What is the best time of day for a workout? That’s a good question asked by many professional truck drivers.
Personally, I’ve always preferred morning workouts, but as I’ve gotten older, I find that exercising later in the day actually provides the best outcome.
Some experts recommend working out during the morning hours, while others say your body temperature is at its highest between
2 p.m. and 6 p.m., making the afternoon the best time to maximize your workouts.
Experience has taught me that the best time to exercise really depends on the individual. Often, your body rhythm has a lot to do with optimizing your workouts when it comes to choosing the best time of day for your workout. However, we all know that as a professional driver it usually comes down to fitting a workout into your day whenever you can find the time.
Flexibility is key for drivers when scheduling workouts because most drivers’ schedules change daily — not to mention weather delays. So, whenever you have 15 minutes do something instead of nothing, it could be the only chance you have that day to exercise.
A morning workout might jump-start your day, help kick in your metabolism and allow you to get your workout in before other issues come into play that could disrupt your plans to work out. Many people find it hard to fall asleep after a workout, so late afternoon or evening might not be the best option.
It’s easy to find excuses for missing workouts. You’ve heard me say before if you do miss a workout, try not to miss more than two days — after that, skipping the workout starts to become a habit. You might struggle with feeling bored doing the same series of movements in your workout. Not only will you start to feel bored, but your body will also hit a plateau.
To combat this, be sure to change up or adjust your exercise routine every 30 days. Here are some suggestions for “shaking things up”:
- Change up the sets and repetitions.
- Modify the length of the workout.
- Pick up the pace of your routines.
- Add in super sets.
- Combine cardio with weights and interval walking.
By periodically making just one of these changes to your workout routine, you’ll increase your motivation and help eliminate the boredom factor.
Bob Perry is a regular contributor to The Trucker. He has spent nearly the past four decades on a mission to educate professional drivers and share life-changing products and services to help them live healthier lives while on the road. Recognized throughout the transportation industry, from bus drivers to over-the-road professional drivers, Perry has played an important role in creating a paradigm shift helping regulatory agencies, private and public sector entities, and consumers understand the current health challenges of the professional driver. He has participated as a wellness advocate in several roundtable discussions, large audience groups and small forums as well as going “curbside” through a national truck stop tour.
Bob’s articles have been featured in The Trucker and a number of other national transportation industry publications and is the host of a weekly wellness call produced by Rolling Strong. Bob has been a regular guest on RedEye Radio and Land-Line Radio, and is often an invited guest on Sirius radio shows. He has been featured in the New York Times, Men’s Health Magazine, Drug Store News, American Road Magazine, WSJ, NPR, ABC National Radio, as well as hundreds of daily newspapers. He has appeared on television news shows across the nation, including a featured TV segment on ABC NightLine News.
