Until just a few weeks ago it seemed that the day did not have enough hours. Now it seems that the days have too many. That is why there are many people who, in this time of confinement, have decided not to be glued to the television, computer or mobile all day, and try to be as active as possible. That happens by practicing sports and moving, even if it is indoors. The point is that before, you practiced sports basically in the space you could, either going for a run before work, escaping to swim at lunchtime, or going to the gym when leaving the office. Now, with so many hours ahead, there are many people who ask themselves a question: is there a better time than another to play sports?
The short answer is “it depends.” The long one, requires clarifying many factors that can influence our way of scheduling sport in our daily routine and that require the opinion of the experts.
Before analyzing the type of sport or the time of day, the first thing to consider in a workout is our own characteristics. As explained by Alberto Suárez Agustín, Altafit’s corporate technical director, “it is important to have the most individualized training possible, selecting the exercises that are best suited to our profile”. Although it will always be better to choose to sign up for online classes, in which to receive prior advice, instead of taking random trainings on YouTube, it does not hurt to have some ideas in mind. “Our experience will be a very important point since it will mark the selection of exercises that we can perform and the frequency with which we can train. These days the most important thing is to generate adherence to training and, in case our experience is low, start training 2-3 days a week and gradually increase ”. If we already did some sport before, it will be necessary to pay more attention to one’s own biological rhythm. “You have to ask yourself at what time did we do physical activity before. Knowing this, we must keep in mind that the times in which we trained previously they will be the most optimal to carry out the intense physical exercise of the day ”, insists the expert.
Lose weight or muscle?
The next question we could ask ourselves is what is the objective of the training. Is it just about staying active? Not to gain weight? Continue with our bodybuilding routine? In this regard, Ana Meca, fitness and pilates instructor and nutritional coach, explains that “If what we are looking for is a loss of fat, it is recommended to exercise in the afternoon coinciding with the decrease in our metabolism. Thus, by exercising, we extend the time in which it remains active ”. On the other hand, there are also studies that indicate that exercise performed before eating, that is, on an empty stomach, can have beneficial effects on the use of lipids.
As soon as to strength and muscle exercises “it seems that it is better to practice them in the afternoon, since the muscular efficiency is higher (among other things because the body temperature is higher at this time) and we also have more energy) ”, explains the expert.
Manage to maintain routines
On the first day of confinement, everyone seemed excited about the idea of occupying their hours, but with the passage of time and lack of spirit it becomes more difficult to maintain certain routines. Therefore, the ideal is to think long-term and find an hour that we know is easy to maintain. When choosing it, according to Altafit’s corporate technical director, it is not only about fitting in for a while that we know we will always have free, but also that different factors must be taken into account. “Must avoid periods of digestion of meals or avoid doing it late in the day“Because it will be when our body suffers the most. In this way, there are experts who point out that Although getting up early to do sports is more lazy, it helps to generate more consistency and continuity. Although the most important thing is “listening to our body and knowing what it needs, leaving that intense work for the time when it is used to being more active.” Likewise, the expert recommends taking into account that it is important to “start with a progressive activity that favors our body and that creates a medium-long-term adherence”.
The type of exercise
Once we have delved into our rhythm of life and customs, it is time to analyze the type of exercise to perform. And it is that our body does not respond the same to the different exercises, according to the time of day. From Ana Meca’s perspective, the ideal would be “avoid more dynamic exercises late in the day, since when generating adrenaline it can be difficult for us to fall asleep afterwards ”. In this way, it is more practical “reserve the last hours of the day for calmer exercises such as yoga or stretching“On the other hand, it is better to avoid doing a fresh lift, since twisting, flexing and other stretching require that the body has previously entered heat.” So, if it were necessary to summarize, the expert in fitness and pillars proposes to carry out aerobic and resistance exercises in the morning, strength, toning and muscular training at night, and stretching, yoga and relaxation in the evening.
Divide and conquer
Finally, it is not just about exercising at a single hour, but knowing how to distribute the exercise throughout the day. And it is that, if the objective is to stay active, there is no sense in having an intensive session of one hour, to spend the rest of the day lying on the sofa. As Alberto Suárez Agustín explains, given the circumstances, “it is more advisable to do at least two workouts, as it will help us stay active throughout the dayNot only physically, but also mentally, with an occupation or goal in mind. In addition “separating the workouts you can face them with more energy without losing technique as fatigue does not appear.” In this way, and by way of verdict, Ana Meca concludes that the ideal exercise in these days of confinement, but also in our day to day when we return to the usual routine, should be “a more intense session to work the lung capacity or resistance or a session of strength and toning exercises in the morning and a second session of more relaxing and therapeutic exercise, such as a good training session. stretching, late in the dayto”.
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