One of the best things you can do for a healthy body is running. Running comes with benefits such as minimizing the chances of heart problems, improving your abilities to learn, and even losing excessive weight. However, these benefits might depend on the time you choose for your running routine. Establishing a running routine is not easy for most people. It even gets more difficult to choose the right time of the day to run.

Engaging in successful running requires one to optimize their runs. This might include choosing the right gear, the running speed, time, and distance to cover.

 

There are different factors that influence the time and schedule of running that one chooses, making it more difficult for one to find the best time for their running. 

People need to understand that the factors guiding the right time vary from one person to another. That notwithstanding, here are the pros and cons of a morning and evening run to help you choose the time that best fits you.

 

Pros of Morning Runs

 

It Energizes the Day

A morning run forces most people to wake up a little bit earlier than usual to ensure that they have time for their run. 

After waking up, they first prepare for the run, ensuring that they have the right running gear such as a running hat. This provides a way for them to start their day well and with the right energy to take them through all their daily activities.

Ensures That Runners are Consistent

Morning runs are essential in creating habits and routines for runners. For instance, it is easier for most people to run in the morning compared to the evening when they might have many tasks and chores filling up. 

This ensures that runners develop a consistent culture that guides all their daily activities.

Helps in Losing Weight

Even though you can lose weight even when running during other times of the day, research has shown that running in the morning before eating anything is vital in controlling the energy intake of your body, helping you with weight loss.

 

Cons of Morning Runs

 

Not Suitable for Challenging Runs

The body needs some time to regain its energy in the morning after waking up. Engaging in challenging runs in the morning increases overexertion risks.

Has Time Limitations

Running in the morning requires one to wake up earlier than usual, something that might be challenging especially for those that have to go to work in the morning.

There are also certain times of the year, such as winter times, when it is still dark in the morning making it difficult to wake up and start running. This limits the time available for morning runs.

Has Higher Chances of Getting Injured

The body has cool temperatures in the morning, something that denies it the capabilities of challenging runs. This increases a runner’s chances of getting injured.

 

Pros of Evening Runs

 

Good Performance

The temperature of the body is at its best in the evening, something that has a lot of influence on the performance of runners.

This means that a person is likely going to perform better when running in the evening.

Relieves Stress

Running is one of the ways people can use to relieve stress. During the day, one might engage in different activities that might raise their levels of stress.

They can, therefore, run in the evening to relieve the stress after long days of work.

More Recovery Time

Running in the morning might mean that one is still going to engage in other daily activities. On the other hand, evening runs allow people to simply relax, take a shower, and sleep. This provides them with more recovery time after their run.

 

Cons of Evening Runs

 

Lack of Motivation

Most people get home in the evening after engaging in different activities in the day. This means that they are often tired and not ready to engage in any other activities such as running. Running in the evening is quite challenging and lacks motivation.

Less Safe

Most evenings are quite busy, and some places might already be dark early in the evening. It, therefore, means that there might be a lot of people traffic, making it less safe. It is also not safe to run in darkness.

Evaluating the above pros and cons will help you choose the right time for your running activities.

 

Published by HOLR Magazine