The best time to exercise is the time which is right for you. Early morning workouts really get some folks going, release endorphins, as well as enhance mood.

When you love starting your day with a workout, or find that it’s the only time you can fit it into your schedule, stick with it. Others find afternoon or evening workouts productive and stress-relieving.

When we wake up, our body temperature and blood sugar levels are low, so our muscles are not as “loose” as later in the day.

In a perfect world, our muscles are warmer and fueled by several meals (hopefully) later, well after we awake.

There is not really a “simple” answer to your second query. It will be helpful, though, to ask yourself the following questions – How hard do you workout (intensity)?

How long are your sessions (duration)? What are your exercise activities? How soon after you awake do you begin exercising? Your answers are important in determining what may enhance your performance.

For most people , exercising with no fuel (food) ahead of time may cause lightheadedness, dizziness, and early fatigue. Studies show that eating before exercise, as opposed to exercising on an empty stomach, improves athletic performance.

If you’ve three hours until your workout, have a normal breakfast. Nonetheless, when you’re going straight to a workout after waking up, here are several suggestions

• If your exercise session is less than an hour, just snack on any foods that are easy to digest, like bread, crackers, or a banana.

• If your session is one hour or longer, get up a little earlier and have something small to eat – perhaps around 250 to 300 calories – like toast and fruit or a small bowl of cereal and skim milk.

• Drinking some water before and during exercise is important for hydration.

If you eat before exercising, make certain you allow your body some time to digest and absorb the food. During digestion, our bodies send blood to the stomach to help out with this process.

When we exercise, our muscles need the blood flow, so our stomach becomes a second class citizen and digestion is slowed. If too much food is in the stomach while we’re exercising, we could be uncomfortable.

Also take into account the kind of food you eat and the activities you do. A few people tolerate liquids more easily because they leave the stomach more rapidly than solid food.

A number of exercisers, such as runners, for instance, would prefer not to have the internal “sloshing” around that liquids may cause.

General recommendations for eating before exercising are

• Three or four hours before exercising, a big meal is fine (600 calories or more).

• Two or three hours beforehand, a smaller meal is suitable (400 to 500 calories).

• One or two hours before, a liquid meal is appropriate (300 to 400 calories).

• With less than one hour, a small snack will do (200 to 300 calories).

In addition, people tolerate foods differently, and the composition of the food matters.

Fats stay in the stomach longest, followed by protein and high fiber carbohydrate, then low fiber complex carbohydrates, and in conclusion simple sugars, which are absorbed fastest.

Sugary foods, like sodas and candy, are absorbed quickly by the body and produce a sugar high within an hour of a workout. Along with a quick “sugar high” comes a quick “sugar low.”

Individuals who eat sugar 15 to 30 minutes before exercising may experience a “low,” with lightheadedness and fatigue, during their workout.

If you feel that you  must have juice or some sugary snack before exercising, have it only five or ten minutes before you decide to start.

This way, there isn’t enough time for your body to secrete insulin, a hormone which lowers blood sugar, causing fatiguing symptoms.

Since everybody reacts differently, attempt various strategies to determine what assists you the most. Whatever, drink water before, during, and after exercise.

And, have breakfast afterwards, in particular if you haven’t had anything to eat earlier, since this will replace glycogen stores and will keep you going all morning long.