Morning Exercise: Save time and energize
I’m not a big morning person (understatement of the year) but when I do perform a morning exercise routine I always feel more energized throughout the day. Not only that, but it can save you time and ensure that a busy afternoon doesn’t keep you from exercising – there goes that excuse!
Morning Exercise – Time to get going
It’s 7 a.m. and you have an appointment at 9. You can either hit the snooze button another three times until you absolutely have to get up and run out the door or get up now and hit the gym.
Unless you’re a morning person, the last thing you want to do is get up early and go to the gym, but you may be surprised at the benefits you’ll reap if you decide to stop hitting the snooze button and exercise first thing in the morning.
Below are four reasons why you should start your day off with morning workouts.
1. Increased Productivity
Exercising first thing in the morning puts you ahead of schedule. Once your body wakes up and realizes what it’s doing, your workout will be over!
If completing your workout before even starting the day doesn’t make you feel productive enough, rest assured knowing that the rest of your day will follow suit.
Starting the day off right clears your mind and ultimately leads to healthier choices. Maybe you work on the third floor and you usually take the elevator.
Starting your morning with a tough workout might motivate you to take the stairs. Come lunchtime, you won’t want to spoil your killer workout by eating junk food. Instead of having a burger and fries, you might opt for chicken and veggies.
3. Fewer Distractions
How many times have you told yourself you’ll go to the gym after work, but as the day goes on, you realize you’re going to have to work late or get tempted to go to a spontaneous happy hour with friends, leaving your workout on the back burner?
If you wait until after work, other obligations may get in the way of going to the gym. Avoid the excuses by making exercise a priority and working out in the morning before other plans can get in the way.
4. Boosted Energy
If you’re not a morning person you may feel tired and sluggish when your alarm goes off in the morning. Good news: hitting the gym will give you the energy boost you desire. A morning workout will also get your metabolism going, leading to increased calorie burn throughout the day.
An hour of cardio can have you energized from sun up to sundown.
Tips to get you motivated for a morning workout
Did you know that the smell of coffee actually energizes you? Try setting your coffee maker to go off about 10 minutes before your alarm goes off. Setting your alarm to an upbeat song will also get your heart pumping and will motivate you to get up, get ready, and hit the gym.
Enlist a friend to exercise with! Having a workout partner will help keep you both motivated and accountable, not to mention, you’re more likely to see better results and meet your fitness goals if you exercise with a buddy.
To help you both get up early and make it to the gym on time, try taking turns calling each other in the morning.
Some fitness studios, like Orangetheory Fitness, already have an accountability program in place. OTF members reserve their workout sessions ahead of time.
A scheduled appointment will help keep you motivated and accountable. And in case that doesn’t work, OTF enforces a $10 no-show fee for members who do not cancel 12 hours prior to their scheduled session.
All proceeds from no-show fees at OTF benefit a local charity (but don’t let that encourage you to skip your morning workout). 🙂
Updated 7/14/2018.
Orangetheory Fitness is the energizing group interval fitness concept that is sweeping the nation. Backed by the science of “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption” or EPOC, the 60-minute heart rate monitored training is designed to keep heart rates in a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. The result is the Orange Effect – more energy, visible toning and extra calorie burn for up to 36 hours after your workout. For more information or to find a location near you, visit www.orangetheoryfitness.com.
- The Benefits Of Working Out In The Morning - July 14, 2018
