04/16/2021
The benefits of doing a little exercise in the morning are obvious. However, that does not make it easy to become a morning exercise person, especially if you are like me and hated to get up in the morning. Yes, I was not a morning person. I dreaded waking up early in the morning. Then I changed my mindset after retiring from the Marines and decided I wanted to start exercising in the morning. Changing what you think and say to yourself is the starting point.
Here are 5 benefits that hopefully provide you a little motivation to try waking up early to start a tiny workout routine.
1. Morning exercise will kick start your physical and mental energy that will enhance your performance for the day - you will feel better.
2. Morning exercise kick starts your metabolism, causing you to burn calories up to 14 hours after the exercise has ended - you will look better.
3. When you start getting up early, this cultivates consistency, good habits, and self-discipline - you will start being better.
4. Creating a morning exercise routine will help you get better sleep, not just more sleep, but better sleep - you will live better.
5. The most important benefit may be that exercise will help you live healthier, longer, and better.
Here are 3 simple tips to get you started.
1. Decide to get out of bed a few minutes earlier to start a morning exercise routine. Then write this on a piece of paper "I will start a morning exercise routine in the morning, no matter how I feel, If I wake up and have any thoughts of not doing what I decided to do, I will tell that little voice in my head to shut the hell up I'm in charge of me and I'm working out right now". Then get up and get going.
2. Start tiny, I mean very tiny. Wake up and start a routine by doing just one - squat, sit-up, and or pushup. You will feel great after doing it.
3. Link the routine to something you already do in the morning. I link a simple morning exercise routine to making my bed. As soon as I make the bed, I do 40 push-ups on Monday, 5 minutes of tai chi on Tuesday, 100 sit-ups on Wednesday, 5 minutes of tai chi on Thursday, and 100 squats on Friday. This is just the morning routine, as a U.S.A. Masters Track and Field competitive athlete, I also have a training routine I do to prepare for events. When I started this routine 5 years ago at 60 years of age, I began with 12 push-ups and 40 sit-ups. Now, it is a habit I do 90% of the time without thinking of it.
If you do these three things, your brain, body, and spirit will begin to love you for it a few days. Tell me if this provided a tiny bit of motivation to get you to try a morning routine for 3 days and tell me how it went.
Clint
