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Benefits of a Morning Workout

A few months back, I started to switch up my workout schedule. Instead of hitting the gym after work, around 6:00 or so, I started waking up a bit earlier so I could get it out of the way first thing in the morning. I was doing this for a few different reasons. One was to simply get it out of the way. Sometimes my afternoons and nights can get a bit hectic, and even though I would have full intentions of making it to the gym, it just wouldn’t happen. It’s nice to have that done first thing in the morning so I don’t have to be thinking about when I can squeeze time in throughout the day. Another reason was because I was told by our health specialist at work that working on in the morning can boost your metabolism so you burn more calories throughout the day. I’ve also found that AM workouts leave me feeling more energized right off the bat. And the last reason – vanity. I don’t mean losing weight or being toned, I’m talking about my skin. My face was beginning to break out regularly, and my usual facial products weren’t seeming to help the problem. I started asking around, and my friend who works esthetics mentioned working out and washing my face after being at the gym. I did some research of my own, and found that working out with makeup on is bad for your skin, and that you should wash your face after you sweat it up. Both of those things now seem pretty obvious to me, but I still wanted to share! Now, I work out in the mornings with a bare face (sometimes I might scare other gym-goers but they just have to deal with it) and be sure to wash my face right away once I get home. It’s pretty amazing how fast my skin cleared up with that small change!

Benefits of a Morning Workout

As of lately, I have been watching my workout routines begin to slip. Between my jobs, the nice spring weather, and preparing to move, I have just become too busy to work out after I get off work at 5 pm. So I decided to try waking up early and getting a work out done. Doesn’t that sounds like a nice idea? Only problem- I hate mornings! I highly dislike getting up at 730 to get ready for work, but now I was setting my alarm for 630 for what? To go do some lunges and sun salutations?
To my surprise….I actually enjoyed working out in the am! Sure, it was a little hard to stop myself from hitting the snooze button, but once I was up and able to shake the sleep from my eyes, I found myself having more energy than I thought I could possess that early. I watched Saved by the Bell and went through my yoga poses, or walked on the treadmill in the gym. I kept my workouts to about 30-45 minutes each morning, and even had enough time leftover to make myself a decent breakfast. On most days, I will just throw some cereal in a bowl and call it a day, but now I make myself eggs and toast and really enjoy my morning meal. The combination of eating a full breakfast and getting my workouts done in the morning gives me more energy throughout the day. I don’t feel hungry midmorning now either, I can actually wait until the noon hour before I eat lunch. I don’t want you all thinking I wake up every morning and work out- I can’t make myself do that quite yet! But on days where I know I will be busy after work (Friday in particular) I can handle losing that extra hour of sleep and put it towards something that’s better for me. If you are able to wake up early to get a morning jog or Pilates class in, I suggest trying it out! You may learn to love it.