morning rituals

According to the Mayo Clinic regular exercise has a number of very important positive effects in our lives. If we can start our day off with a workout, we can help maintain a healthy weight, improve our mood, manage medical conditions, and actually boost our energy levels. (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389).

Exercise should be spaced out throughout the week to ensure the best results as this maintains the benefits better. One or two days a week in terms of working out can quickly lose its effectiveness if you are sedentary the other 5. So, make this a daily practice and remember the morning may be the best time to get in your exercise. 

1. Work out When You Have the most Energy

Many people plan to go and work out after they have finished their day at work but this is a surefire way for plans to fail. When we have worked all day, we often do not have the energy and motivation to exercise so it may get skipped. In the morning, however, as long as we carve out time before our day starts is perfect for a workout.

After we wake up, we are rested and have the most energy we are likely to have for the day. Working out in the morning gets it out of the way with the minimum of resistance. There are no excuses of I’ve had a long day” or “I’m tired.” Once the workout is complete you may be surprised how great the rest of your day may progress. 

2. Inspiration to Have a Healthier Day

When we work out in the morning, we make ourselves feel physically healthier and more energized for the day ahead. This feeling of health is infectious and can lead us to make better food choices throughout the day to try and keep that good feeling. Having gotten exercise in the morning we may find we have energy to walk around more perhaps while we eat lunch or just a short stroll while on break. 

3. Improved Sleep

The Mayo Clinic suggests that regular exercise is very beneficial in terms of helping us set a solid sleep schedule. When we work out and burn calories our bodies become tired making it much easier for us to fall asleep at night.

The clinic does suggest that you do not work out close to bedtime as this can actually cause you to find it hard to get to sleep. This is why the morning is the best time for a workout as it helps to combine with your full day in making you tired and ready to sleep at night. 

4. Exercise Sharpens Your Mind

Psychologist Mylea Charvat, Ph.D. believes that regular exercise can have not only an effect on your body but also your mind. Regular aerobic exercise which gets your heart rate up increases blood flow around the body. This helps transport oxygen to the brain more efficiently which helps in a process known as neurogenesis. It is essentially the production of new neurons in the brain which aid memory function. (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-fifth-vital-sign/201901/why-exercise-is-good-your-brain).

5. Improves Motivation

It takes will power to get up each day and exercise, it’s an achievement which should inspire you moving forward. The feeling of getting up, working out, showering, and eating breakfast before we even go to work should be great.

Having already achieved so much before your day really begins should be used as a motivation to try and do more things. A morning workout can inspire you to work harder during your day hopefully impressing your bosses with your motivation levels. Start the day with a workout and you may just find your career starts to bloom as well.