THE ESSENTIAL
- The World Health Organization recommends doing 150 to 300 minutes of moderate exercise or at least 75 to 100 minutes of intense physical activity per week.
- It is also advisable to walk at least 10,000 steps a day.
Reduction of the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, increase in muscle mass, benefits on the bone system… The virtues of sport are numerous, but to get the most benefit from it, it is better to practice it in the morning, according to a study published in the journal Cell Metabolism. Indeed, depending on the time when you exercise, the benefits for the body and brain and cognitive health are not the same. The reason is simple: it is not the same molecules that are produced in the morning, noon and evening after a sports session.
Practicing a physical activity preferably in the morning
“Almost all of our cells regulate their biological processes over a 24-hour period, or circadian rhythm. This implies that the sensitivity of different tissues to the effects of exercise varies according to the time of day. Previous research has thus concluded that synchronizing exercise, such as eating or sleeping, with the circadian rhythm can optimize the health benefits of exercise,” the authors said.
As a reminder, the circadian rhythm can be defined as an individual’s internal clock. It is important because it controls many physiological activities of the body, such as sleep, mental health, food, hormonal secretions, digestion or blood pressure, learning and memory formation. Hence its importance for brain and cognitive health. So, according to scientists, the best time to exercise is in the morning.
Exercise to restore circadian rhythm
To achieve this result, the researchers conducted experiments on mice. Some exercised in the morning and others in the evening. Thus, they were able to identify which molecules were produced in different tissues of the body depending on the time of day. According to the results, the most interesting molecules for the body would be produced in the morning. On the other hand, they also felt that the practice of physical activity upon waking could help restore the circadian rhythm in patients who have, for example, sleep disorders or other pathologies that are linked to this clock. internal as obesity or type 2 diabetes.
However, one of the limitations of this study is that it was done on mice which have an inverse circadian rhythm compared to that of human beings. The authors therefore intend to continue their research to better identify the way in which the molecules produced by the body, depending on the time of day, influence our health.