Working out in the morning is the worst! Or at least that’s what I thought the first few times I made my way to the gym or the pool at 6:30 in the morning. No late nights with The Tonight Show and Jimmy Fallon or burning through the last 32 chapters of the latest book series because you have to know the ending! Instead, it’s get everything packed for the next day. But the truth is, once you’ve become an early riser, the body is grateful. Your energy, mood and general well-being will see improvements when you can get that exercise in before your day really starts.
One of the first benefits is the amount of time that it opens up in your day. Getting your workout done before eight means that the evening can now include dinner at an appropriate hour and possibly a book or a movie before bed. The squeeze of time when you try to accomplish everything on your plate throughout the day becomes far less suffocating with your entire evening now available. You are also less likely to skip workouts, which can happen when everything in your life tries to shove exercise out of the way.
You also notice how much easier the equipment access is. Doing larger sets or multi-machine cycles is almost impossible during the peak times in the evening with “broskie” No. 12 using four sets of dumbbells at once. In the morning, however, there is no longer a lineup waiting to use the leg press. Additionally, because there are fewer people to worry about, the chances of getting sidetracked in a 45-minute discussion on how bad the Oilers are dwindles significantly.
Now comes the scientific reasons for working out so darn early. Certain types of exercise will cause the body to release endorphins that bring on a good mood and getting exercise in early is great for your metabolism. When you work out early and get a metabolic boost, you burn more calories throughout the day, which I’m sure is a positive for everybody. This is best accomplished by undergoing highintensity activities, often done in interval training. In general though, having completed the workout will give you a sense of satisfaction and confidence for the rest of your day and you’ll come into work or class with greater focus.
There are some things to take into account, though. First, you must work very hard to get to bed in good time before getting up early. This means no Netflix binging past midnight and getting chores done right away, instead of right before tucking in. Second, most people require at least a small meal before strenuous exercise. So, if you’re powerlifting or going for a 50-minute run, make sure you digest at least a minute amount of sustenance first. Finally, if you are the type of person that doesn’t wake up quickly, splash yourself with some cold water. Don’t try to exercise with shut eyelids.
There’s so much to look forward to once you get through the first couple days of early morning workouts. You’ll work out more often, have better health and love tackling the rest of your day.
Josh Ryan
Sports Editor
