Full disclosure, I am not a morning person. I have to set multiple alarms and hit snooze every morning. In college, I never signed up for morning classes and slept in all the time. It wasn’t until I started working full-time that I thought I’d give an early morning workout a try. Now every day I look forward to my early morning trip to the weight room.

Here are four reasons why you should consider giving it a shot as well:

1. Working out gives you energy

The biggest and most obvious reason to work out in the morning is simple: exercise gives you energy. Exercise improves circulation and unleashes endorphins that leave you feeling energized and ready to start your day. The energy you receive from working out beats having to drink multiple cups of coffee or energy drinks.

Man running outside in the sunrise to feel free
Working out in the early hours will boost your body and your soul. ©kieferpix

2. A morning workout reduces stress later in the day

A big source of stress for me during the day was figuring out how to make time for a workout. What if I had a project that made me stay late and miss my planned workout? How would I deal with the massive rush of people getting to the gym at the end of the day? Making time to exercise first thing in the morning eliminates those stresses and gives you more flexibility throughout your day.

3. Decision-making improves after an early workout

Research shows early morning exercise helps regulate your appetite for the remainder of your day while also improving your concentration. Making good decisions gets easier because you start each day making a good choice: to get up and get active!

Young sportswoman jogging over the bridge in the morning while her long brown hair is waving in the wind. Rising sun is in the background.
Get up, get active and enjoy the benefits of an early bird workout for the whole day. ©bogdankosanovic

4. Exercise clears your mind

Physical activity, whether it’s lifting weights or a morning run, has been shown to help you think more clearly. Got a big project coming up? Have a problem in your personal life you can’t figure out? A morning workout can give you a chance to clear your mind and remove stress that slows you down throughout the day.

Young beautiful woman doing yoga exercises. Healthy lifestyle concept.
Use calm mornings to focus on your goals and daily tasks. ©Ivan Bliznetsov

Thinking this sounds great but you still don’t want to get up early? In the words of my former baseball coach, “To get where you want, you can’t only do what you like.” If you want to increase your productivity, give an early bird workout a try. You might wind up looking forward to getting up for your morning exercise.

Do you feel better prepared for the day ahead after an early morning workout? Let me know in the comments below.

Get out of bed!

Check out these hands-on tips on how to challenge yourself to be the early bird.

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14 COMMENTS & EXTERNAL REFERRALS

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by SHARI Shapiro 29.11.2017
I am a firm believer of the morning workout. You also feel really accomplished and you haven't even started your work day yet. It's a great feeling and definitely outweighs the early wake up.
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by Vivian 01.12.2017
I'm doing the early bird yoga at adidas company sports on Thursdays from 7 am to 8 am and I totally love it. Thursday has become my absolut favorite day of the week because I'm more relaxed with unexpected circumstances and much happier than the other days. I'm feeling great for the whole day!
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Vivian 20.12.2017
Hi Vivian,
thanks for sharing your personal experience. As a next step, do you consider early workouts more often in the week?

All the best,

Nina
Reply
by Ola 03.12.2017
Hi Peter,
Happy to inform that this post has been mentioned in the recent part of our "Productivity Articles" roundup!
You can find the entire post on our blog: https://www.timecamp.com/blog under the "Productivity Articles: Habits and Myths! 26/11/17" title.
Thank you so much for sharing these perfect tips!

Ola at TimeCamp
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by Asep Hadian 02.04.2018
Totally agree. I wake up generally at 4-3.30am everyday and do Cycling/Running/Swimming for 1-2 hours before work, based on the training schedule. And i get more energy and productive during working hour. 💪
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by Kendel Lallyson 10.05.2021
Thanks for the information!!
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