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

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/m ² ) 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.
(© 2022. The Author(s).)