People who exercise in the morning are more likely to stick to their fitness routines and reach their goals than those who work out later in the day. But being jolted out of sleep by an alarm can make anyone feel bitter about waking up to work out.
If you're thinking of moving your workouts to the morning hours, consider the many benefits of morning exercise. Here are just a few.
• Beat the heat: Morning is the coolest part of the day, so a morning workout can help you avoid the sweltering afternoon summer heat, which can have a negative impact on your workout and could even be dangerous.
• Leave time in your day for other priorities: By getting your workout done first thing, the rest of your day is open for your top priorities, such as spending time with family or getting work done.
• Boost focus: By getting your body moving early in the morning, you'll wake up your brain, leaving you more alert for work, school or whatever other tasks you may face during the day.
• Lose more weight: A morning workout jump-starts your metabolism, helping you burn more calories throughout the day and ultimately leading to increased weight loss.
• Improve your mood: Exercise releases endorphins, also known as “feel-good” hormones. With an early you’ll be ready to face the day in a much better mood than if you barely dragged yourself out of bed to make it to work on time.
Convinced a morning workout is worth it? Fight the urge to hit snooze and make a habit of morning exercise with these tips:
Do it first thing. A quick, five to 10-minute circuit body workout helps to wake up your nervous system, get blood flowing and pump oxygen into your body. It’s been proven to loosen the body, release endorphins and leave you feeling ready to face the day.
Be explosive. Include at least one explosive movement in your morning workout to get your blood pumping. Jumping squats, jumping lunges, explosive push-ups — any of these will do the trick.
Stretch. Most of us are stiff after first waking up. Include some stretching in your morning workout to help increase flexibility and loosen any muscle tightness that may have developed overnight. Just be sure to stretch after the workout, when your muscles are warm. Stretching cold muscles can cause injury.
Keep it brief. Don’t let your morning workout take up too much time, or it may be difficult to keep it up day after day. This should be something you want to do every day, so keep it short and sweet — about 15 minutes.
Make morning exercise part of your daily routine for a healthier body, mind and soul.
