a 755 person study reveals the best time to workout

also, how to slash insulin resistance by 25 %

Hola amigo,

I’m writing this from 30,000 ft.

I like flying; it grounds me and reminds me how vulnerable we all are. It also reminds me how grateful I am to be fit, functional, and mobile.

Traveling with two kids, carrying bags, bending down. I literally cannot imagine how different and stressful the experience would be with a painful, stiff body, let alone with 40–50 lb of extra weight.

It would eventually deter me from traveling, causing me to miss out on experiences and memories. My biggest wish today is to help you (if you don’t already) experience this freedom too.

A study of 755 Dutch adults found the same thing, most people lower
insulin resistance by about 25 % when they exercise later in the day.

Quick story: my friend Yousef in Saudi Arabia loves data. He used to train at 6 a.m. every other day, but his blood-sugar numbers stayed high. So he ran a two week experiment: same food, same sleep, he just shifted the workout to mid afternoon, about seven hours after waking. His glucose readings flattened almost overnight.

Key point: most, not all.

If early workouts light you up, stick with them. To get a similar blood sugar benefit, just tack on a 15 to 20 minute brisk walk or short HIIT burst right after lunch.

1. How to slash insulin resistance by 25 %

Study Snapshot (Diabetologia, July 1 2025)

• Who? 755 middle aged Dutch adults.

• How? Each wore an activity tracker. Workouts were grouped into:

  • Morning (06:00–12:00)

  • Afternoon (12:00–18:00)

  • Evening (18:00–24:00)

  • Evenly spread throughout the day

• Result: Doing moderate-intensity exercise in the afternoon or evening lowered insulin resistance by up to 25 % compared with workouts spread evenly across the day.

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14 day implementation plan

Should you move all your workouts to the afternoon? Not necessarily. But if you can carve out 20 minutes, an afternoon session can do wonders for both your brain and your blood glucose.

“I train in the morning three times a week because it fits my rhythm. Mornings still work best for about 90 % of my executive clients, though a few have already started sprinkling in these afternoon sprints.”

2. Think of your brain like a savings account

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know my grandma passed away with Alzheimer’s. What still hurts is realizing that, with the knowledge I have today, I could have cared for her far better.

Every new skill, healthy meal, and workout is a small “deposit” that keeps your mind sharp as you age.

The bigger your balance, the longer you can fend off memory problems, even when normal aging or disease tries to make a withdrawal.

Pick one action from each row below and watch the compound interest grow.

TL;DR

1. Stack habits: Walk while you listen to a language-learning podcast.

2. Gamify learning: Review with a spaced-repetition app (e.g., Anki) so the facts stick.

3. Monthly audit: Give each habit a 1–10 score, then spend the next month improving the lowest one.

ROI: Adults with high cognitive reserve can show dementia-level brain scans yet remain symptom-free for 5–10 years longer than low-reserve peers.

3. Oatmeal = a snooze button for many

I just read an online piece called “This Breakfast Food Is A+ For Healthy Aging.” It praises oatmeal as a top tier “longevity food” because of its fiber and betaglucan content.

Fiber is great, no argument there. But I disagree with the one-size-fits-all message. When I eat oats first thing, my blood sugar spikes and I’m fighting a foggy crash an hour later, exactly the opposite of “aging well.”

Try the food, watch your energy, maybe even track glucose. Keep what works, drop what doesn’t

Here’s the bigger lesson: read widely, then test for yourself.

Good information is power, but only if you pair it with personal data and attention to how you feel.

Wisdom = great science plus your own experience. Use both, and every nutrition headline becomes a tool and not a rule.

Closing thought

Last year, midday in Madrid’s T4, I was stretching beside a row of metal seats when my daughter tugged my sleeve:

“Why are you doing lunges in an airport, Dad? Everyone’s looking.”

I knelt to her level and said, “So I can chase you across every park we find, today, tomorrow, and when I’m Grandpa.”

That moment still echoes.

Health isn’t a lab number; it’s the freedom to stockpile memories with the people who matter. Every workout, recipe tweak, or line you read here is my attempt to guard that freedom, for you, for me, for anyone willing to lean in.

If today’s issue moved you even a little, please hit the button and pass it on. One share from you might be the spark that keeps another parent or future grandparent, strong enough to capture their own moments.

That’s it for today,

Hasta la vista, amigo.