with long, high intensity workouts that are hard on your body.
- Do: stretch before bed. Make sure to stretch post-workout and prior to hitting the hay. This is especially important after nighttime exercise because you’ll be lying in bed overnight, which can leave you extra sore in the morning.
7 Best Evening Workouts for Weightloss
1. Yoga
Yoga is one of the best workouts you can do at night as it helps you relax and prepares your body for a good night’s sleep. It not only relaxes your body, but is also calms your mind. Yoga features deep stretching and a series of poses that are excellent for lowering your stress levels after a busy day. Practicing calming postures and slow deep breathing at the end of the day will signal to your body that it’s time to wind down, making it easier to fall asleep. Yoga also boosts your metabolism, which burns more calories as you sleep.
2. Brisk Walking
Walking is a great way to unwind from your day while enjoying some exercise. It’s especially beneficial if you go for a walk after eating dinner. Walking after a meal can help improve digestion and reduce bloating, regulate blood sugar levels, and boost your metabolism, helping you burn calories and fat. Opt for a brisk walk around your neighbourhood or walk on the treadmill with your favourite show or podcast on in the background. Aim for 30 or more minutes at a moderate pace.
3. Moderate Cycling
Moderate cycling is a great low-impact alternative to walking or jogging if you suffer from joint pain. You can cycle outside or inside if you have access to a stationary bike. Cycling can help alleviate symptoms of stress and anxiety, which can help you sleep better at night. Moderate aerobic exercises like cycling increase the amount of slow wave sleep each night, a type of deep sleep in which your mind and body are rejuvenated.
4. Pilates
Pilates is a type of exercise that emphasizes breath control and focuses on core strength and flexibility. This leads to a relaxed state post-Pilates, which is very beneficial for sleep. It’s a full body workout that improves muscle tone, burns calories, and fuses the coordination of body and mind. Your body will feel great and your mind will be relaxed, creating a pleasant state for the rest of your night.
5. Water Aerobics
Water aerobics is a moderate-intensity workout that can improve your heart health, reduce stress, and burn calories. It’s low-impact and easy on your joints, and is also a workout for your brain as you’ll learn and repeat a series of movements for a routine. Water aerobics gives you a full body workout, builds your core strength, and improves mobility and flexibility. And although it’s great for your heart and cardio system, it won’t raise your heart rate too much before bed.
6. Strength Training
Strength training can be beneficial to do at night. While heavy weightlifting isn’t recommended, lifting lighter weights before bed can reduce stress, improve sleep, preserve muscle mass, and improve your mood. It can help you blow off steam and go to bed feeling more calm and relaxed. Plus, strength training helps you lose weight by building muscle mass. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate tends to be, which helps you burn more fat.
7. Tai Chi
Tai Chi features a series of slow, gentle movements, paired with deep breathing. It’s rooted in Chinese medicine and fuses martial arts and meditation, alleviating stress and anxiety and setting the stage for better sleep. When practiced regularly, Tai Chi can help with lower- and upper-body strength, improving tone and definition. It also burns calories and results in a gradual reduction of fat loss.
We hope this post inspires you to try evening workouts. There are plenty of benefits of a nighttime sweat, including weightloss and improved sleep.
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