TIMING IS EVERYTHING

What's the perfect moment to work out? Eat for energy? Go to bed? The clues are in your body clock.

- JENNIFER TZESES

YOU'RE HITTING the gym like clockwork, fueling up with nutritious foods on the regular, and getting a good seven hours of sleep on repeat—proudly ticking off every box on a mental checklist of things to do for a sound mind and body. But in the quest to be your personal best, have you considered when you're getting those healthy habits done? Going through the motions for optimal well-being may only be part of the equation. It turns out that the time of day you do them could make a difference.

Here's what the pros (and science) have to say about scheduling your life for maximum benefits—from when to exercise and go to bed to when to breathe for stress relief. Doing your body even more good may be a matter of time.

Stick to your exercise slot

There's no denying exercise has big-time benefits for reducing the risks of everything from obesity, hypertension, and heart disease to cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and even premature death, says Warren G. Thompson, MD, director of physical activity for the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program in Rochester, Minnesota. But when it comes to pinpointing the best time of day to get moving, Thompson says the research isn't unanimous. For example, some studies suggest exercising in the afternoon or evening lowers insulin resistance more than working out in the morning. Others show exercising in the a.m. hours is better for losing weight and keeping it off.

While there is no hard and fast rule on the perfect time to work up a sweat, what is very clear is that consistent physical activity (ideally aerobic exercise five days a week and resistance training twice a week) gives you a leg up on the benefits. And the most effective way to make the habit stick, says Thompson, is to do it at the same time every day.

Eat protein early