It's not all about fat-burn; exercise can help to lift your mood, to improve sleep, to make you feel more alert.
To experience those effects, however, you've got to see how your workouts fit into your overall regime.
We already know that you can't out-train a bad diet, so if you're continuing to eat a load of rubbish, the chances are that you'll be missing out on any fat-burning potential.
But how does the time of day affect things?
Morning – fasted cardio (best for fat burning)
The jury is still out about just how effective fasted cardio is for actually burning fat itself.
One study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, showed that when you do cardio on an empty stomach, you can burn up to 20 per cent more fat.
But others claim there's no real physical difference between running before or after your first meal of the day.
Fans say that fasted cardio is so effective because those crucial eight-ten hours when you're not eating anything overnight forces the body to conserve any carbs and start looking towards fat for fuel.
That means that fasted morning cardio uses more fat than say, evening cardio where you're burning off energy stored during the day.
But there's more to fasted cardio than the immediate fat burn.
The other benefits that come from it are the fact that you have to delay breakfast – therefore creating a shorter eating window, minimising the risk of snacking and poor food choices.
It also allows you a little breathing space first thing, which can help to mentally set you up for the day. There's nothing like being out in the fresh air at the crack of dawn to wake you up and blow away the sleepy cobwebs.
Lunchtime – yoga/pilates (best for an afternoon lift)
Coffee no longer working to get you out of that 3pm slump?
Try popping out for an hour at lunchtime for a yoga or pilates session. It'll make you feel rejuvenated for the afternoon.
Often those mid-afternoon lulls are caused by dips in blood sugar. If you start working out at lunchtime, you often have to delay your actual lunch (which will probably have to be al desco).
If you normally eat at 1pm, that means waiting until 2pm to eat…and that pushes your afternoon slump to around 4pm – which, if you finish at 5pm, is almost hometime anyway.
Not only do you feel more alert for the rest of the day but that also means that you're probably less likely to do any afternoon snacking.
Stretching and toning classes like yoga and pilates allow for the body to reset after a morning of being slumped over a desk/dealing with stress that often materialises in shoulder tension.
They also demand that you become mentally, as well as physically, relaxed. Perfect for getting over any awful morning meetings or your boss' unreasonable demands.
Evening – weights – (best for a good night's sleep)
While exercising in the morning and afternoon is fab for making you feel more alert, it's also supposed to help alleviate insomnia (albeit over time).
Several studies have shown that people's sleep quality is significantly improved with exercise, and that over time, insomniacs can also see a reduction in the number of hours spent tossing and turning.
According to scientists from Appalachian State University, those who hit the weights room at 7pm sleep better than those who don't work out at all or those who hit the gym during the day.
Their study found that people who lifted weights first thing in the morning are best at falling asleep, but those who did it in the evening found it easier to stay asleep.
The study's lead, Dr Scott R. Collier said that early risers probably had to adjust their sleep cycle to get up earlier and that, along with the added calorie burn earlier in the day, helped them to drift off.
Exercising at night, however, increases body heart which then helps to relax the muscles…kind of like a hot bath would. That, along with general muscle fatigue, can help you sleep better and stop you from waking up in the middle of the night.
Nighttime cardio can also be good for sleep as it can give you a little time to process what's gone on during the day – meaning that you can go to bed anxiety-free.
But you don't want to go too hard just before bed; you want to keep stress low, so now's the time for your steady jog or brisk walk.
Again, for many of us, exercising in the evening is more about replacing bad habits with healthier ones.
If you snack your way through the evening, the chances are that the sugar from what you're eating is disrupting your sleep and causing you to pile on the pounds.
Start working out in the evening, and you will probably only have time to have a light supper and a hot shower before the end of the day.
Exercise is great for you whatever time you do it
"There is lots of contradicting research into the benefits of training in the morning vs. the evening and think it is really important to look at this very individually and not get too stressed about the detail," Melissa Weldon, PT at Sweat It, told The Sun.
"There have been studies to suggest that training in the morning is more beneficial for fat-loss, but I really do think it depends on personal preference, in regards to when an individual is able to both commit to consistently and work the hardest.
"In contradiction to the claims, someone working in a fasted state, could struggle with their energy levels and get less from their workout than if they trained, for example, after breakfast or at lunchtime."
Melissa told us that unless you're an elite athlete, timing probably doesn't matter too much.
"The most important thing is to find a time that works for you, that you can commit to regularly and that you are mentally prepared for. I personally find I perform at my best between 9 and 3pm, when I feel optimally fuelled and mentally prepared to go to the level I need for my goals."
But if you are struggling to lose body fat or to get to sleep, then it might be worth looking at your overall timetable.
Changing the time at which you exercise does mean that you will need to adjust when you tend to eat your meals.
Early morning runs or dog walks either mean waking up earlier or having breakfast later. Lunchtime workouts will see your midday meal getting pushed back to allow for a two-three hour hiatus between breakfast and exercise.
Evening workouts will probably mean that you have your dinner very late, or have a light meal in the early evening and a post-gym snack before bed.
The general rule of thumb is to make sure actual meals are consumed at least two hours before you exercise, with smaller meals or shakes being eaten up to an hour before.
And often, reducing your daily eating window is a good tool for cutting calories without really thinking about it.
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