How to start enjoying exercising in the morning

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Learning to enjoy exercising in the morning is a real challenge for those who are not used to it, but studies show that it is possible to teach your body to adapt to this practice to the point where it becomes pleasurable.

The first step involves shifting the entire circadian rhythm earlier. It’s the famous biological clock — it affects when we feel sleepy, when we wake up and when we want to eat. To achieve this, experts suggest that it is necessary to go to bed earlier and earlier.

This is important to start enjoying exercising in the morning because in this first moment of the day, the body releases a hormone called cortisol, responsible for waking up. When you suddenly wake up earlier, your cortisol levels still won’t be high enough. Result: greater difficulty getting up.

So the idea of ​​going to sleep earlier and earlier is precisely so that you wake up earlier and earlier and, thus, get used to the new morning exercise routine.

In a study published in the scientific journal The Journal of Physiologypsychologists from Arizona State University realized — after analyzing 101 people — that exercising in the morning even helps to get the body ready to sleep and wake up earlier, precisely by interfering with the circadian rhythm.

Organized routine

In an interview with The New York Timesthe author of the study in question (Shawn Youngsted) reveals that for some people, exercising in the morning is the only option, so that at another time it is no longer possible.

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This also highlights the importance of getting the body used to morning exercises, and in that same interview, physiologist Ciarán Friel (from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research) says that organizing your schedule is also very important in this task.

The expert’s tip is to find out how exercise fits into your mornings and align this with your obligations.

Avoiding distractions (like checking email first thing in the morning or checking social media) can also help. It’s all about making morning exercises a habit, fitting it into your routine.

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Setting realistic goals so that you don’t feel frustrated is also a way to engage in exercise in the morning in a more enjoyable way.

Exercise in the morning is beneficial

In a magazine article Sports Medicine, we see that physical activity in the morning brings more benefits to cardiovascular health. But be careful: this doesn’t mean that the afternoon isn’t a good option either. There are other types of benefits, in this case.

Already a material from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) says exercising in the morning is best for burning calories.

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So experts show how starting to enjoy exercising in the morning is possible (and perhaps even necessary), but a process that takes time to adapt and integrate into your routine.

Source: The Journal of Physiology, The New York Times