A team of researchers from the University of Sydney has just decided, after following eight years nearly 30,000 obese adults. Result: those who play sports in the evening would live longer and would be better protected against cardiovascular disease. All the participants wore an activity tracker, which allowed scientists to classify practitioners according to their dominant exercise time: between 6 a.m. and noon for the mornings, from noon to 6 p.m. for the afternoon athletes, and from 6 p.m. to midnight for the latest. And it is in this last installment that the benefits have proven to be the clearest, far beyond expectations.
In the evening, an ideal window to move according to the figures
By comparing the data of those who made sport to those who did not do it at all, the differences are striking. Obessed evenings in the evening presented a risk of death reduced by 61 % and a risk of heart disease of 36 %. Conversely, the mornings displayed a drop of 33 % of the risk of death and 17 % of cardiovascular disease. As for the afternoon athletes, their results remained positive but less impressive: 40 % less risk of death, 16 % for cardiac pathologies.
For Dr. Matthew Ahmadi, the main author of the study, the issue goes far beyond simple performance: it is a question of optimizing the effects of effort. According to him, people who can choose their sports schedule have every interest in targeting the evening niche to best compensate for the risks linked to obesity.
A time when the body is more receptive
But why would the end of the day exercise more effective? Several explanations are emerging. The level of blood sugar tends to be higher at the end of the day. At that time, the muscles can draw more from these reserves, which improves the combustion of calories. Over time, this could promote more marked weight loss.
Another advantage: evening exercise seems to help lower blood pressure overnight, a significant benefit for the heart. Work carried out in Japan and the Netherlands had already shown that a late physical activity better stabilized blood sugar and reduced the risk of developing resistance to insulin, a precursor of diabetes. Finally, for those subject to emotional food, a session after work would act like a release and would limit uncontrolled nibbles.
A simple routine to adjust, without upsetting everything
No need to review all your organization to enjoy these benefits. Sometimes you just have to shift your daily session slightly or introduce a gentle activity at the end of the day. Walking half an hour after dinner, cycling when you enter or take a pilates lesson at 8 p.m. can be enough to trigger a positive dynamic.
Here are some simple ideas to get into it without constraint:
- Plan a moderate session after 6 p.m., without targeting performance;
- Prepare your sports affairs in advance to avoid apologies;
- Avoid too late sessions that may embarrass sleep.
Of course, any physical activity remains beneficial, whatever the time. But if we believe this large -scale study, it is the evening niche that offers the most gains. And sometimes, a simple reorganization of his schedule can make all the difference, without having to get up at dawn.