Working out first thing in the morning can open the doors to several health benefits. Those who can force themselves to get up early at the tick of an alarm can expect to see better overall performance and results as well. Here are three major overall benefits of exercising in the morning.
Improved Mental Clarity/Capacity
When you wake up after a night’s sleep, your body prepares to become active and heats up quickly. After a good morning workout, the endocrine system releases endorphins into the bloodstream. These chemicals continue to work in the body for a period of four to ten hours. Endorphins improve mood stability and help get you motivated for a long day. In addition, they cleanse the mind and allow you to focus better without strain, all while stimulating cell repair and production of important blood and nerve cells. According to the Huffington Post, the lasting effects of endorphins improve outlook, productivity, and attitude outside the realm of the gym. This means that days at the office, long hours of errands, and seemingly endless responsibilities become much easier to manage.
Restored Sleep and Metabolism Cycles
During REM sleep, the body is already active. Upon waking up, it is ready and warmed up for almost any workout. By allotting your exercise frame soon after waking up, you allow your body to become primed and get used to waking up earlier for physical activity. Exposing the body to sunlight in the early hours of the day also stimulates melatonin, which tells your body it’s time to sleep later that night. Appalachian State University found that morning exercise likewise decreases late-day blood pressure, which improves heart health and encouraged adequate rest.
Better Results
Working out in the morning catalyzes an immediate benefit, as those who do so are less likely to eat unhealthy breakfasts or overeat during the day. In terms of the workout itself, the National Center of Biotechnology Information notes that working out after 8 hours of fasting causes the body to jump directly to burning fat stores as fuel instead of any freshly consumed carbohydrates. This translates to better weight loss and less chances of a workout feeling like its being dragged on due to your metabolism having to work harder to digest new carbs. Early morning workouts also increase the production of additional hormones that encourage muscle mass and stability, such as testosterone.
Exercise has been proven to be beneficial regardless of the time of day it is performed. It is clear, however, that moving your workout routines to the morning open the door to new benefits as well. Overall, you can gain better results and a better life pattern by jumping into your workouts first thing in the morning.