There’s an infinite number of reasons why we should develop an exercise regiment. And in our day an age where a lot of work is sedentary, exercising is a vital aspect of living a healthy life. A generation ago, that might not have been the case when people’s work was generally more labor intensive. And working from home in the past year because of COVID hasn’t helped getting people more active.
In fact, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association, 61% of adults in the U.S. gained unwanted weight since the outbreak of COVID 19.
Many people’s work schedule forces them to exercise at a particular time in the day. But those who have options should consider what time of day is most optimal. And doing it first thing in the morning is shown to be beneficial in a number of ways.
Maybe many of us are in the middle of choosing between working out in the morning or afternoon. Even Though picking time is yours and depends on the availability of time on your schedule, in general, doing physical exercise in the morning has enormous benefits.
What is physical exercise in the first place? Exercise is a part of physical activity that is done constantly in a planned and structured manner. There are a variety of exercises and their purpose to our body differs from one another. Exercises may be performed to achieve one’s intended goals, for example, to lose weight or for overall health. It is used to improve health, maintain fitness and is important as a means of physical rehabilitation. Any physical body movement that’s done whether intentionally or unintentionally in one’s routine could be exercise.
Endurance, strength, flexibility, and balance are types of exercise, which have their own benefits on our body. Endurance includes exercises such as dancing, running, swimming, biking, and climbing stairs or hills. These exercises boost the health of the heart, lung, and circulatory system. The second one, strength involves activities like the squat, push up, and chest Press. It helps to build your muscles and increases your ability to tackle your everyday activity easily. Flexibility is also another advantage of exercise which keeps us from injury and also improves balance and prevents back pain. Lunge Stretching Exercises pilates and yoga are examples of flexibility exercises. Lastly, balance exercises like Standing with your weight on one leg and raising the other leg to the side or behind you, Putting your heel right in front of your toe, like walking a tightrope, or Standing up and sitting down from a chair without using your hands reduce risks of ligament injury.
Here are some points why people prefer working out at dawn.
Here are some points you should consider for working out at the break of dawn:
Weight Loss
Working out in the morning is the best way to lose weight, as it’s easier to burn fat prior to eating breakfast. “We don’t have as much glucose in our system,” says Dr. Avita Hararis, an endocrine surgeon. “We are not eating, so we are in a kind of fasting state. So when you exercise and you have a lot of glucose, it is going to use that first. But if you are in a fasting state, it will use your fat more, so you are actually burning your fat more by working out before you eat.”
Less Interruption
You’re less likely to get interrupted in the morning with phone calls, texts, or emails that reduces the maximum benefit of an uninterrupted, focused workout.
Reduces Blood Pressure & Enhances Sleep
A study conducted by K Fair brother and posted at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) on the effects of exercise timing on sleep architecture and nocturnal blood pressure in pre-hypertensive concluded that early morning exercise may be the most beneficial time to engage in aerobic exercise, as it enhances nocturnal blood pressure changes and quality of sleep.
Optimism
People may wake up sluggish and unmotivated to get the day started. Working out in the morning may give you a more positive outlook and attitude. Dr. Avita Harris says that working out in the morning “increases your energy and mood and the way you interact with people.” It builds your self-esteem and may get rid of pessimistic thoughts. This, in turn, may give you a positive outlook and rid pessimistic thinking.
Overall Health
Exercising in the morning increases your overall health. It produces chemicals like dopamine to make you feel better and decreases chemicals like norepinephrine and serotonin that may lead to stress. While working out, the flow of oxygen and nutrients helps neurons, which is the backbone for maintaining a sharp mind.
- You won’t be interrupted – in the morning there is no chance to be disturbed by external and internal factors. There is little possibility of getting calls and receiving texts. With a peaceful mindset, you can perform working out well. While your exercise time is in the afternoon you may get tired or lose the courage to carry out constantly, you may have other plans to do, so you may be forced to choose other programs over working out in the afternoon.
- You can sleep deep – early morning exercise is an answer for the person who is facing a nighttime awakening, struggling to fall asleep, and couldn’t stay in sleep deeply. As researches indicate exercise at 7A resulted in the most beneficial responses in BP and improved overall sleep quality compared to 1P or 7P.
- Comfortable air condition – working out before the sun heat keeps you energetic to perform the exercise without being tired for longer hours. Working out in the afternoon with high heat exposure is also not recommended.
- Reduce your blood pressure – physical exercise’s importance to moderate blood pressure is unquestionable. It’s a natural way to cut down blood levels. A Study on the Effects of exercise timing on sleep architecture and nocturnal blood pressure in prehypertensives concluded that the early morning may be the most beneficial time to engage in aerobic exercise to enhance nocturnal BP changes and quality of sleep. Hence people with high blood pressure will be advantageous by both minimizing their blood pressure level and getting restful sleep.
- Increase your mood – one benefit of working out in the early morning is owning pleasant feelings. The feeling after working out and having a shower makes our day bright. It has a significant effect on the way we see things and receive them. Dr. Avita Hararis said working out in the morning increases your mood and the way you interact with people. It also builds your self-esteem; get rid of pessimist thoughts.
- Lose weight – if you are planning to lose weight, working out in the morning is the best way to nail your purpose. Working out Prior to breakfast helps to burn more fat. “We don’t have as much glucose in our system, we are not eating so we are in a kind of fasting state so when you exercise and you have a lot of glucose it is goanna use that first but if you are in a fasting state it will use your fat more so you are actually burning your fat more by working out before you eat,” said dr Hararis endocrine surgeon
- Overall health – working out in the morning is essential for both brain and body health. When you exercise your brain becomes sharp, it keeps you focused on any work you are doing, your ability to remember things will improve, you will score high grades in your study or you will be able to achieve success in whatever you are engaged in. It also increases producing chemicals that make you feel happy like dopamine and decreases chemicals that lead you to be stressed. While working out the flow of oxygen and nutrients including protein into your brain raises- which help neurons to be healthy and grow. Neurons are the backbone for appropriate functioning of the brain. In addition to this exercise helps you be physically active, strong, prevents you from injury and keeps you healthy.
