Morning exercise can improve the quality of life both physically and mentally. Let’s have a look at the benefits of a morning workout.
Benefits of Morning Workout
Increases activity throughout the day
Many of us cannot imagine a morning without a cup of coffee since only after coffee many people feel ready for a new day. But did you know that a 10-minute walk up the stairs will give you more energy than 1 cup of coffee? This does not mean that you should stop drinking coffee, but consuming caffeine in combination with physical activity can give you even more energy.
Morning exercise is one of the best ways to maintain energy levels throughout the day. This will help your body and mind to cope better with everyday tasks. During exercise, the lungs and heart are supplied with oxygen and nutrients, which increases the body’s resistance and performance. An increase in energy, therefore, reduces fatigue.
Sleep quality improving
Morning workout has a positive effect on sleep. Study participants confirmed that they slept better on those training days when they trained at 7 a.m. Their deep sleep lasted longer, and waking up at night did not occur so often. In addition, it took them less time to fall asleep.
Improving sleep quality also leads to another benefit associated with melatonin, the sleep hormone. Its task is to bring your body into a phase of relaxation so that you can sleep better. Staying in the morning light raises melatonin levels during the night. This means that morning exercise in the fresh air helps you fall asleep faster. Therefore, try replacing the treadmill in the gym with a morning run near the house.
Exactly the opposite effect on sleep is exerted by training in the evening and at night. Your body is in a “active state” after training, it has a higher temperature, and the brain is in stimulation. For this reason, you may not be able to fall asleep, as your brain is too overexcited.
Improves attention
An important advantage of morning exercise is that it helps to circulate blood and improves blood flow to the brain. Already 30 minutes of training will improve your brain and it will become more resistant to disturbances. Morning exercises will improve your memory and attention.
Increases cortisol and testosterone levels
In our body, hormones are released at different intervals, so it is advisable to adjust your workout in accordance with this. Cortisol, the stress hormone, begins to be released early in the morning, and its level drops in the evening. Therefore, a 2008 study considers morning exercises as a great way to increase cortisol levels, causing a feeling of awakening in the early morning.
In addition to cortisol, morning workouts also affect another important hormone – testosterone. In men, it affects many vital functions, for example, it replenishes energy reserves and is responsible for muscle growth. Testosterone levels in the morning are one third higher than in the afternoon and evening.
Help to develop self-discipline
Starting the day with a morning workout requires a lifestyle change. In addition to wake up early, you need to adjust your sleep time, as lack of sleep and fatigue can significantly reduce your motivation to exercise in the morning. This requires discipline, perseverance, and time until morning exercises become a habit. 2010 studies show that our body needs 66 days to develop a habit. So your morning workouts will become familiar to you after about 2 months.
According to the ACE, people who exercise in the morning are more alert and exercise more often. Conversely, tiredness, lack of desire, household chores, or other excuses can affect evening training. Try to avoid these negative factors by rescheduling your workouts in the morning.
More place in the gym
You probably know the situation when there are a lot of people in the gym you usually visit, and you have to wait until a certain machine is released. Basically, the afternoon and evening are more popular than in the morning. Especially on weekends, people prefer to sleep, shop and do other activities rather than exercise. If you are a fan of empty fitness centers, we recommend you to get up early in the morning and try exercising in the morning.
