Tips to Running in the Early Morning

Is there a best time to run? Besides the most obvious answer of “yes, whenever you can” there’s a little more nuance to it…perhaps even some science! So if running in the morning is one of your goals, find out how to do it…or if you really need to switch from your evening run!

Morning Run Benefits

Following are seven of the biggest benefits to implementing a daily morning workout.

Quality Zzzz’sIt turns out that today’s morning workout might help you sleep better tonight by helping to better regulate your hormones throughout the day. Adrenaline will be highest in the morning and naturally taper off throughout the day, rather than being ignited late in the day by an evening workout.

ConsistencyAM exercisers tend to be more consistent over the long haul with their routine. And we all know that consistency is KING when it comes to results!! This is likely because as the day progresses life gets in the way or we feel too exhausted after the stress of a fully work day to hit the gym {even though it would help!}.

Depression BlasterAccording to Web MD the endorphins generated during a workout might be one of the best ways to ward off depression and handle life stress “Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. Research has shown that exercise is an effective but often underused treatment for mild to moderate depression.”

Brain Booster
Studies have shown that exercise can increase mental acuity for up to 10 hours post workout! Best to put this to use with an AM workout rather than wasting all that added focus on the hours we are sleeping.

Sweet SilenceIt seems now we’ve become scheduled from the moment we hit the snooze button the first time to the second we fall asleep. Growing to do lists for both ourselves, our families and our jobs…it’s like a non-stop party of voices in our head all day long. Early mornings offer a bit of quiet and solitude to mentally prepare for the day. It’s absolutely my favorite way to slow down, while of course speeding up.

Appetite ControlMorning runners often report feeling less hungry throughout the day. {Cavet first time marathon runners would entirely disagree and say they are hungry 24/7}. However, studies have tried to dissect the cause of this appetite reduction and found two answers: it’s a direct result of the workout itself or it’s a mental shift from starting the day in a healthy way and wanting to continue feeling good.

Workouts Feel BetterWorking out at the same time each day actually signals your body to prepare in advance for exercise. Yes your body will start getting ready even while you sleep! That’s gotta be the coolest way to burn extra calories ever. The muscles involved in your workout will actually begin to wake up while you are sleeping, making it easier to get up and preventing injury by acting as a warm up of sorts.