How do previously inactive individuals restructure their time to ‘fit in’ morning or evening exercise: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate changes in sedentary and active behaviors when previously inactive adults start exercising in the morning or evening. One-hundred adults with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2) were recruited for a 12-week intervention and randomized to one of three groups: (i) morning exercise (AMEx; 0600–0900); (ii) evening exercise (PMEx; 1600–1900); or (iii) waitlist control. AMEx and PMEx were prescribed self-paced aerobic exercise to achieve a weekly total of 250 min via a combination of supervised and unsupervised training. Sedentary and active behavior times were measured at baseline, mid- and post-intervention using the multimedia activity recall for children and adults. Time spent engaging in physical activity was significantly increased from baseline at both mid- (+ 14–22 min·day−1) and post-intervention (+ 12–19 min·day−1), for AMEx and PMEx. At 12-weeks, participants in both morning and evening exercise groups reported increased time spent Sleeping (+ 36 and + 20 min·day−1, respecitively), and reduced time spent watching TV/playing videogames (− 32 and − 25 min·day−1, respectively). In response to an exercise stimulus, previously inactive adults make encouraging modifications in how they use their time, and the patterns of change are similar with morning and evening exercise.