Morning Exercise Best for Women's Heart Health A new study has found that exercising in the late morning is better for women's heart health than exercising at other times of the day. Researchers from Leiden University looked at data from the UK Biobank to find out whether the time at which people exercise has an effect on heart health. The data was collected from more than 86,000 women and men with an average age of 62. Participants' exercise times were recorded over seven days, and heart health was observed for six years. The participants were grouped based on the time of day they exercised, including early morning, late morning, midday and evening. It was found that women who exercised in the early morning — between around 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. — had a 22% lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those who exercised at midday. Women who exercised in the late morning — between around 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. — had a 24% lower risk. No significant difference was found for men, or for anyone who exercised in the evening. The data also showed that women who exercised in the late morning had a 35% lower risk of stroke compared to those who exercised at midday. The benefits of morning exercise were true both for women who prefer waking up early and those who prefer sleeping late. Study author Gali Albalak said that although she's not sure why exercising in the morning was found to be better for women than men, the results add to the evidence that morning exercise — and especially late morning exercise — may be best for our health.