The Simple Joys of a Morning Workout
Posted on 21 June 2009
James Jordan
My most memorable workouts have always come first thing in the morning. Even when I first started training and didn’t have a clue about diet, nutrition or what I was doing in general. There was something instinctive inside of me that made me want to get up and go for a workout as soon as I got up. Maybe its because the day seems so fresh and beautiful, full of possibilities. Or maybe its just being a morning person always brought out the best in me.
We rely on having a consistent time available to workout each day and my guess is that if the habit was made and we were able to (without time and work constraints) working out first thing in the morning would be the preference for everyone. Some have favorite times of the day for working out others just workout whenever they can. Some exercise to keep fit others use it as a tool to de-stress after a hard day at work. One thing is for sure, no one can deny the therapeutic effect of a good workout.
No Worries - Its as easy and simple as things come, no need to worry about if you will feel full or sluggish during the workout due to that huge lunch you just ate. No need to fit things around a schedule or worry about the impending workout all day. Just get up grab your stuff and go. If your working wake up a bit earlier, it takes dedication but almost anyone can achieve it especially with the long summer days.
Accomplishment - This for me is one the best things, before the day has even really begun you feel like there has been a job well done. You know that if your feeling crushed at the end of a long day at work their is no need to do anything but get home and relax. Each bite of breakfast, lunch and dinner will taste better for your early efforts…..No matter how bad the day went you will know there was one thing you got right!
Feel Good - Exercising is the ultimate feel good tool thanks to its effects on literally evacuating harmful stress hormones from the body. It will generate feel good endorphins plus increase your serotonin levels in the brain. Exercising consistently will shrink chronic stress and boost your confidence. This is no exaggeration, the best thing about the morning workouts are that these effects will stay with you all day boosting your productivity and creativity!
Fat Burning - When you wake up fasted your insulin levels will be at their lowest, luckily for you this means your body will burn pretty much exclusively fat for fuel. This will not only benefit you at the time but allow your insulin sensitivity to be improved all day long. Meaning your body will naturally divert food and nutrients to muscle tissue rather than fat. Remember this only applies if you get up and go, no eating before the workout.
Down Time - The morning is a time of day you can have totally to yourself. The streets are empty, no one else in the house is up, there are no complications or letting anyone else down. The time is yours, if you made that effort to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual to workout thats time you bought and you can really enjoy. The quiet and peace of the morning make it a perfect time to workout in an almost meditative fashion.
Best Habit - If you get in the habit of working out upon waking a few times a week you will be nurturing what is one of the greatest habits of all time. Once you get to the point that it feels weird not getting up and doing some sort of activity you will know your on the right track. Build the habit of a lifetime!
7 minimalist AM workout ideas
1- Do Body Weight workouts twice a week and run 3-5K twice a week
2- Go for a 20 Minute morning Swim 3 times a week
3- 15 minutes of Kettlebell work
4- Hit your local CrossFit Facility for a WOD
5- Do 200 pushups for time
6- 5-10 Sets of Sprints
7- 30 seconds running as fast as you can 1 minute slow jogging X 5
Its amazing how good it feels to get up, have a cup of coffee look out the window and get going. Especially when the sun shines!
Comment by Grok
21 June 2009
My favorite post for a while. I’m going to make it a goal to work out every morning next week.
I usually workout in the early AM hours (night) to avoid interruptions, but I think it ends up interrupting my ability to sleep.
Comment by Rafi Bar-Lev
21 June 2009
James,
I agree that morning workouts are extremely satisfying. Waking up before everyone and working out really does make you feel on top of the world. It’s amazing and if you haven’t tried it, you should. Nice post.
Rafi Bar-Lev
Comment by Kellie
21 June 2009
Wonderful post! I am a huge proponent of morning workouts. I am up early, get in a swim, bike, run or combination every day and at work by 7:30AM feeling ready to go. It also helps alleviate stress trying to get out of work to get your training in.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom!
Comment by Charles
21 June 2009
Thanks for the great post. I’ve been thinking that I need to get back to early morning workouts. I used to do so all the time. I’ll use this post for inspiration to get out of bed a little earlier and start my day w/ a workout. I’ve also read that a person’s mood is elevated for 12 hours after a workout. Another good reason to start the day with a workout.
Comment by Claus
21 June 2009
Awesome post! This is GOOD!
Since February I’ve set my clock to wake me up at 6.00 am and then I’ve done, and still do my workouts. I have this schedule…
I do 2 days of bodyweight circuits – never the same circuit twice. Usually takes me 10-15 min.
I have 2 days reserved for my kettlebells. Each workout takes me about 20 min. to complete.
Then I have 2 days for interval training. I normally do a jump rope session. (My days of running are over due to a bad knee). 40 sec ON as fast and as many jumps as possible followed by 20 sec OFF. I repeat this cycle 10-12 times…
That’s it…. I’m normally done at 6.30 am, and then I take a shower and have my breakfast.
The feeling of working out in the morning is like you describe in the post – you really get a feeling of accomplishment! This feel-good mood is even better during summer times. It really adds “zen” to the day!
Comment by Tobi
21 June 2009
Thanks again, you never fail to get us motivated! Whenever I can I get up in the morning and mostly this is followed by a run to our local park and there I do some Tabata sprints and various exercises on the playground.
Personally I feel the best thing about working out early in the morning is when everybody else gets up looking tired, you just come out of the shower (or not #primal), and as you said you know you’ve already made your day that much better compared to all the late risers.
Thanks,
awesome post, this week was really high quality
tobi
Comment by Kat
21 June 2009
This post fits me to a tee. I am up with the sun and welcome the day which is off to a great start and never fails to set my mood and energy levels in the right direction. Only thing is, by mid-day I really need a 15 min nap! But those are welcomed, too, when I can get them and by night-fall my head hits the pillow and I’m out– no tossing and turning anymore. I highly recommend a morning workout to everybody.
Comment by David
22 June 2009
Very useful post! I really hear you on the accomplishment one. I’m not an early riser by any means, but on the days where I can finish my workout early on, it’s just such a weight off my shoulders (no pun intended) for the rest of the day to not have to worry about making time to hit the gym. Plus it gets rid of the “too tired to work out” excuse!
Comment by Dusan Vlahovic
22 June 2009
It’s winter here in Chile so it’s beccoming a little difficult to get up early, but i’m doing it anyway and it’s a great feeling of accomplishment that you carry all day long.
Comment by thania1
22 June 2009
This blog is becoming my favorite, I am reading each update, is wonderful.
Thanks for the encouragement to do sport in the morning, I know that it makes me feel good and basically do it cause , something always comes up during the day and you cant do it.
It had made me feel always real good, but never put down in words and is exactly point by point bc of what you explained.
Too hot in Spain now, that is the only time , one can be out.
Have a nice day
Comment by lilianB
22 June 2009
I love this post. The early morning boost in energy that you’ll receive is one of my favorite advantages. Also, the mood lifting effects will help you start your day in a more positive frame of mind. Some of us may need to make serious adjustments to how we organize our day in order to wake-up early enough to fit in an AM workout, but it is well worth it.
Comment by Jim
22 June 2009
I have been debating this topic for years and while others have tried to tell me that working out early in the morning is a great way to start your day, I feel that working out in the afternoon is a great way to get a second wind and focus your energy for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
Comment by Kat Eden
24 June 2009
I love morning training. I definitely feel my best for these workouts. But my absolute favorite workouts (regardless of the time of day) are the ones where I nearly talk myself out of it, and then end up doing something anyway. Even if it is just for 15 minutes.
The main thing for me, aside from the obvious health and fitness benefits, is the confidence and self-belief that comes from learning to continually follow through on a promise to myself. I find this mindset gradually travelling into other aspects of my life as well which is pretty cool.
Comment by Yvonne Anderson
24 June 2009
I totally can agree with Dusan Vlahovic. I moved from Australia to New Zealand at the beginning of the month and my gorgeous routine of getting up and bouncing to the gym or on my bike has gone.
I got sluggish in the cold. If you visit my blog http://safespacecoaching.blogspot.com you will see that I have started a new routine. One which involves getting up early to do morning exercise.
Great post! I completely agree with a morning session. It wakes you up in a nurturing way and the delight of having completed a workout before others rise is hard to beat.
Comment by Jared | SpiritualZen.net
24 June 2009
Great motivation for me. I’ve dedicated lately to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. And at night sometimes it’s just hard to stay on task. I’ve been really wanting to try exercising in the morning (although I get up at 5:20 a.m. already). So I think this post was just in time for me.
I also wanted to tell you thought my wife and I have been drinking Apple Cider Vinegar since we’ve read your post on that. I notice a little difference but my wife really does. She swears by it for her allergies.
Comment by Jared | SpiritualZen.net
25 June 2009
Just wanted to report back that I actually got up this morning to run before work. Sun wasn’t even up yet… what a wonderful time. Had a nice run then jumped in our pool for a nice morning swim. Just myself, God, and nature. Very spiritual. I’m glad I read your post yesterday and it motivated me to get up early this morning.
I even noticed the smells are different in the morning. Fresh, clean and crisp.
Thanks!
Comment by Liam | gyms stevenage
26 June 2009
I’m a huge fan of the “Eat That Frog” philosophy… if you’ve got a job to do, get it done early, first thing in the morning. If you had to eat a frog every day, you wouldn’t want to spend the whole day worrying about it, have it for breakfast! I think the same is true of your daily workout.
Comment by Bakari
7 July 2009
You said it! I prefer morning workouts above all because the later it gets the harder it is for me to get out there.
Comment by Vahrun
9 July 2009
Great post! Keep up the good work.
I have only recently began doing morning workouts, and I can tell you that there are few things more refreshing than a quick morning jog. Even on my lazier days, I’ll manage to conjure up enough energy to at least go for a brisk 20-minute walk.
I find that it leaves me feeling very fresh for the rest of the day and it certainly breaks the monotony of my sedentary job.
I’ve only been doing morning runs for a few months now, but the progress I have made since starting is staggering. I use a free program called Fit Click that allows me to track my workouts (and diet!) and the time/distance ratio for my workouts is only growing.
Comment by jeg
10 July 2009
I work at around 4am in the morning. So I do not have the luxury of working out in the morning. I do my workout at around 5 in the afternoon though. I still enjoy it but when I’m not working me and my wife, we’d love waking up in the early morning where the world is just about to begin. There are not much people walking around yet so we feel like we own the world, along with a few the people around working out as well. The best part of it is running to the horizon, witnessing the light coming slowly. We always get to a halt as the sunlight burst into such a wonderful beauty of nature. Then we would walk, looking in awe up in the sky, to the fruit stand to buy us fruits.
Comment by Anshu
1 September 2009
Hello,
I enjoyed your post. I worked out in the mornings (up at 5AM, in the gym by 6AM) and still made it to work by 8:00AM. This was possible because I showered and got ready at the gym and packed up all my stuff the night before – it was a great routine and I definitely felt great for the rest of the day. However, recently, I got the idea to try evenings (after work) again – and I hate it! I don’t know why I switched – I guess I just wanted to change things up but I’m going back to the mornings tomorrow. I feel a sense of dread now knowing that after work I have to lift weights or run. Working out in the morning affords you the ability to clear your head and exercise with a clear conscience.
One last thing: please note that it is extremely important to EAT BEFORE YOU WORKOUT IN THE MORNING. The author here says not to and work out on an empty stomach. I used to be in that camp but can tell you from several weight training articles that this is not the case – you will not burn fat – you will lose muscle. The human body will tap into the first non-essential store of energy it has, which is muscle. If you think about how humans evolved, think of the times we had to fast and go hungry between meals. After fasting, your body will break down muscle because there is much more of it – fat is an essential nutrient that helps brain function, etc. Your body will use fat last – not first. This is why you still see tons of “fat” people who can’t understand why they don’t lose weight by not eating. The pre-workout meal doesn’t have to be big. It just has to contain a nominal amount of protein to stop muscle loss and some good fast-acting carbs – like fruit. Try drinking a glass of milk or a small protein shake with some fruit before your workout and you’ll thank me later.