There are other times to exercise besides the early morning, of course, but while exercising right after work can also be enjoyable, it’s also liable to be cancelled because of other things that come up. Morning exercise is virtually never cancelled. Already this alone can increase your chances of achieving your goals dramatically. But there are many other benefits to hitting your gym during the morning hours.
Early morning workouts rev up your metabolism, jump start your energy level and accelerate your ability to burn up calories. How? When you wake up in the morning your muscle, liver glycogen (stored carbohydrate) and blood sugars are lower – this is the optimum environment for burning fat instead of carbohydrate. How much more fat you’ll burn is uncertain, but some studies have suggested that up to 300% more fat is burned when cardio is done in a fasted, glycogen-depleted state.
Of course you can do your aerobic exercise any time.The most important thing is like Nike says: just do it. But if you really want to get the maximum benefits from every minute you’ve invested into that hard earned sweat, then you should consider becoming an early bird.
Now I’ve already given you two great excuses to get out of bed now here’s another one. The fabulous feeling of accomplishment that stays with you all day long. Starting the day like this will keep you energized for the day with all those endorphins giving you a natural high but it will also more likely keep you on the right path for the rest of the day. A lot of people find that their food choices are usually far better and healthier after having started the day with a good workout.
I know – you’re going to say that you’re not a morning person. Well according to scientists based on the natural cycle of our internal body clock – We all are morning people! It’s just about getting back into the cycle of it. Which means going to bed earlier and not miss the important sleep cycles. If you don’t believe just go out camping for a few day in nature and you’ll find your body tuning back into it’s natural state. You will start waking effortlessly first thing at dawn.
Just try this. Make a commitment to yourself to do it for just 21 days.
Once those 21 days have gone feel free to go back to you old habits. But if you really stick to it – I doubt you ever will go back to the old lifestyle. The buzz and energy from the morning workouts. The better results from your consistent training now that no other commitments are there to take that precious morning moment away from you. Knowing that after work you truly are free to focus on other things such as meeting up with friends, reading a good book or maybe enrolling into that French class you thought you never had time for. Give up all of that?….Didn’t think so!
So what are you waiting for! Remember 1escape opens at 6.30am in the morning from Mondays to Fridays (10am on weekends) We have a wide range of classes at 7 and 7.30am. If group activity isn’t your thing make sure to book in for your ‘Escape Into Shape’ programme to keep you on track. Because this habit needs a plan to work!
But first just to help you get out of that bed for you next session here are a few tips:
Don’t make drastic changes. Start slowly, by waking just 15-30 minutes earlier than usual. Get used to this for a few days. Then cut back another 15 minutes. Do this gradually until you get to your goal time.
Allow yourself to sleep earlier. You might be used to staying up late, perhaps watching TV or surfing the Internet. But if you continue this habit, while trying to get up earlier, sooner or later one is going to give. And if it is the early rising that gives, then you will crash and sleep late and have to start over. I suggest going to bed earlier, even if you don’t think you’ll sleep, and read while in bed. If you’re really tired, you just might fall asleep much sooner than you think.
Put your alarm clock far from you bed. If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll shut it off or hit snooze. Never hit snooze. If it’s far from your bed, you have to get up out of bed to shut it off. By then, you’re up. Now you just have to stay up.
Go out of the bedroom as soon as you shut off the alarm. Don’t allow yourself to rationalize going back to bed. Just force yourself to go out of the room. My habit is to stumble into the bathroom and go pee. By the time I’ve done that, and flushed the toilet and washed my hands and looked at my ugly mug in the mirror, I’m awake enough to face the day.
Do not rationalize. If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, you’ll never do it. Don’t make getting back in bed an option.
Have a training program or plans. And stick to it! This will help if you do try to rationalize
“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin, famously
