Late-night gym-goers may want to switch up their routine if they want to get the most out of their exercise.
A new UK study, published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, has found the best time of day to exercise to prevent heart disease and stroke.
Researchers monitored more than 86,000 participants over six years and found that the best time of day is the window between 8am and 11am.
The most optimal time of day is closer to 11am.
It also found it's best to avoid strenuous exercise at night.
Exercise New Zealand chief executive Richard Beddie told Seven Sharp said the "key takeaway" from the study is while there are increased benefits at 11am, "the actual, more important message is the fact that people should exercise at all".
"If you look at cardiovascular disease alone, there’s about a two-thirds reduction from exercising. There’s a further 14% that you could improve if you get the right time of the day, and that also suits your chrono-biology and also your particular lifestyle," he said.
"The bigger message is exercise at all if you have the choice if you can – and you’re just looking at cardiovascular disease risk – then absolutely midday or thereabouts is the key."
Bettie said the increased benefits from working out mid-morning to midday "could be related to hormones through the day".
"As our bodies get up and get active, there are different hormones that will flood the body at different times during the day, and it’s probably less stress to exercise mid-morning, particularly for those, we think, 60-year-olds. Maybe there are other stressors on the body already at play," he said.
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