Who will get the strongest muscles? The early bird or the after-work fitness buffs? Research has shown that you’ll get your best workout between 4 and 6pm. It has also been shown that the people most likely to stick with their fitness program are those who get it done first thing in the morning.

So, the take home message would be that if you can discipline yourself (and your family!) to go for your training walk or strength workout after work and before dinner, you’ll see the best results in terms of cardio improvement and strength increases. Realistically, many people find this time of day lends itself to too many diversions and derailments to their commitment.

That’s why I’m setting my alarm (and possibly some back-up alarms) right now for 5am so that I can have fun with those bold enough (and possibly stunned enough!) to join our early morning walking strength and balance class.

We may not be operating on all cylinders compared to those people who are doing their push ups, squats, and other tortuous activities after work, but we may be more likely to see results because we’re more likely to stick with the program.

I can state, categorically, that at 5am when the alarm goes off, the thought of people waiting for me for the 6am workout is possibly the only reason I get out of bed. At 7am, when the workout is over, I am grateful for that.

Let us know what time works best for your walks and strength workouts.