How to become a morning workout person
A sunrise sweat session sets your day up for success by squashing stress since you expend pent up energy and think clearer and releasing feel good endorphins to promote a sense of joy.
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Is it time to become a morning person? We know that the early bird catches the worm. Yet when your alarm summons you from slumber, it’s tempting to hit snooze and drift back to your dreams.
Waking up to a brand new day should incite excitement for the fresh opportunities and experiences ahead. However, as we approach the one-year mark since the pandemic hijacked our sense of normalcy, being enthusiastic each day is not always realistic.
We could all use a pick-me-up and one simple step for achieving a merrier mood is by flying with a different flock. If you’re a night owl, it’s time to take flight with the morning larks. When you start your day earlier, your schedule magically opens to enable activities you once didn’t have time for, such as exercising.
A sunrise sweat session sets up your day for success. It naturally awakens the mind and body as nutrient-rich blood fuels vital organs such as the brain. A well-rounded workout squashes stress since you expend pent up energy and think clearer. Feel-good endorphins are released to promote a sense of joy. And when you complete your workout first thing, you’ll have pride in your accomplishments. As your day progresses, you are more likely to engage in healthful habits, too, such as eating better and sleeping more soundly at night.
Wake up on the right side of the bed each morning with this tranquil mind and body reviving routine.
Morning glory
Before you crawl out of bed, take a moment to practice gratitude. Even during difficult times, there is still a reason to be grateful. When worried or stressed, it’s common to overlook all the good we have in our life. This can be as basic as taking a deep breath and appreciating that your lungs feed you fresh air.
You can go bigger by listing those you love or your favorite things in your day. Keep a notebook by your bed and jot down three things each morning. Gratitude journals can be an incredible tool for improving mental health. At the end of the week, reflect on all you’ve written down.
Sunrise stretch
You will need a yoga mat for these exercises.
Cat-cow
Start on all fours with shoulders stacked above hands and hips over knees.
Take a deep breath. On the exhale, arch your spine up as though there is an imaginary rope attached to the ceiling, pulling your torso into an upside down “U” shape. Tuck your tailbone and dip your chin into your chest.
On the inhale, move in the opposite direction to drop the stomach into a “U” shape, and shift your gaze and tailbone up to the ceiling.
Child’s pose
From cat-cow, carefully reposition your knees more than hip-width apart. Keep your hands planted on the mat, stretching your fingers apart.
Take a deep breath, and on the exhale, hinge back at your hips until your glutes rest on your heels and your hands extend forward until your arms are straight. If your range of motion won’t let you lean back that far, spread your knees wider. Stay within the range that feels comfortable for you. Hold for 10 counts.
When complete, practice cat-cow once more, followed by one more child’s pose for a total of two reps each.
Bird-dog squeeze
Returning to the table-top position, extend your right arm and left leg so they are in line with your spine.
Pull your right arm and left leg in toward each other so your elbow and knee touch. Squeeze your core. Release and repeat 10 times, then practice with your left arm and right leg.
Plank thigh taps
From the bird dog, walk your feet back so you are in a high plank pose.
Hold your plank for two counts, then push through your hands, hinge back at your hips, and tap the top of your right thigh with your right hand.
Return to a plank, hold for two counts, now touch your left hand to the top of your left thigh. Continue alternating for 10 reps.
If this is too much pressure on your wrists, you can perform a forearm-based plank and extend your arms, one at a time, for 10 reps.
Squat stretch
Move to a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders back, and gaze forward.
Let your arms hang at your sides with palms facing in toward your body. With your weight in your heels, bend back at your hips to lower into a squat, with knees forming a 90-degree angle or as low as your body will allow you to comfortably go.
Hold for two counts, then push through your heels to stand. On your way up, bend your arms as if doing a biceps curl, then extend them overhead. Drop your arms in the reverse order, then lower into a squat again. Repeat 10 times.
Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Ashley Blake Greenblatt is a certified personal trainer and wellness coach in South Jersey. To learn more about her virtual training program, go to ashleyblakefitness.com.