In the fast-paced lives that we lead today, it isn’t easy to squeeze in an hour of exercise in the morning, especially for those working late shifts. Many Bengalureans, it seems, are moving their gymming routine or other physical activities to later in the day, some even post midnight. Aditya Mendonca, a digital head at a company, started cycling at night about three years ago with a few friends. Soon it evolved into the group SouthFire Cycling, whose members go on night rides every Thursday.
“We ride till about midnight,” says the founding member of the group. “Though I mostly cycle to get around the city, riding at night is a great stress-buster and a lot of fun.” He has also recently started playing football with friends once a week, often in the wee hours.
Technical writer Samuel Richard also feels working out is a great stress buster. “When you sit crammed for hours together, all you want to do at the end of the day is go and sleep. But if you push yourself to go and work out, you feel so energetic, alive again,” he says. “I’m part of an intensive fitness evening group and I also do my regular work out in the evenings.”
Apurva Rao, a model and lifestyle coach at Pepp Up Nutrition Centre with a gym, observes that many who say they are “not morning people” prefer to come later in the day to exercise. “Your metabolism is actually slowing down towards the end of the day, so by exercising then, you’re trying to maintain it at a certain level,” she opines.
Apurva started working out about two years ago and, owing to her work schedule, she did so in the evening. “Even now, three days a week, I do yoga and a few stretches about an hour before I sleep,” she says. Initially, the exercise might keep you up for an hour or two past your bedtime, but if you keep at it, your body gets used to the adrenalin rush and you fall back into your regular sleep cycle, she adds.
CrossFit trainer and runner Prashanth Ponnappa says he often trains at night for marathons. “I prefer early mornings, before the sun and traffic are out, but whenever that isn’t possible, I run around midnight,” he adds.
Night-time physical activity keeps him up, so he only falls back on it when he can sleep late the next day. That said, he adds that it’s important to exercise so what time of day you schedule it in is of little consequence. Sports enthusiast Varsha C V is looking for a gym or swimming pool open at night. “Till a couple of years ago, I used to go swimming at a the Basavanagudi Aquatic Centre from 9 to 10 pm,” she says.
While she picked that slot because of work timings, the chilly waters at night actually gave her an extra push, she admits. “You can’t stand still. When I started, I could barely do four laps at a time. A year on, I used to do 70 in an hour,” she says. “And whether it’s swimming or gymming, the quality of sleep you get after that is simply great. The exercise practically knocks you out.”
The notion that evening exercise keeps you up late is a myth, says Arokianathan Mathew of The Workouts in Koramangala. “We have about 100 people coming in between 9 and 11 pm,” he says. “The body needs to rest after a workout, so an hour or two before going to bed is the best time.”