I've been up since 4.45am, I had a quick breakfast of tuna, nuts and a green tea with a squeeze of lemon juice; am now on my way to work with multivitamin drink in hand, ready for a relatively short day (I finish by 4 on Fridays).
9 times out of ten, I'm out the door at 5.30am; ready to teach classes and train the hardcore. I refer to these people as the 6am-ers or the "early morning club!"
I know how everybody feels in the morning when that dreaded alarm goes off, it's dark outside, it's cold and it's possibly even raining... The last thing we want to do is get out of our warm bed and head into the gym before work!
However, when we realise the benefits of an early morning training session, it makes getting out of bed sooo much easier, so I've compiled my top 5 reasons why you should be up at this time too:
No.1
The obvious benefit to training in the morning is that your workout is out of the way, leaving you with the rest of the day to focus on work and evening social activities (whether that's a hot date or quality time with the family).
No.2
Physical exercise releases endorphins and 'happy hormones'; it also increases mental activity, leaving you more alert, happy and focused at work - bring on that promotion!! In fact, due to the increased flow of oxygen rich blood to the brain, the mind is more alert for 4-10hours following a workout, hence the fact when you train in the evening it's harder to get to sleep at night.
No.3
It is a well know fact that exercise boosts your metabolism and keeps it elevated for several hours; this means your body will be burning calories whilst resting, so working out in the morning is ideal if you sit at a desk all day!
No.4
Training "am" will also change the way in which you approach your diet; as exercise and health will be the first thing you think about, you will naturally be more aware of the nutritional choices you make throughout the day.
No5
Exercising in the morning promotes better sleep patterns; after the boosts of energy and heightened endorphins from your workout, your body will naturally become tired as the evening approaches. Those early nights will soon make those early starts a whole lot easier and you will find yourself having a full 8hours sleep a night, leaving you fresh and rejuvenated for the next day plus giving your muscles and body much more time to repair itself!
So, give it a try - wake up an hour earlier, ignore that snooze button, and join the early morning club - you won't regret it!
