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.
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.
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.
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.
thanks for your comment. Challenge yourself! It'll feel GREAT afterwards. :)
Looking forward to hearing from your early bird experience.
Ready...set...GO,
Nina
Pls guide me.
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!
Nice piece of well crafted content
Morning exercise coupled with good sleep and a nutricional died are essential for an effective day at work
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.
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
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!)
Take your athlete's heart with you to work to make work life better, more inspiring and fun :)
Best.
Nina
High five,
Nina
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
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.
Let us know your progress 👊
High five,
Nina
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
Look foward to your reply!
Mats
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
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
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...
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
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!
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
I don’t know if it’s an excuse or a problem but i’m still working on it!
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
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.