When I first decided to begin incorporating fitness into my routine, I decided that I would start doing my workouts in the evenings after work. At that time I felt like I was getting up early enough. The thought of waking up earlier didn’t exactly appeal to me so working out in the evenings seemed like the most logical compromise. But I often times found myself not sticking with a consistent routine. I’d come home from work exhausted and decide the workout could wait until the next day. Unfortunately this became a pattern for me and I kept pushing it out and pushing it out.
I was coming to the realization that working out in the evenings wasn’t working for me at all. That’s when I switched up my routine and began incorporating a workout into my morning routine. Oh my gosh this was the best thing I could have ever done! Starting out it was honestly just a way to make sure I was doing something good for my health and my body. But I ended up getting so much more out of it than that! There are so many added benefits that I didn’t even realize until I started keeping up with a consistent routine. Here’s what I’ve learned since incorporating morning workouts into my routine.
#1 Get It Done And Out Of The Way
How many times have you told yourself you just don’t have the time to workout? You get up, head to work and by the time you get home you’re exhausted. Working out is the last thing on your mind. This use to be me. I couldn’t force myself to wake up any earlier so my plan was to workout in the evenings. But it was the same thing each day. I’m too tired. I’ll try again tomorrow. It took me a while to learn that waking up earlier was the key. Getting out of bed even 20 minutes earlier will give you enough time for a quick jog or a short yoga practice. Find a morning workout that you enjoy. Something that makes you excited to get out of bed.
If you prefer higher intensity think running or Pilates. If you prefer something lower impact roll out your mat for some yoga. I like to mix it up throughout the week to get my cardio in, but the point is to find what you like. Any exercise is better than no exercise at all.
#2 Wake Up Faster
Doing my workouts in the morning is a great way to help get me up and moving and waking up faster. I feel a jolt of energy as soon as I put on my workout clothes. But after my morning workout is over I feel so awake and have so much energy.
#3 More Energy Throughout the Day
Since working out in the mornings I don’t get those mid day slumps anymore. I use to always experience that 3pm crash where I felt like I could really use a nap, but since that wasn’t exactly an option I would reach for a cup of coffee instead. These days my energy levels stay relatively high throughout the day and really does help prevent that 3pm slump altogether. I feel more ready than ever to take on whatever the day brings and I completely avoid the midday crash.
#4 Positive Mindset
How often have you told yourself you’re going to start exercising, just to beat yourself up later when you don’t do it? I would be so hard on myself for not working out. This would put me in such a bad mood and all motivation was lost after that. So instead of repeating bad patterns, I got focused on my goals and why I wanted to do this for myself in the first place. This helped motivate me to keep coming back to my mat every day. After doing this pretty consistently I started realizing just how much better I felt overall after my morning workouts. I felt happier throughout the day and was able to handle stressful situations much easier than before. I just felt all around better. This feeling helped encourage me to stay with it.
#5 With Consistency it Becomes a Habit
Gone are the days of telling myself I will start a morning workout routine this week. By being consistent and showing up for myself every day I have created a new, healthy habit for myself. These days if something prevents me from my workout I feel a little out of touch the rest of the day. It’s something I look forward to every morning and that I actually enjoy. My daily workouts are the same as brushing my teeth. It’s become a habit that I don’t think too much about. I wake up, put on my workout clothes and hop on my mat.
#6 You’ll Carry Healthy Habits With You Throughout the Day
Another unexpected benefit I’ve discovered since working out in the mornings is how I started to feel like I wanted to keep up with other healthy habits during the day. Drinking more water and choosing healthier snacks over less nutritious ones started becoming more of the norm.
#7 Sense of Accomplishment
When I get my workout in first thing in the morning I feel such a strong sense of accomplishment. It’s a feeling of knowing that I just did something great for myself and it’s not even 7am yet. And I take this sense of accomplishment with me throughout the rest of my day. I feel more level headed and my mind is clearer and more focused. And I’ve also found I am far more productive throughout the day.
#8 Sleep Better
By getting up earlier and working out, I find that I start feeling tired earlier in the evenings. This helps me not only to get myself to bed earlier, but I also sleep so much better and I fall asleep much quicker. If you struggle at all with falling asleep and staying asleep all night, try waking up earlier and squeezing in a morning workout. You might find this really helps with your night routine.
I know that making changes can be really hard. And it’s going to feel weird at first and there will definitely be times when you just don’t feel up to it. But being consistent and showing up for yourself every day will help you turn the annoyance of a morning workout into something you actually enjoy and look forward to. You can be that person who gets up at 6am to workout and begin the day feeling her best. You can do it, otherwise you wouldn’t have made it to the end of this article. Use these benefits as your motivation to begin creating new healthy habits for yourself.
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