Research shows that exercising in the morning is good for you, but do you get out of bed for it? Well, if you follow our tips!
Most of us would prefer to exercise in the morning, but often we can't… because of children, work or (usually) simply because we can't get out of bed. Still, working up a sweat in the morning turns out to be good. "If you exercise with a fresh mind, before it is engulfed by the day-to-day issues, your performance will be higher," says Cedric Bryant, chief of science at the American Council on Exercise . 'In addition, an early sports session increases the release of neurotransmitters in your nerve cells, which makes you sharper and fitter during the day.'
Now that the sun is up earlier, you should do the same. Give it a try with the tips below (while thinking about all the free hours you have left in the evening).
Make sure your bag is ready
When you come home from work in the evening, put your dirty sports clothes in the laundry basket and immediately put a new set in your sports bag. Having to look for a sports outfit at six in the morning can be enough reason to turn around one more time. So make sure that your sportswear is ready so that you can put it on while you are sleeping.
Force yourself out of bed
Put your alarm clock or telephone on the other side of the room. That way, you'll be less likely to snooze through your morning sweat session. If you have to get up to turn off the alarm anyway, you might as well stay out and get some exercise. Not then?
Eat a light snack
To avoid nausea or side effects, don't eat a complete breakfast before exercising. Stick to a light snack (a banana, muesli bar) that keeps you going during your workout and eat something small afterwards.
Leave alcohol alone
A few glasses of wine are a great way to wind down the day, but remember that you may even feel a small amount of alcohol the next morning. If you're going to have a drink the night before, make sure you drink extra water after that before you go to bed. Because exercising with a dried out mouth is not pleasant.
Set sail early
Once you get used to getting up early, you will naturally go to bed earlier. But in the beginning, that probably requires an extra incentive. Try valerian tea (eg Yogi Tea Bedtime), which promotes natural sleep through its calming effect.
Find a buddy
After fanatically working out a few mornings a week for some time, there is bound to come a time when you suddenly notice that you haven't been for a week (or two). And the threshold to start again is getting higher and higher... What you need is a sports buddy who motivates you. Find someone at the gym or persuade a friend to go for a run together. And make clear agreements: if you know that someone is waiting for you at 7:30 am, you will think twice before ignoring that alarm clock.
Plan your workout
The night before, think about what you are going to do for training. Are you going for a 5k run, hit the gym for cardio and strength exercises, or join the early spin session? Register for a class if possible, then you have to go.