5 reasons why You Need to be Exercising in The Morning
If working out is your current priority in life & you seriously want to achieve your dream physique, it should be a no-brainer to train in the morning!
How many times have you said to yourself “I’ll work out later tonight, I’m too tired right now”?
And then it gets to “tonight” and you’re even more tired than you were when you said that! Or even worse, it’s one hour before you said you would train— and a mate calls asking you to come out for a few drinks, you can’t say no to that!
So, this becomes a weekly habit, and you only work out 2–3 times a week, as opposed to 5–6 days as you planned…
Consistency with your workouts is undoubtedly the biggest factor for success and progress. Skipping workouts and not having a consistent schedule is a recipe for failure, but it doesn’t have to be this way!
I have personally experimented for over 3 years with different times to work out. These past few months, I have begun working out almost immediately after jumping out of bed. Not only has my progress and consistency in terms of muscle building skyrocketed, but so many other aspects of my life have too!
Start the day off with a bang!
Your morning is incredibly important for how the rest of your day will flow.
Good morning = Good day > Good days = Good life!
Exercise releases endorphins, dopamine & serotonin.
- Endorphins help relieve pain, reduce stress, and improve your sense of well-being.
- Dopamine is a chemical released in the brain that makes you feel pleasure, satisfaction & motivation.
- And, serotonin regulates your mood and is often called the “feel good chemical”
Basically, exercise makes you feel good.
By working out first thing in the morning, you are setting the rest of your day up for success and productivity! Working out is a big task, even for people who have been working out for years.
By completing a big task early in your day, you’ll feel proud and it will make you more motivated to want to complete other tasks throughout the day. It will also help you make healthier food choices throughout the day, knowing you’ve just worked out and are trying to achieve your dream body, you will realize the negative impact that the tempting junk food will truly have on your progress. There is actual research to back this up too!
If you’re having adequate rest (which you should be if you’re working out), you should be full of energy and motivation when you wake up. You’ve literally just been resting for 7–9 hours. What better way is there to use that energy than to carry out a workout?
You can go to sleep the night before, having a reason to burst out of bed and start exercising.
It will Energize you
Surprisingly, exercise actually boosts your energy levels as opposed to draining them — which is what most people think (the people who don’t exercise regularly)
The more energy you use, the more energy your body will have available
You probably learned in school that “The Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” This is true, and having more of them increases your body’s energy supply & helps regulate sleep.
Well, guess what? Exercising & just moving in general produces mitochondria, so don’t feel pressured to have to carry out a massive 2-hour-long workout in the morning. Just move your body!
Working out in the morning just gives an amazing feeling of freshness and fulfillment for the entire day. I cannot explain it, you will have to try it out for yourself.
Testosterone Levels are Higher in the Morning
Your testosterone levels are significantly higher in the morning compared to the evening. They typically peak at around 8 AM and are the lowest near 8 PM. These testosterone levels will naturally decline throughout the day.
However, research shows that short intense workouts in the morning actually drastically increased testosterone and performance levels in the evening compared to not doing any exercise in the morning. The exercises which were used in the research were sprints and maximum bench press & squat. Pretty intense exercises, so to reap the benefits of longer-lasting testosterone levels, it would be an idea to carry out an intense workout early in the day.
It’s common to see athletes and bodybuilders use testosterone supplements. This is because they know how important testosterone is to build bigger and stronger muscles. I’m not telling you to hop on steroids, I’m trying to convince you to workout in the morning, when you’re testosterone levels are the highest.
Fewer distractions
When you workout early in the morning, the majority of your friends or competitors won’t be awake. This gives you two benefits:
- No one is awake to message you asking to distract your attention or make plans. And if they are, those plans are probably for later in the day.
- The fact that you’re awake, working out before your competitors are, will give you a massive edge mentally. You know you’re doing something productive which will make your mood and determination increase.
I suggest not touching your phone at all for the first hour of waking up. Try to use it as little as possible during your workouts. Pair this with training in the morning and your results will increase immensely.
Caffeine
Caffeine has a horrible effect on your sleep. It disrupts your ability to fall asleep, and stay asleep, it can cause you to wake up multiple times during the night and reduce the deep sleep you get, which is why you can sometimes wake up and not feel refreshed — this is more than likely caffeine’s fault.
Caffeine has a quarter-life of 12 hours, this means that a quarter of the caffeine you consume will still be in your system 12 hours after you consume it. Matthew Walker (a scientist and sleep specialist) suggests that we should avoid caffeine 14 hours before bedtime.
Well, if you decide to workout in the morning, it is more than likely fine to drink coffee, or pre-workout before you train. However, you should be aware that our cortisol levels (stress levels) spike upon waking, and caffeine also spikes our cortisol levels. Therefore, I would suggest waiting around 1–2 hours after waking up before intaking any caffeine — and make sure to hydrate before consuming any caffeine. This is because after waking up, you will be very dehydrated, and caffeine does have some dehydration effects. Caffeine also causes the excretion of sodium, therefore it can be beneficial to sprinkle some table salt into your water before drinking caffeine.
This is why some restaurants actually include a glass of water when you order a coffee.
I challenge you
I want YOU to workout in the morning for at least 3 days this week. Start today. Unless you’re reading this in the afternoon… start tomorrow!
