Fitness fixes for the time-crunched

Q: My girlfriend and I both work until 7:30 or 8:00 at night. We want to work out more, but by the time we eat it's almost 9:00. Any suggestions as far as working out at nighttime?

A: It's often recommended that people avoid exercising at night, for fear that it will be too stimulating and will wreck a good night's sleep. But that's usually not the case, says Shawn Youngstedt, an assistant professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

"The evidence indicates that [evening exercise] does not disturb sleep for most people," says Youngstedt, who researches physical activity and sleep.

So go ahead and give it a try. Any initial sleep disturbances may resolve within a few weeks, he says. If you notice persistent problems, though, you may need to find another fitness schedule.

As for some evening workout suggestions, you could search for a gym that's open late or even all night. If you live in a safe, well-lit neighborhood, you might go for an after-dinner walk, jog (maybe on a local track) or tennis match. Or you could consider buying fitness videos or home gym equipment and exercising at home.

Working out with your girlfriend has its perks, notes Rothenberg.

The buddy system helps ensure that you both get physical (peer pressure), plus it's a good way for you to spend time together as a couple and reconnect at the end of a long day.

Smart Fitness appears every other Tuesday.

MORE FROM SMART FITNESS

Smart Fitness Section Front

6 gifts fit for the gym rat on your list Can exercise help ward off the swine flu? This holiday, take your diet advice and stuff it Can working out wear you out? Get fit, faster, with short-burst training Can exercise get rid of this dude’s ‘moobs’? Find the right workout machine for you Pump up the volume, pump up your workout With parkour, the whole world's a playground Capri pants bare scourge of summer: ‘cankles’ Smart Fitness Section Front   Add Smart Fitness headlines to your news reader: