BENEFITS OF MORNING WORKOUTS 

Morning workouts have a host of benefits from improved mood, improving your sleep, and reducing stress. The number one complaint I hear as a personal trainer is clients struggling with the time and motivation to exercise. Life is busy and after a long day of work, the last thing people feel like doing is a workout.

Exercise is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle, but fitting it in can feel like a huge undertaking.

To make exercise a regular part of your routine getting it done first thing in the morning is usually the best option. The later you put it off in the day the harder it can be to get it in.

Real talk– The major benefit of doing your workout in the morning is the higher chance of getting it done. But being consistent aside, there are a host of other benefits to morning workouts.

So what are the benefits of morning workouts? Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day—not to mention that gratifying feeling you have knowing you’ve done something good for your health.

Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity—a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you’re snoozing.

When you exercise at about the same time every morning—especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time—you’re regulating your body’s endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes. That’s beneficial because:

Your body’s not “confused” by wildly changing wake-up times, which means waking up is much less painful. (You may even find that you don’t need an alarm clock most days.)

Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc.

Your metabolism, along with all the hormones involved in activity and exercise, begins to elevate while you’re sleeping. As a result, you’ll feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake up.”

So how exactly can you adjust from night owl to early bird?

Tips to start early morning workouts:

• Start by slowly adjusting your bed time earlier each night
• Cut back on screen time 40 minutes to an hour before bed
• Set yourself up for success the night before by laying out workout gear and choosing a workout

Creating the habit of exercising first thing in the morning will help you build consistency with your workout routine. The best way to see results is by staying consistent. Major changes happen with small daily changes. Your habits, rituals, and routines create your life.

The Influence of Exercise on Cognitive Abilities https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3951958/ Fernando Gomez-Pinilla and Charles Hillman