Nighttime workouts no longer a no-no

he standard advice for insomniacs is to avoid exercising in the evening, but according to a 

research review published in the journal Sports Medicine, late-day workouts might actually 

enhance sleep: Study participants who did an evening workout spent 20 percent more time 

in the deep-sleep phase that same night than those who hadn’t exercised in the evening. 

“When people spend less time in deep sleep, it negatively affects your sports performance 

the following day,” says Christina M. Spengler, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Institute of Human 

Movement Sciences and Sport at ETH Zurich.

It is worth noting, however, that when participants engaged in vigorous workouts such as 

high-intensity interval training one hour before bed, it did have a negative impact on their 

sleep quality. Position your sweat sesh at least two to three hours before hitting the sack to 

mitigate any negative effects a tough session might have on sleep.

Lift for Longevity

Experts have touted the heart-healthy   

benefits of aerobic exercise for decades,                    

but now weightlifting shares the spotlight:

According to research published in

Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise,

those who trained with weights just once

a week for less than an hour reduced their

risk of developing metabolic syndrome

by 29 percent and their risk for high

cholesterol by 32 percent — even without

any accompanying aerobic exercise.

More is not better, however: Resistance

training more than four times a week or

for durations longer than 60 minutes didn’t

decrease heart-health risk any further.