In a study of 375 adults who have successfully maintained weight loss and who engage in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, most reported consistency in the time of day that they exercised, with early morning being the most common time.

It has been proven that physical activity increases people’s total energy expenditure, which can help them stay in energy balance or even lose weight, as long as they don’t eat more to compensate for the extra calories they burn. Physical activity decreases fat around the waist and total body fat, slowing the development of abdominal obesity.

The Obesity study also found that being consistent in the timing of physical activity was associated with higher physical activity levels, regardless of whether people exercised consistently during the morning, afternoon, or evening.

“Our findings warrant future experimental research to determine whether promoting consistency in the time of day that planned and structured physical activity is performed can help individuals achieve and sustain higher levels of physical activity,” said senior author Dale Bond, PhD of the Brown Alpert Medical School.

“It will also be important to determine whether there is a specific time of day that is more advantageous for individuals who have initial low physical activity levels to develop a physical activity habit,” added first author Leah Schumacher, PhD.