Article summary
After graduating from college and starting to work full-time, I had made it a habit to exercise after work. Recently, I started waking up earlier than usual, but I wasn’t utilizing my morning time efficiently. I decided to change this by working out in the morning, and I have noticed multiple benefits.
Why Morning Exercise?
Flexible afternoon schedule
When I was exercising after work, I felt like it put a burden on my afternoon schedule. It became difficult to grab drinks with coworkers, hang out with friends, or do other physically demanding activities after I had clocked out on weekdays.
I still did these things, but it normally meant skipping a day and going off of my routine. Now that I work out in the morning, my exercise regiment doesn’t hinder my afternoon schedule, and I can easily make plans after work.
Kick off your morning
When my job is the first productive thing I do all day, it takes a while to get into a state where I can work efficiently. However, when I come into work having already conquered the gym, I find it much easier to get started, since my mind and body have already been active for at least an hour. I’ve heard a lot of people say they have more energy during the day when they work out in the morning, and I believe that feeling has a lot to do with this experience.
How I Got Started
My lack of energy in the morning was an immense hurdle for me to overcome. I had tried and failed to work out in the morning before, because my morning workouts felt suboptimal. I looked into ways to overcome this and found two approaches that worked for me.
Get enough sleep
It may be easy to miss an hour or two of sleep and still walk into the office, but it’s completely different when you’re working out. When I go into the gym on seven or less hours of sleep, every workout feels harder and more painful than normal. I found that getting a consistent eight hours of sleep was the most important factor in having enjoyable morning workouts.
Drink more water
One silent impediment to my morning activities was a lack of hydration. When you go almost eight hours with no water, you are bound to be dehydrated. Once I started drinking a glass of water in the morning, it helped me perk up and start my early exercise session.
Although working out may not be the perfect way to start your morning, I think it is beneficial to begin your day with something other than work. It has made my days less stressful and provided a significant boost to my quality of life. I think anyone who has considered working out in the morning should go for it!