My husband and I recently discovered a local volunteer-run boot camp that we decided to give a try. It meets at 5:30 in the morning! Yikes! Neither one of us are morning people, but we would love to be. We have discovered some essential benefits of working out early in the morning. Here are our observations.
It is Early but Done
It is dang early for sure. My husband and I both cherish our sleep and are both notorious for burning the midnight oil to complete all the things in life that consume our time. Starting our day working out before the dawn is not easy, but knowing someone is there waiting on us to begin, helps us get up.
With three busy kids, work demands, school schedules and other things that bombard us daily, it is difficult for us to squeeze in a work out if it is not done early. Other things always seem to become a priority. Even though 5:30 in the morning is early, it gets it over. My husband and I alternate days so that one of us remains with the kids, but the other returns at home by the time kids are up to help them get ready for school.
Keep On Moving
In a 45-minute boot camp, I easily clock 4,000 steps. My almost 40-year-old body moans and groans at me following the workout. Working out early wakes us up and keeps us moving throughout the day. After the first few days when we just wanted to crash and sleep in the middle of the day, the early workouts have helped to increase our energy.
Positive Attitude
Yesterday, we had a cold night and my exhausted body slept hard. I slept over 8 hours, and I failed to wake up early. My mood, attitude and productivity were off all day. On the days that I wake early, the metal knowledge that I have knocked out something huge on my list carries over to other parts of my day.
Better Sleep and Earlier to Bed
My husband and I both know all the studies that indicate that a good nights sleep is beneficial to our health as well as going to bed by a certain time. With our “to do” lists growing longer by the day, sleep is easy for us to shove to the side. On days that we work out early in the morning, we cannot help but get into bed at a decent time of night to get some sleep.
