Are you one of those who firmly believe in that “God helps those who get up early” or are mornings not your thing at all? In either case, doing a little exercise when you get up gets your joints moving and fills you with energy, as well as stimulating blood circulation. Discover in this article information, advice and exercises that will help you start each morning on the right foot.
Why exercise right after waking up?
The alarm clock rings early. You’d love to laze around in bed for a while, but you force yourself to get up. Still half awake, you head to the kitchen cursing your luck, wanting a good cup of coffee to get you out of this suffering. The story of your life, right? We have the solution so that this grotesque image does not repeat itself every day: do a little physical exercise in the morning.
Although it seems contradictory, incorporating light exercises into your schedule can be of great help, especially if you have a hard time starting in the morning. Physical activity as soon as you get up offers many benefits: without great effort, you activate the whole body and, at the same time, the brain and blood circulation.
But what exactly do we mean by “morning exercise”? Don’t worry, we’re not going to ask you to give it your all as soon as you wake up. The information we bring you rather encourages you to mobilize the joints through light exercises, accelerate circulation and awaken the body as a whole, including the abdominals and buttocks.
Immediately after getting up, it is very common to feel that joint mobility is somewhat limited, because we barely move all night. Data shows that some mobility training and light stretching in the morning is equivalent to exercising, giving the body all the benefits of this physical activity (including fat burning and weight loss).
While stretching helps you separate your muscles, mobility exercises bring nutrients to the cartilage in your joints. Also, both types of exercises promote flexibility and help maintain a healthy musculoskeletal system.
What does training give us as soon as we get up?
If you are not one of those people who likes to get up early, you will surely break out in a cold sweat at the mere idea of playing sports early. But morning training is not exclusively for early risers. As an effect of sport is to oxygenate the blood and stimulate metabolism, incorporating exercise into your morning routine will make you feel less tired than usual.
Follow our tips: Before answering the latest email from your boss or getting involved in reading the latest news on your mobile, put on your favorite music and open the window to wake up and raise your spirits from the first thing in the morning. Then do some sport to release serotonin and dopamine, that is, the hormones of happiness. As a result, you will start the day with a positive attitude, instead of sleepy and listless.
Gentle mobilization and relaxing stretches can relieve tension and give greater mobility to the body in general. You don’t have to do a super long workout: a 10-minute workout in the morning is enough, something that’s easily incorporated into any routine. You just have to set your alarm clock 10 to 20 minutes before your usual time and it will not change your usual rhythm. In other words, if you usually get up at 8 am, it is more than enough to set the alarm at 7:45 am.
If you manage to exercise every morning, you will give your daily life more structure, which is the first step to a productive morning routine. The data doesn’t lie: a good morning routine determines the mood with which you face daily life and prepares you for the tasks ahead, no matter how long your day is.
As you know, good nutrition is paramount, so a productive morning routine should also include a balanced breakfast, which provides energy and essential micro and macronutrients. Do you always end up eating something with a lot of fat in the end and need ideas for delicious and healthy recipes for breakfast? Try our protein pancakes with blueberries. They’re ready in no time and have loads of protein!
Summary of the benefits of exercising in the morning
As you can see, there is a long list with compelling reasons about the health benefits of doing physical exercise in the morning:
- It doesn’t take you long to do it
- you wake up energized
- You take time for yourself consciously
- You focus the rest of the day
- You gain flexibility and shape and avoid stress
- you burn fat
- You are in a better mood and in good health
- You give more structure and productivity to your day to day
- Do you have fun
- You activate the whole body: muscles —especially the abs and buttocks (welcome, flat stomach)—, joints and metabolism
- You activate blood circulation
Who is a morning fitness session suitable for?
In short: for everyone! We have already given you several reasons, but basically, exercising in the morning does not put a lot of effort on your body and is done in a moment. It is for all levels: beginners, experts and professionals alike can reap the benefits of stretching and mobility exercises throughout the day as soon as they wake up. Not only cardio is good for your health.
Another reason is that morning exercise is suitable for people of all ages (which is why it’s one of our favorite topics!). Doing light exercise right out of bed is a perfect low-impact form of exercise for seniors to stay in shape as they age. Gentle gymnastics promotes muscle movement and joint flexibility.
Sport in the morning: 6 healthy exercises
Good news! The morning exercise plan that we bring you has a very simple content: you do not need any equipment, or go to the gym, or trainers, or videos, just discipline and 10 to 15 minutes of your time. We started very slowly with gymnastics in bed. Get going!
stretching
Sit on the edge of the bed with an upright posture: your back is straight and your feet are on the floor. Stretch your right arm and side toward the ceiling. Hold this pose for a few seconds. Then switch sides. Do 8 reps of this exercise on each side. When you do these gentle movements, you come out of sleep in a very pleasant way.
Alright, it’s time to get out of bed and start the daily routine. Stand with your legs hip-width apart. Slowly turn your head to the right without moving your shoulders and then to the left. Again, do 8 reps per side for this exercise.
Windmill
Now we go with an exercise to raise the body temperature a little. Stand with your legs well supported so as not to move from the site and with a separation greater than the width of the hips. Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height and keep them straight throughout the exercise. Next, touch your right foot with your left hand. The right leg is bent and the left leg remains straight. The right arm goes up and the back remains straight. Return to the starting position and do the same with the other side. Do 8 reps per side.
Mobilization from the stride
Come on, let the body temperature really start to rise! Prepare for the exercise with a good stride: Take a long step forward with your right leg, leaving your left leg straight behind. Lower yourself down to place your hands on the ground, so that they are on either side of your right foot. Raise your right arm off the ground and twist your torso to the right, toward your front leg. The right arm is extended towards the ceiling. Bring your right arm to the ground, to the starting position, and raise it again for 8 repetitions. Then switch sides.
Cobra or upward facing dog position
The upward facing dog exercise comes from yoga and is good mobility work for your back. Lie on your stomach and place your hands on the floor next to your shoulders. Your hands make good contact with the ground and help you lift your torso so your back is arched. Relax your shoulders and keep them away from your ears. Only his feet and hands remain in contact with the ground while the rest of his body floats in the air.
If this pose is too intense for you or you have back problems, do the cobra, that is, raise your torso but leave your hips and thighs on the ground. Hold this pose for a few breaths and then return to the ground. Do 8 repetitions. If you’re still sleepy after this calorie-burning pose, you may not have gotten enough sleep.
Cat-cow pose
Begin the exercise on the floor in the quadruped position: the hands are just below the shoulders and the knees are below the hips. She looks down at her belly to arch her back. Inhale and look up until you hollow your back slightly. Do 8 repetitions.
Hey, you’ve finished morning training! You already have all the information: yes, it is as quick and easy as it seems, so it will be very easy for you to incorporate it into your weekly schedule. In addition, thanks to this wonderful source of energy, you can start the day without stress.
Morning exercise: conclusions
- Exercising in the morning is healthy and suitable for everyone, regardless of age or level.
- It helps you develop a productive morning routine and gives your body more flexibility.
- You don’t have to get up at 6 am to do activities like an intense cardio workout: Simple exercises don’t take much work, they’re easy to fit into your weekly schedule, and you don’t need any equipment.
- It puts you in a good mood as soon as you get up and fills you with energy to wake up well.
- You dedicate time for yourself before having to dedicate yourself to the activities and chores of the day to day.
