Morning exercise: A smart start to your day

Starting each day off right always feels good, helping set the tone for the next 24 hours. Morning exercise is one solution for setting this tone and an ideal wake-up call for your body and brain. So instead of hitting the snooze button for another five minutes of extra sleep, get up out of bed, and get moving. 

If your current exercise routine works for you, go ahead and stick with it. But, if you’ve contemplated moving your workout to the morning, here are helpful hints for success:

• Begin by going to bed earlier.  If you’re a night owl, waking up to an early morning exercise routine will be tougher.

• Consider a small snack before exercising. Of course, not everyone needs a pre-workout fuel source, but if you do, try ½ cup steel-cut oats with dried fruit and nuts, 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt with berries, or a slice of whole-wheat toast with a hardboiled egg. 

• Take time to adjust to morning workouts.  

Besides getting your day off on the right foot, morning exercise benefits your health overall. Here are a few reasons why a morning workut is your opportunity to face another day feeling good:

• Your hormones will be better regulated

If you want to super-charge those feel-good hormones, exercise is your answer. And this includes balancing your hormones. For instance, dopamine, the chemical famous for the “runner’s high,” is increased by physical activity. An increase in dopamine helps reduce any “edgy” feelings from stress. Serotonin, a hormone promoting sleep, is increased with exercise in addition to impacting your mood, appetite, digestion, and sexual function. Even the male hormone testosterone is boosted by regular physical activity, helping improve muscle mass, sperm count, and sex drive.

• Your workout won’t get hijacked by distractions

When the very first task of your day is to exercise, you are less likely to make excuses later in the day not to exercise. A over-and-done-with morning workout, even before eating breakfast, brings more clarity to your day, reducing distractions. As a result, you’ll have more time to focus on the day’s necessary tasks. 

• You’ll get a metabolism boost

That early morning call to exercise will begin your day with a calorie-burning boost. Even after you finish, your body will continue to burn calories at an elevated rate throughout the day. 

• You’ll make healthier choices

Just getting up early, dressed to exercise, and commencing to do so, establishes a healthier mindset. In addition, the accomplishment of making time to exercise early often results in making healthier choices the rest of the day, such as choosing more nutritious foods.

• You’ll reap improved mental clarity

Whether walking on a treadmill, running for miles, or swimming laps in a pool, exercise releases neurotransmitters promoting improved attention span, cognitive functioning, focus, and mental clarity from the start of your day. Morning exercise is like a jolt to your brain, recharging its batteries. 

• You’ll sleep better during the night

For a good night’s rest, exercise is key for falling and staying asleep. Just having a morning workout routine creates hormonal balance throughout the day, improving sleep. Sufficient sleep is also associated with weight loss. 

Dr. David Samadi is the Director of Men’s Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in Long Island. He’s a renowned and highly successful board certified Urologic Oncologist Expert and Robotic Surgeon in New York City, regarded as one of the leading prostate surgeons in the U.S., with a vast expertise in prostate cancer treatment and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy.  Dr. Samadi is a medical contributor to NewsMax TV and is also the author of The Ultimate MANual, Dr. Samadi’s Guide to Men’s Health and Wellness, available online both on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Visit Dr. Samadi’s websites at robotic oncolo gy and prostate cancer 911.