6 Top Benefits of Early Morning Workouts
Early A.M. workouts are saturated with so many benefits. As morning workouts appeal to many in the fitness world with hectic schedules, but aren't normally up at sunrise on their own, there are people out there who are natural-born early birds.
Many people I know have no problem getting in an a.m. workout before getting ready for work.
However, the fitness world is huge. And some may bat an eye at the thought of rolling out of that warm bed before the sun to do some damage.
Or damage control!
Sometimes one may sit back and wonder, just how the heck do they do it? Through surgery? Hypnosis? Inquiring minds would love to know!
The reality for some of us is that sunrise workouts don't come as naturally and can take time and lots of discipline.
It's something I've strived for in the past until I finally got used to it. Mind you, I was never one to exercise first thing in the morning. Every attempt resulted in me punching my alarm clock every 5 minutes. But I persevered. I had to for days that were going to be hectic so really, an a.m. workout would be all the time I had or it wouldn't get done!
Getting in a morning workout will leave you feeling alert, with a major mood boost, a feeling of accomplishment, and relief knowing you won't be tasked with it later on when you already have nothing left in your tank.
So how do you become an early morning riser?
First, as I've stated earlier, becoming an early riser doesn't happen overnight if you're just not one of these people. Unless you're compelled to be an early riser for job commitments, you can't just start getting up early cold turkey. You can try but without the discipline and allowing it to grow into a habit, in most cases, you might just find yourself in the same pattern of inconsistency in your sleep and wake times. And your workouts could suffer too!
Other times you could go cold-turkey if amazing results mean more to you than how you feel in the morning. Mind over matter right?
Start Little By Little
Each night aim for earlier and earlier bedtimes. If you normally turn in at 11 pm, the next night try to head to bed about 15 to 20 minutes earlier. Shut off electronics 20 minutes earlier and have your last liquid beverage of the day an hour and a half earlier.
Because your bladder waking you up at midnight to go use to loo and not being able to fall back to sleep afterward...sucks!
Every night try for a not-too-drastic earlier bedtime for a slightly earlier wake time.
Prep Your Stuff the Night Before
So that things can go smoothly when you wake up, be sure to have your workout clothes, shoes, etc., ready with all of your devices charged. Have your pre and post-workout snacks ready in the fridge. You will also sleep better knowing everything is prepped and that you won't have any extra tasks to get out of the way before your early A.M. workout.
Are A.M. Workouts Really More Beneficial Than Any-Other-Time workouts?
Currently, multiple sources are debating this controversial topic. Some studies have found that a.m. workouts can have profound effects on women with increased body fat loss and reduced blood pressure and how A.M. workouts can improve muscular performance and reduce blood pressure in men. However, there are downsides to early a.m. workouts which include: decreased energy, reduced performance, and longer warm-up times, and p.m. workout times past 8:00 p.m. can have a bit of the same effects. But here in this article, I'll get into why the benefits of early A.M. workouts can override the downsides.
6 Top Benefits of Early A.M. Workouts
1. No Distractions
An awesome benefit to getting in an early a.m. workout is that there will be no distractions whatsoever at that time. Before the sun rises, everything and everyone will be asleep or getting ready for the day. That time of day is an excuse enough to not answer any emails because there will be no emails and no one will be calling you. Not even the scammers! This will probably be the quietest, most uninterrupted part of your day. This benefit is especially true if you work out at home.
2. Easy To Stay Consistent
Yes! Early A.M. workouts can be easy to stick to when they're done first thing in the morning just like showering and brushing your teeth. No matter what you choose to do at sunrise, it will be fairly easy to stay consistent in the long run because it would be the first thing you would do when you wake up. If you ever want to add something to your routine or develop a new habit/routine, getting it done before the sun wakes up will be your best bet.
3. It's Done And Out of The Way
This is another great benefit to early a.m. workouts. You wake up early to get it done and then it's out of the way. For someone with a super busy schedule, nothing feels more freeing with a sense of accomplishment than getting that early a.m. workout out of the way.
With your mind in the right place and a good night's rest, it is as simple as it sounds. Especially when you are already prepared. Get up, have coffee first, an energizing snack that your body can use, and then your workout! Imagine the relief of coming home from a 10-hour workday without being tasked to work out. You're already too tired from the long day and since your early morning workout is out of the way, you can enjoy a relaxing evening.
Make time to prep of course!
4. All-Day Mood Boost
That first cup of coffee of the day is the icing on the cake. But as you know, caffeine is temporary. Getting into a moderate to rigorous early morning routine can energize you greatly and can be better than caffeine. Neil Paulvin DO, a regenerative medical doctor with a private practice in New York City states that exercise boosts your body's fitness and your mood, both of which contribute to your overall health and well-being. Exercise will boost your mood, releasing endorphins for the next hour after your workout leaving you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
5. It's The Time We Say We Don't Have
The biggest most overused excuse as to why many put off a workout is not having the time. Well, folks the most underrated time slot where there is time to work out would be in the a.m. before your body knows what it's doing.
With preparation, good sleeping habits, and a solid bedtime routine, it won't be that hard to roll out of bed, wake yourself up with a light snack and a quick rinse before getting in your early a.m. workout.
What helps me a lot is listening to motivating music that gets me pumped and ready to go!
6. You'll Burn More Fat
As stated earlier, early a.m. workouts would increase your chances of burning more body fat, especially in women according to one study. Research has shown that working out in a fasted state can also aid in burning more body fat.
That little tidbit of info itself is enough to make me want to roll out of bed and get the job done!
Caution: I would only recommend a fasted state when doing cardio!
Takeaways - 6 Top Benefits of Early A.M. Workouts
There are upsides and downsides to early a.m. workouts. The downsides can include problems with consistency, longer warm-up times, decreased energy, and reduced performance.
A.M. versus P.M. workouts are a highly debated topic but this post highlights the many benefits that come with early a.m. workouts and how they can override the downsides. The 6 top benefits include:
• reduced distractions
• better consistency
• an easily checked-off item on your to-do list
• all-day mood boost
• more time
• increased fat burn
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