What’s the first thing you do when you wake up and roll out of bed? Take a deep stretch? Drink a glass of water? Hopefully, it’s not grab your phone! How you start the day matters. What you do when you awaken can even impact your fitness journey.
By upgrading what you do in the morning, you can set yourself up for a day—and lifetime—of better fitness and wellness. Who wouldn’t want that? Let’s break down morning habits you can use to jump-start your fitness and get a leg up on the day.
Hydrate to Dominate
What does your body need after 7 to 8 hours of sleeping? Water, of course. Have you noticed how your mouth feels dry when you first wake up? Even if you drink sufficient fluids the night before, you’re in a mildly dehydrated state first thing in the morning. And there are other reasons to start a new day with a glass or two of water.
One study found that subjects who drank five hundred milliliters of water enjoyed a boost in metabolic rate of 30%. The metabolism boost lasted for 30 to 40 minutes after drinking the water. It’s small in the bigger scheme of things, but you need water anyway, right? There’s no harm in giving your calorie-burning machine a jumpstart!
Plus, hydration affects your mood and how energetic you feel. Research shows even mild dehydration can make you feel tired and less motivated to do anything, much less exercise. It’s hard to launch into a challenging workout when you don’t have the drive or energy to move due to volume depletion. So, grab a glass of water as soon as you get up and sip it throughout the day to stay hydrated. Doing this will also boost your productivity.
Embrace Natural Light
Exposing your eyes to natural light helps set your internal biological clock and circadian rhythm. This is the internal rhythm that affects your energy level and hormone production. It’s not hard to see how this can affect your workout performance and even the results you get.
Plus, research shows morning light exposure improves sleep quality – and you know you need sleep to maximize your performance and for muscle and tissue repair after a workout. When you’re full of energy and highly focused, you’ll push harder when you train. You’re also more likely to follow through with your workouts and push yourself harder when you train.
So, enjoy a glass of water and cup of coffee when you wake up but do it in natural light. Open the curtains or, even better, spend 10 minutes on a patio or porch as you enjoy your morning beverage, so you have direct exposure to natural light. Or do your morning stretches by a sunny window. Let the natural light work its magic on your circadian rhythm, sleep patterns, and energy levels. Your mind and muscles will thank you.
Sweat It Out Early
Why not get your workout out of the way as soon as you wake up? You’re less likely to find a reason NOT to do it when it’s the first thing on your to-do list, after drinking water, of course. Some studies suggest that morning workouts in a fasted state are ideal for fat loss, as you force your body to tap into fat as a fuel source.
According to studies, morning exercise has cognitive benefits. A 2019 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that morning workouts can help you make better decisions (including what you eat). They also boost attention and visual learning. There are advantages to being an early bird! Make morning exercise a consistent part of your day and you’ll get cognitive and metabolic benefits.
Fuel Your Body and Mind
Don’t skip that post-workout snack after your morning workout. Your muscles are primed to accept nutrients after a workout, thanks to the post-workout metabolic window where your muscle cells take up nutrients to replace what you used up and for more efficient repair. Focus on putting protein, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates on your plate. How about an omelet with veggies? if that’s not to your liking, try:
- Cottage cheese with berries and nuts
- Overnight oats with hemps seeds and chia seeds
- A spinach, banana, and almond butter smoothie
Get Your Mindset Right
Along with physical nourishment, take a moment to feed your mind with positive affirmations or gratitude practice. Thinking about and acknowledging the good in your life and setting intentions for the upcoming day ahead will keep you in a frame of mind that helps you stick with your fitness goals. While drinking that first cup of water and the coffee that follows, keep a pen handy and chronicle what you’re grateful for in your journal. Then, set your goals for the day.
Create Consistency
Be consistent with how you approach your morning. When you’re consistent with your actions, it helps build a powerful health and fitness loop. To get the benefits, you don’t have to implement all your strategies at once. Transformation is a process and one you can take step-by-step. Start with one or two of these science-backed rituals and add the other as you go.
In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” If you want to get the most out of your workouts and your day, start when you wake up. Set yourself up for success with the transformative power of morning rituals. It’ll pay off for you with better motivation and fitness and greater productivity in what you do for the rest of the day.
References:
- Boschmann M, Steiniger J, Hille U, Tank J, Adams F, Sharma AM, Klaus S, Luft FC, Jordan J. Water-induced thermogenesis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Dec;88(12):6015-9. doi: 10.1210/jc.2003-030780. PMID: 14671205.
- He M, Ru T, Li S, Li Y, Zhou G. Shine light on sleep: Morning bright light improves nocturnal sleep and next morning alertness among college students. J Sleep Res. 2023 Apr;32(2):e13724. doi: 10.1111/jsr.13724. Epub 2022 Sep 4. PMID: 36058557.
- “Light as a central modulator of circadian rhythms, sleep and affect.” 11 Jun. 2014, https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3743.
- Scheer, F. A., Hu, K., Evoniuk, H., Kelly, E. E., Malhotra, A., & Shea, S. A. (2018). The endogenous circadian system affects the timing of acute physiological responses to exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 125(5), 1411-1418.
- Duffy JF, Czeisler CA. Effect of Light on Human Circadian Physiology. Sleep Med Clin. 2009 Jun;4(2):165-177. doi: 10.1016/j.jsmc.2009.01.004. PMID: 20161220; PMCID: PMC2717723.
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