As 2025 starts to wind down, I am already thinking about goals and chances to make for the upcoming year. I will be done with my college coursework by then, so my schedule is going to open up to incorporate new habits into my life.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been paying more attention to my nutrition and food choices. I catch myself living on “autopilot” and grabbing food that my body could handle in my younger years. But now that I’m older and working a desk job, smarter choices are in order to try to improve my health.
One goal I have set for 2026 starts on New Year’s Day: re-joining my local gym. I have missed going there and working out. But with my classwork, time just was not in my favor. So I am definitely prioritizing that, even though I don’t have all of the specifics hammered out on what the workout routine will look like.
So I’ve been paying attention to articles related to health and fitness as i try to brush up on the latest professional recommendations.
Recent research suggests we might get extra mileage—for our heart, our brain, and our mood—by choosing when and where we exercise with more intention.
Let’s start with the heart. According to the article, Want a Healthier Heart? Exercise at This Hour, Says New Research, working out early in the day—especially around 7 a.m.—was associated with improvements in blood pressure and cardiovascular markers in a recent study. The implication? Our bodies may respond more favorably when movement aligns nicely with our circadian rhythm.
But it’s not black and white. Some studies suggest evening exercise might beat morning workouts for certain heart benefits—like greater effects on blood pressure and autonomic control. The bottom line: there’s no one-size-fits-all “best time.” What matters most is when you’ll actually stick with it.
Then there’s the factor of how sleep comes into the equation. A recent NBC News piece, Sleep profile sheds light on health, lifestyle and cognition, new study shows, shows that sleep patterns are strongly linked with cognitive function, mood, and overall health. Poor or misaligned sleep can undermine the benefits of exercise or drain energy from your day. So yes, when you work out might interact with how well you sleep—and vice versa.
That leads me to another angle: where you exercise. In New study finds exercising outdoors is ‘superior’ to the gym or city: ‘Our brain loves nature’, researchers had participants do identical physical activity in three settings—nature, city streets, and indoor gyms—to see how location affected outcomes. They found that time outdoors delivered stronger boosts to mood, reduced stress hormones, and even improved heart rate recovery. Participants also reported less fatigue, more joy, and a stronger desire to repeat the experience in nature.
Putting it all together, here’s how I see it:
- Morning workouts may offer heart advantages—but only if they fit your rhythm.
- Evening sessions aren’t inferior; they may have unique benefits depending on your body and schedule.
- Whatever time you choose, make sleep a priority—it reinforces all those gains.
- And if you can, take it outside. Exercising in nature adds a mental and physiological “boost” beyond what a treadmill often delivers.
If you ask me, the best workout routine is one you can maintain over the long haul—in a place that lifts your spirits and doesn’t interfere with your rest. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s consistency. And if that means catching a sunrise run or an evening walk under the trees, your heart—and mind—will thank you for it.
Now, just to figure out what that routine looks like for me!
PHOTO CREDIT: Runners participate in the 2021 Valle de los Perdidos. (by Omarbaru via Wikimedia)
