End-of-the-day workouts can relieve some of the huffing and puffing — at least for people with asthma. When researchers at Long Island Jewish Medical Center followed 4,835 people over a 5-year period, they found that lungs are strongest late in the afternoon.
"The lungs are nearly 20 percent more powerful at 5 p.m. than at noon," says study author Boris Medarov, Md., who notes that lung function is governed by circadian rhythms, which are internal timekeepers buried deep within genes.
Whether people without asthma may benefit by moving their workouts to the evening isn't clear, says Medarov. But the findings suggest that taking asthma medications at midday may improve lung function. Be sure to check with your doctor before making any changes.
This story appears in the April issue of , and is reprinted here with permission. Liz Neporent is a contributing editor to Prevention, a fitness advisor and the author of "The Fat-Free Truth."