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Feb 20, 2011

The Advantages of Morning Exercise for Weight Loss


If you want to be healthy, you’re going to work at it. And I don’t mean that you’re just going to get out a couple times a week and move around a little—sort of as a fun hobby.
Let’s face the facts: If you need to lose weight—and many of us are in this boat these days—you’re going to have to exercise. There’s just no way around it. Starving yourself is not the way to lose weight. You’ll just end up losing muscle mass, slowing down your metabolism, and making it harder for you to ever get your health on track.
Making Exercise a Priority
If you want to be healthy, you’re going to work at it. And I don’t mean that you’re just going to get out a couple times a week and move around a little—sort of as a fun hobby. No, what I mean is that you’re going to have to exercise every day. And if you can’t do every day, you’re going to have to exercise 5-6 times per week. Any less will do you no good. That’s all there is to it.
Of course, the problem many people face is that there just never seems to be enough time for exercising. There’s kids, work, spouses, eating, and millions of other responsibilities. Exercise just seems to fall to the wayside. After all, exercising isn’t the easiest thing in the world, so it’s easy to set it aside in favor of other things.
What you’re going to do is this: You’re going to make exercise a top priority. No longer will you say, “I don’t have time to exercise, so I’m not going to.” Instead, if you must, you’re going to cross something—anything—else off your schedule. Make exercise #1, as it should be. I know it’s tempting to think of your career and family as your top priorities. That should remain true in a sense, but when you are healthy and physically fit, you put yourself in a much better position to further your career and take care of your family. Trust me, exercising pays off.
Fortunately, I know a trick: It’s morning exercise. Get into the habit of exercising first thing in the day, and you’ll be all set for a happy, healthy, and fit life.
Why Morning Exercise?
When you really look at the reasons to exercise in the morning, it’s a no brainer. There are three main points:
1. First of all, exercising rouses your energy and metabolism. After a particularly strenuous bout of physical activity, it can take your body hours to return to its natural state of rest. Thus, when you exercise in the evening, it can actually interfere with your sleep. And when you sleep poorly, all aspects of your life are affected. On the other hand, exercising in the morning gives you an energy boost and gets you ready to start your day with vigor.
2. Exercising in the morning prevents you from allowing other activities to push fitness aside. The longer you wait, the more likely it is that things will come up that make it more difficult for you to get your daily exercise. Just treat your morning fitness session like any other appointment. Set your alarm clock, and don’t procrastinate. Get right up and go, without fussing about it.
3. Finally, it’s no secret that exercising in the morning gives you a nice endorphin boost that puts you in a good mood to start your day. But there’s also the simple fact that when you exercise in the morning, you can give yourself permission to feel good about yourself for the rest of the day. As your going through your work day and then your evening responsibilities, you’ll be able to say, “I’ve done well today, because I exercised.” The power of this feeling cannot be underestimated. Plus, when you get it out of the way early, you can clear it from your mind, rather than having that irksome voice in the back of your mind all day saying, “Don’t forget to exercise today!”
On a related note, there is one danger to exercising early: Later on, you may be tempted to reward yourself with a large meal or a sweet treat. Resist this. Instead, reward yourself once a week with a day off from exercise and, yes, maybe something special to eat.

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