Waking up with the sunrise, driving on empty streets, listening to birdsong…just some of the benefits of starting the day with a morning workout. Sounds tempting? Well not if you´re not a morning person! Getting up at 6am can be quite tough, but I’ve learned over the past months that it´s well worth it.

People who exercise in the morning find they have more energy for the rest of the day, because of the boost in circulation and the rush of ‘happy’ hormones.

Early morning exercise also has a positive effect on concentration abilities, which can come in handy when making complex decisions later in the day. Last but not least, morning workouts regulate your appetite throughout the day and make you sleep better rather than working out in the evening.

So how have I managed to become that early bird? I have five little tips that make it easier for me to set my alarm for before sunrise:

1. Pack your gear the night before

Take some time the evening before to prepare everything for your morning workout: pack your gym bag, leave out your running gear, have your outfit ready for the office. This only takes you a couple of minutes, but you can leave the house right after getting up without starting to doubt or question why you´re even doing it. Ready to go!

2. Partner up

Find a buddy to work out with in the morning. If a friend is waiting for you at the gym or around the corner you can’t roll over and treat yourself to another hour’s sleep.

Two women partnering up for a workout.
Training partners will hold you accountable, push your limits and make the morning more fun!

3. Prepare a nutritious breakfast

Make yourself a take-away breakfast for after your workout. Oatmeal energy bars, fresh fruit smoothies and muesli with yogurt are quickly prepared the night before and easily enjoyed at your desk.

A healthy breakfast like this yoghurt with fruits and granola will make you have a good start in to the day.
Running back home knowing there’s a delicious breakfast in store will make your early alarm much more bearable. ©iStock

4. No excuses anymore

It’s very easy to cancel your sport plans in the evening. So many things come up…working late, meeting friends, housework or you’re just too tired. By exercising before work there are no excuses for not doing it and you’ll still have time after work to meet friends and family.

5. Create a new playlist

If your partner lets you down have a new playlist ready to keep you company. The music will keep your motivation levels high as new tracks help you pass the miles.

Men with earphones
Make sure you’ve got some great tunes as back-up if your running partner doesn’t work out. ©Hero Images Inc./Getty Images

What gets you out of bed for an early morning workout? Share your tips in the comments below.

*This story was originally published on May 11, 2016 and has been updated on August 23, 2018.

51 COMMENTS

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by Rahul Patel 10.06.2016
This is great advice. I tell myself this points often but reading them from someone else certainly helps give me that extra push to start doing this!
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Rahul Patel 17.06.2016
Hi Rahul,

thanks for your comment. Challenge yourself! It'll feel GREAT afterwards. :)

Looking forward to hearing from your early bird experience.

Ready...set...GO,

Nina
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by Denise Bell 30.06.2016
Knowing that I’m doing something that will not only benefit my body but that improves my productivity throughout my day prepares me for all my workouts, not just early morning. Also with the proper nutrition that I know works for my body in conjunction with the exercise gives me continuous energy and overall health.
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by Mark 04.07.2016
Every night I made a plan to do lill workout to get a healthy body and mind, but just because of my laziness I can't leave my blanket in morning.

Pls guide me.
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by Sophia Mark 06.07.2016
Hey Mark,
I totally feel you. Sometimes it is hard to get out of the warm and comfy bed and it´s way easier to stay there instead of getting up and working on yourself. But try to imagine how great you felt after your last workout. This always motivates me. Overcome your inner temptation and get up, I´m sure you´ll feel amazing afterwards!
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by William @ Runnerlight 03.08.2016
Thank your sharing! They are good for a runner as mine. I agree with you “A 30-minute workout will wake you up better than any coffee ever could.” I like this post! ^^
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by Hemant kumar 03.09.2016
Woah,
Nice piece of well crafted content
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by Fabio Silva 20.10.2016
Great article with excellent advise

Morning exercise coupled with good sleep and a nutricional died are essential for an effective day at work
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by Nate 27.11.2016
We have a group sunrise spiritual time. We are all committed to get up 30 min before sunrise and get together and all ready right at sunrise. This is suppose to be the best time for prayer, an spiritual awakening that effects the entire day. In Jewish religion it is called NETZ. In our group, we call or text each other, if one does not show up for unknown reasons.
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by Neil 06.12.2016
Well, I completely disagree. Some people are naturally early birds and some are night owls, and if you fight your innate tendencies you are looking for trouble. For me at least, strenuous exercise first thing in the morning feels very unnatural, and while it might wake me up and make me feel alert for a short period, I find that there is a rebound effect later on and I will end up feeling very tired in the afternoon. For me it is natural to excercise late, eat and then sleep. I will then wake in the morning (later - having had time for a decent amount of sleep!) feeling energetic and refreshed. I can also push myself harder when exercising knowing that I can fully rest afterwards.

I'm sick and tired of the fact that society is structured around the needs of morning people rather than evening types, and that the preferences of the former are continually portrayed as more virtuous. There is no rational or scientific basis for this.
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Hi Neil,

thanks for your honest comment. I really like that you joined the conversation around this often discussed topic.
I agree with you that you should listen to your body's and mind's needs. Every individual is different. In this article Sophia shares her personal experiences and tips that helped her to become an early bird, because she realized that her body and mind is benefiting from workouts in the morning.
This article isn't meant for judging different ways of organizing your daily life, but I am convinced that being active (no matter when) makes me more productive and energetic during the work day. Do you agree?

Best,
Nina
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by Neil Nina Weihrauch 21.12.2016
Hi Nina,

Yes, I certainly agree that being active generally is absolutely vital for health and energy. I just don't like being told to "get out of bed" myself and have no desire to "be an early bird" (I never will be!)
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by Jamaica King 13.12.2016
Many ask me how I manage to wake up at 5-6am daily to workout when I start work at 10am. I always respond, "Life gets me out of bed." I want to live a little before going in to work and am usually too exhausted after.
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Jamaica King 19.12.2016
Sounds great!
Take your athlete's heart with you to work to make work life better, more inspiring and fun :)

Best.
Nina
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Jamaica King 09.01.2017
Wow, love your comment, Jamaica King! Welcome to your huddle.

High five,

Nina
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by Dipankar Bhattacharya 14.05.2017
Reading this gave me a feeling that I am reading myself. This habit is wonderful for selfish people like me,have been making me feel good since I was a kid, so good that a selfish man like me starts feeling for others
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by Sharon Zirk 16.05.2017
I wasn't always a morning person but packing my gym bag, getting my breakfast and lunch ready all the night before has definitely has helped me make it to the gym for 6:30am!! I do this 3x a week and now that the weather has turned nice, seriously debating taking the dogs for an early morning walk the other 2. We'll see if it happens though! I do the AM workouts because I know that once I'm done work for the day, I"M DONE!
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Sharon Zirk 24.05.2017
Hi Sharon,
your routine is very inspiring.
I sometimes struggle to wake up at 06:00 AM to work out even when I already prepared everything the night before.
Any tips on how to resist hitting the snooze button too often?

Best,

Nina
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by franferldan 26.05.2017
I suggest, as what I actually do, sleep at 10:00 in the evening, wake up at 4:00 in the morning, drink 1 liter of water, do the warm-ups, ( i do the army dozens), perform toiletry requirements, about 5:00 a.m. start brisk walking for about 1 km, then run for not less than 40 minutes a day. You'll be sharp and athletically fit the whole day. thanks
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by Akrapovic 06.07.2017
There are simple but vitals rules to challenger ourselves. The best one is 4. No excuses anymore: often overlooked but it's the first symptom of incoming failure. Thanks!
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by BetterP 08.08.2017
I expect more expertly advices. I have a problem because i am not early bird. I am ready for running but fell that body is not. Arms and legs are heavy and breathing is harder. Have any advice about that?
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by Neil BetterP 09.08.2017
As in the point I made above, I personally think the idea that there is anything intrinsically healthy or virtuous about getting up and exercising early in the morning is absurd. If you are not an early bird then don't try to become one, you are more likely to make yourself ill than fit, healthy and alert...

Adequate sleep, along with good nutrition, is one of the most important requirements for health and for enabling you to exercise effectively and recover. If you are able to go to bed at 9pm and get up at 5am feeling refreshed and energetic then fine, go ahead and be active early in the morning. But if you are regularly losing sleep to exercise you will perform less well and your health will eventually suffer. You may not be aware of this immediately as the hormones your body releases may make you feel great at the time (endorphins from the exercise and stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol from lack of sleep) but the stress you are placing on your body will catch up with you.

If like me you are not an early riser, why not challenge yourself to be active late in the evening instead? Works much better for me. Some people may find that exercising late in the day interferes with sleep, in which case they should avoid doing so obviously. But you need to find what works best for your own body rather than trying to follow a daft slogan on a website.
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by salman ali 01.09.2017
i want to be morning runner, i could learn here a lot,
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by Prathamesh Kadam 03.09.2017
It's really tough at start to make your body wake up at 6:00am. But after lot of attempts now it's seems easy n good to be the early bird. N the article is really inspiring for all those who are willing to change their lifestyle. Cheers🍻
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by Ryan Kenneth Nuque 03.09.2017
great! a very benefecial advice for being healthy everyday😄
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Ryan Kenneth Nuque 04.09.2017
And super easy, right, Ryan?!

Let us know your progress 👊

High five,

Nina
Reply
by Aman Jain 04.09.2017
Need Diet plan.
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Aman Jain 04.09.2017
Hi Aman,

check out some valuable tips from our health coach Brooke here: https://www.gameplan-a.com/series/restrictive-diets/.

Hope this helps?!

Best regards,

Nina
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by Mats 04.09.2017
Hey, i would like to ask a question. Its very true that evening workouts are easy to cancel due to work, extra classes, projects or just being plain lazy. No doubt that most people have a consensus towards that. My workouts are HIIT cardio and sprinting. I only do these exercises as i want speed and explosiveness. It is a 20 min workout and my question is, if i do this in the morning, will i have more benefits or will it be worse like as in will i feel fatique afterwards? Do note this workout is high in intensity.

Look foward to your reply!

Mats
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by Rohan wahal 10.09.2017
How can I join Adidas runner's club?
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by Sophia Rohan wahal 11.09.2017
YouHi Rohan,

here you find all information about the adidas Runners and you can sign up for free to become a member: https://tracker.adidasrunners.de/account/profile/new

Have fun running with our community and getting ready for your next race!!

Cheers
Sophia
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by Rohan 04.10.2017
better to workout
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by Manoj 23.10.2017
I daily wake up but after two or three days I found myself sleepy,can't wake up even
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by HARSHAL MARU 23.10.2017
Want to keep receiving more updates and articles regarding confidence building, shaping personality and maintaining physique.
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor HARSHAL MARU 14.11.2017
Hi Harshal,

thanks for your comment. I just put some of our latest stories on confidence, personality building and motivation together below:
https://www.gameplan-a.com/2017/09/secret-heres-improv-builds-confidence/
https://www.gameplan-a.com/2017/11/race-race-and-race-again-video/
https://www.gameplan-a.com/2017/08/simple-daily-routine-keep-mental-physical-health-top-shape/
https://www.gameplan-a.com/2017/10/robin-arzon-ordinary-people-can-extraordinary-things/
https://www.gameplan-a.com/2017/09/never-late-develop-athletes-mindset/

Hope you'll get a lot out of them!

Keep joining the conversation and happy reading,

Nina
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by Neelish 24.10.2017
It took me a few months to really get into the swing - at my age (35+) you can't expect to just change things overnight, and then get let down when it doesn't work.
Preparation is the key - including the tips above, but most importantly is to get a good night's sleep. The phone is down by 9.00pm, and the TV is off by 9.30pm, and we're lights out by 10.00pm. You can't expect to wake up at 5.30am to get out an exercise, if you're short on sleep; and you won't be able to maintain it or do it on day 2 if you're still wasted from day 1.
Additionally I don't drink any caffeine after 12.00pm (I don't drink coffee at all).
Have a back up plan - if you wake up and it's blowing a gale, switch to plan B - yoga in the lounge, or head to the gym...
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Neelish 14.11.2017
Hi Neelish,

thanks for sharing some additional tips with our community.
I'll definitely try them out next week as I'm struggling to be an early bird at the moment, especially as it's dark in the morning until 06:30 AM.

All the best and keep on being a playmaker,

Nina
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by Neelish Nina Weihrauch 21.11.2017
Good work Nina - I'm no professional athlete - I guess after lots of failed attempts and false starts the thing I learned is not every solution out there, is the best solution for you.

If you live 50km from work, cycling to work daily may not be an option. If you have a 1 hour commute, getting up to exercise also may not be an option. We need to find what's right for us.

The most important thing is to make the time for yourself. Too many of us (and I was one of them) treated exercise as a luxury that could be skipped, as opposed to a necessity. We would never say "oh I'm skipping sleeping this week, as I have too much on at work - although I sure some have tried and learned the hard way what happens!
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Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Neelish 23.11.2017
Hi Neelish,

I hear you. You're so right. It's all a matter of getting into a routine that feels good.
I'm still in the process of finding out what works best for me in the morning. Will keep you posted.

Best,

Nina
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by Priyesha 11.11.2017
It is really helpful thanks😊
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by kiran 26.07.2018
Hi there this is very awasome article for us. keep it up with more amazing ideas and works.
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by Benoit 03.09.2018
I would love tonbe able to do that and i know that i am, but somehow, i can’t wake up on the morning! Even if i know it would be better for me!!
I don’t know if it’s an excuse or a problem but i’m still working on it!
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by Baptiste Delannoy 13.09.2018
I actually use a running app to motivate myself in the morning. The way it works is that I set myself the goal of running everyday and if I don't, other people from the community will be able to see it. Not that I care thaaat much about it but this acts on me as some kind of positive social pressure, that boosts me when I would usually be too lazy to go out and run.
Reply
Nina Weihrauch
Nina Weihrauch | Editor Baptiste Delannoy 18.09.2018
Hi Baptiste,

thanks for sharing. Your tactic sounds very familiar to me as I just challenged myself to create a new morning routine (meditation) as well. Part of keeping on track was to be vocal about my goal. As you said, sharing it with a community or friends, colleagues, family, makes it much easier to hold yourself accountable.
Are you still running every day?

All the best,

Nina
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by Chandra Vijay 23.09.2018
Morning workout and running is best for good health. Nice message. lots of thanks...
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by Kiara Willson 25.09.2018
Well this isn't as easy as it is seeming but yeah, once you start doing this you're surely gonna become the person you always wanted to be.
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by Miguel Ángel 01.04.2019
I would like to do exercise in the morning, but it´s dificult to me... I will try it!!!
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by Labonno 10.11.2020
Thank you. I will try to continue my morning routine.
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by Fitness Guide 22.09.2021
Hi! I like your comment, You said that "STOP spinning your wheels by suffering through crappy workouts due to low-energy and not getting the results you want".
And I want to more post like best resistance bands for glutes, as well as I, am going to follow you now.
Thanks for sharing.
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by Naser 15.11.2021
It's hard to get up early in the morning for workout. I can not get motivation on rising early. But want to have a fit life. What should you suggest?
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by amith raj 04.08.2022
hey, nice article about “challenge your self. it is informative for me thanks for sharing these with us.I will definitely follow these for my self . Keep on adding this type of valuable content again and again. Hope to read more from you. Thank you!
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