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The 'best' time to workout is often different for business owners
If you’re a business owner with a hectic schedule but want to build muscle and lose fat then what is the best time of the day to workout to do this and still be able to run your business efficiently?
There are people that swear by a morning workout followed by an ice bath to get you motivated for the day.
There’s also many people that love to finish their day with a storming session at the gym to end the day by getting out all their stress in the gym.
Business owners don’t have the luxury of leaving their work at the office.
Many days they will take work home or finish late to get a project done. This is also true for managers and executives.
Since their days are often prone to unpredictable changes to workload, a business owner’s best time to workout may also differ from day to day.
Personal Health VS Business Health
It’s often the case that there will be a choice to make between finishing a task and working out. Since working out doesn’t pay the bills or generate profit a business owner will often opt for the Business Health choice and put off training.
However this quickly develops into a habit and acceptable trade off. The problem is that after a while the business owner starts to gain more body fat and becomes increasingly unhappy with their progress and how they look.
This affects their mood and health which results in lower productivity at work. Ironically, what started as a choice to generate more profit actually results in less profit.
The right time to workout and the right place
Now that it’s more accepted to work from home it’s also becoming more acceptable to workout from home.
Over the lockdown many people invested in home gyms and equipment to keep up their exercise.
The issue is that home workouts can be incredibly boring. Over lockdown I developed my Hybrid Coaching program to make working out from home both enjoyable and productive to combat this problem.
However many people tried to go it alone and that kit is now gathering dust in their garage or corner of the living room. Untouched since the first week it arrived.
The issue, as with gym workouts is that there was no buffer to signal a change of state. Home workouts were sandwiched between Zoom meetings and often were cut short by overrunning.
Now lockdown has ended gym workouts create a small buffer because of travel time but again the time devoted can be cut short due to deadlines and unfinished projects.
Identifying the right time to workout for you, the business owner
There are 3 distinct common training windows
- Before Work
- During Work
- After Work
Here is a brief rundown of the 3 along with some advantages and disadvantages
Before work
Advantages
- Casts a positive vote for your health and fitness
- Starts the day on a high which can lead to better decisions with food and activity later on
- Gyms can be quiet so workouts easier to do
- Working out in your pyjamas is a unique experience at home
- Leaves you free for the rest of the day to finish a big project
Disadvantages
- You may have less energy from low food intake
- If you’re not a morning person then training may be the least productive thing you’ll do that day
- If you have too late a workout then it may eat into the most productive time of the day for work
- You may need to get up earlier to have a decent workout period which could cut short your sleep time
During Work
Advantages
- A break in the day can make you more productive in the afternoon and combat the mid afternoon slump
- Sometimes having limited time to train eg lunch break, can bring out your most productive workouts
- Your energy levels could be higher than morning from your food during the mornings meals
Disadvantages
- If you train for your whole lunch break you may actually miss out on lunch. This may be damaging to your afternoon productivity
- If you have to travel to the gym then this can eat into your training time and make the workout window quite small, maybe too small to be worth it
- If you have a big project or deadline then your mind will be on that and not the workout
After Work
Advantages
- Finish the day on a high by exercising and releasing endorphins
- Full day of eating means more energy to train with
- Signify an end to your work for the day so that your mind can unwind
- Training in the evening can keep your resolve for a healthy body into the evening and help prevent late night snacking
Disadvantages
- Gyms are normally rammed between 5-7pm so workouts may be frustrating
- If you have kids then home workouts may be ‘challenging’ in the evening
- If you have a project to complete you are more likely to sack off an evening training session to get it done than a morning session
This video and podcast gives more insight into this topic. If you find it useful I’d appreciate a share or like to let me know I’ve helped you out a bit 🙂
Want to build a leaner stronger body and healthier lifestyle to get your personal and business health in top shape?
Check out my coaching program
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