Morning Workouts are Superior

Staying active is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Whether it is going for a long walk, a jog or hitting the weights at the gym, our bodies and brains feel good after some movement. We often decide when to work out based on our busy schedules and claim that there is no one time that is the “right time” to exercise. However, deciding to wake up a bit earlier and fit in a morning workout comes with a variety of benefits.

By the end of the day, our brains are bombarded with distractions. There are unfinished items on our to-do lists, emails to be read and a constant stream of stimulating rings and pings. All these things make it hard to disconnect and provide ourselves with time to move. It is much easier and more gratifying to perform a morning workout before the busyness of the day gets into full swing. According to Jasmin Theard, an exercise physiologist at Piedmont Atlanta Fitness Center, “Morning workouts help reduce the possibility for obstacles to present themselves… There is also less opportunity to make excuses.” Unless fitting in a workout is at the very top of your priority list, events will often come up throughout the day that will end up taking the place of your time to move. By consistently setting an alarm and getting up for that morning run, exercising will feel less like an additional task than it would if you were constantly trying to fit it in at different times of the day.

Working out in the morning also instigates mental and physical health benefits that will last throughout the entire day. It is common for additional healthy choices to follow exercising, such as deciding to eat an apple instead of a bag of potato chips. The International Journal of Obesity published a study in 2018 following 2,680 college students who completed a 15-week exercise program. The students were not explicitly asked to make healthier food choices, but it was observed that those who stayed committed to the fitness program chose healthier eating options. Even though this can be experienced no matter what time of day you get active, working out in the morning allows more time for these healthy choices to be made throughout the day.

Is it sometimes difficult for you to focus on one task when there are so many other “to-dos” calling your name? Physical activity is proven to improve focus and concentration, too. Moving your body before you start any other task in the day allows you to maintain better cognition throughout every hour of the day. Exercising in the morning can also result in a better mood and a more positive outlook while navigating the roller coaster of emotions paired with each day of the week. You can feel better about yourself knowing that you were able to start the day with a workout, which comes with a feeling of accomplishment. According to Yvonne Thomas, Ph.D., a Los Angeles–based psychologist, “Exercising in the beginning of the day can help decrease some negative feelings and thoughts that can get in your way as the day goes on, making you feel less depressed, anxious, stressed, overwhelmed, sad or angry.” I don’t know about you, but I would choose waking up a few hours earlier over being in an emotional slump all day.

The benefits of physical activity in the morning heavily outweigh the temporary pain accompanying waking up early. Along with healthier eating choices, improved mental function and increased fitness motivation, working out just as the sun rises can help improve sleep, boost energy and improve weight loss. So, try a new routine of working out in the morning for a week and see if it improves your day-to-day experiences.