The most widespread consensus among exercise researchers is that any workout, morning or night, is better than none. That said, consider these reasons for working out first thing in the morning:

You're more likely to stick with it. Plenty of research has been published about lack of time as the most frequently cited reason for exercise dropout.  Since many people have limited free time during the day, one idea is to try to exercise early in the morning. It prevents you from using excuses like "Someone scheduled a meeting for me."

Exercise raises your metabolism, which means you burn more calories. How long your metabolism stays elevated (and therefore how many extra calories you burn) is a matter of contention-researchers have put it anywhere from an hour to a day. Whatever benefit you get, you're likely to get less of it by going to sleep, when your body goes into power-save mode, says fitness expert Jess Kletz.

Working out in the morning lets you start the day relaxed and energized, which helps you be more productive, Kletz says. You also get the satisfaction of having it done and out of the way.

It saves time, because you only have to shower and change clothes once.

If you're training for a specific event, like a marathon, you'll get the most out of your training if you do it at the same time of day as the event. And most events have morning start times.

Your gym may be less crowded in the morning.

On the other hand, there's plenty of evidence in favor of evening workouts: Most people's body temperatures are highest late in the afternoon, and it makes sense you'd get the best workouts when your engine is warmed up. According to the American Council on Exercise, research consistently backs this up: "Muscles are warm and more flexible, perceived exertion is low, reaction time is quicker, strength is at its peak and resting heart rate and blood pressure are low" in the afternoon.

If your internal clock tells you you're not a morning person, switching from evening to morning workouts probably won't sit well with you. The same goes for those who wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed: They may feel worse after an evening session at the gym. Bottom line: If you finish your workout feeling better than when you started, you're exercising at the right time.

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