Early risers, rejoice! A recent study published in the medical journal Obesity has unveiled an intriguing fitness secret: working out in the morning can lead to better weight loss results. This revelation comes after an analysis of health data and activity patterns involving more than 5,000 individuals in the United States.
The study focused on data from the 2003 to 2006 cycles of the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. During this period, accelerometers (activity trackers) were introduced for data collection. Participants had their body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference measured before wearing activity trackers for over 10 hours daily, spanning four to seven days.
The findings were clear: those who embraced the early bird exercise routine, typically between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., boasted lower BMIs and smaller waistlines compared to their midday (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and evening (5 p.m. to 8 p.m.) counterparts. Morning exercisers averaged a BMI of 27.5, while their midday and evening counterparts averaged 28.3.
Remarkably, the results remained consistent across various demographics, including sex, ethnicity, education, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption. So, it seems that when it comes to fitness, the early bird truly does get the worm, or in this case, the slimmer waistline.