The feasibility and acceptability of morning versus evening exercise for overweight and obese adults: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Background The time of day that people exercise could have an influence on the efficacy of exercise for weight loss, via differences in adherence and/or physiological adaptations. However, there is currently no evidence to support an optimal time of day for exercise to maximise efficacy. Purpose To examine the feasibility and acceptability of prescribed morning and evening exercise. Methods Twenty inactive, overweight adults aged 18–60 years were recruited for a 12-week intervention and randomized to one of three groups using a 2:2:1 random allocation ratio: i) morning exercise (AM; n = 9); ii) evening exercise (PM; n = 7); or iii) waitlist control (CON; n = 4). Exercise groups were prescribed self-paced walking or running on a treadmill to achieve a weekly total of 250 min. Feasibility and acceptability data were collected, and physiological and behavioural outcomes associated with energy balance were measured at baseline, mid- and post-intervention. Results Attrition was low (n = 2 dropped out), with high measurement completion rates (>80%). The intervention groups had high adherence rates to exercise sessions (94% and 87% for the AM and PM groups, respectively). No adverse events resulting from the intervention were reported. Both intervention groups displayed improvements to their cardiometabolic risk profile; cardiorespiratory fitness improved by 5.2 ± 4.7, and 4.6 ± 4.5 mL kg−1 .min−1 and body fat percentage reduced by 1.2 ± 1.4, and −0.6 ± 1.2% for AM and PM groups, respectively. Conclusion This feasibility study provides evidence that morning and evening exercise interventions are feasible, and also provides justification for a large-scale randomized controlled trial. Trial registration This trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12616000457448p, 7/4/2016).