Why Is It So Difficult to Stick to Morning Workouts?

Health June 16, 2016

morning workouts

Have you ever noticed that when you exercise or do workouts in the early part of the day you feel more alert, active and productive all through the day? It happens to everyone because morning exercise session offers unlimited advantages for both your body as well as mind.

Primarily, exercise is helpful in excelling your rate of metabolism. It also increases the speed of burning calories. Once you complete your daily workout in the morning, you are free and do not have to worry about adjusting your time for it during the day.

Another reason to start your workout in the morning is that exercising before the breakfast ensures that the ill effects of overeating are counteracted. Despite all such advantages, many people find waking up in the morning challenging and usually skip their exercise routine. What can be the reason for this?

The main culprit are the unhealthy lifestyle habits that include binging of junk foods, sleeping late at night and indulging too much in alcohol and tech-gadgets until the wee hours.

Here are some of the reasons that may make it difficult for you to wake up early in the morning and exercise:

Mismatched Body Clock

Apart from laziness, some other possible reasons stop you from getting up early in the morning. According to health experts, mismatched body clock, a result of demanding lifestyle can cause disruption in your sleeping habits.

The suprachiasmatic nucleus in the brain controls the biological rhythms and clock of the body. However, the natural rhythm of the body, sometimes fails to align with the realities of daily life causing difficulty in adjusting the sleeping schedule of a person.

Sleeping experts are of the opinion that people who find it difficult to get up in the morning can have their inner clock set to late sleeping and waking up time. This condition is known as phase delay. You can get over the phase delay condition by avoiding sleeping in the day during the weekends. You can also set your alarm 15 minutes earlier and then later on, making it earlier each day.

The brain is highly sensitive to light. When you are exposed to artificial lighting, for example, televisions, computer screens or bright reading lights brain think that it is daytime. Avoiding exposure to the artificial light couple of hours before to going to sleep can also help in recovering from the phase delay condition.

Eating Late Night

Eating late at night puts a strain on your digestive system and also causes disturbances in sleep. Your body can adjust occasional late night binging. However, making it a habit can affect your sleeping pattern and may make it difficult to crawl out of the bed in the early morning hours.

Skipping Pre-Workout Snack

You might not feel like continuing with your early morning workouts if you skip your pre-workout snacks. Try out some healthier options such as protein shakes and granolas instead of green juices, which are great after the workout but should never be consumed before it. Green juices are rich in fiber, are heavier, and should be avoided before the workout.

Smoking

Smoking addiction affects the sleep quality and can make it difficult for you to move in the early morning.

Drinking in the Night

If you are addicted to alcohol or have a habit of drinking in the night then getting quality sleep is impossible which further makes it tough for you to wake up early.

Using Gadgets for Long Hours

Using gadgets for a long time can disturb your biological clock. Working late night on a computer or watching TV or playing video games on the tab can affect your sleeping pattern and also affect your ability to wake up early morning for a workout routine.

Things You Can Do to Wake up Early for Morning Workouts

Shift the Placing of your Alarm Clock

More often, people have a habit of keeping the alarm clock next to the bed so that you can hit the snooze off button the moment the alarm rings. Instead, shift the alarm clock location across your room so that when it rings, you will have to get out of the bed to stop it. Once you are out of the bed, you might not feel like crawling back into it and heading towards the door for a regular morning workout session becomes easier.

Have a Companion

Initially, you need someone to keep you motivated for getting up early. Having a workout date with a companion can be motivating enough for you to drag your feet out of the bed in the morning hours and stick to your workout routine.

Strike Friendship at the Gym

An exercise buddy helps you to stick to your exercise routine in the morning. Once you join a gym, you are more likely to strike a friendship with the regular gymmers. When you have friends at the gym with whom you can enjoy the cardio routine or strength training, you naturally get motivated to wake up in the morning and head towards the gym.

Fix a Goal

Just as you fix a goal for losing weight, similarly, you can fix a schedule for the week of getting up in the morning. Write down in your daily schedule diary that you are going to wake up at 6 am on all the weekdays and walk five miles or run for three miles. More often proper scheduling of your day helps you to stick to the routine.

Prepare Yourself the Night Before

Prepare yourself for the morning workouts the night before. For example, take out your jogging tracksuit or workout clothes, shoes and other equipment that you may require so that you can get ready faster in the morning. If you have been avoiding morning workout due to short of time then, this habit will help you to get ready without wasting much time.

Announce Your Plans to The World

When you post your workout plans on the social networking sites, you feel more responsible for following it. Moreover, you can also use the platform to post your accomplishments such as starting with jogging 2 miles per day to 5 miles per day at the end of the month and so on. The likes and comments you will get on the social sites through your friends serve as a major enthusiasm booster.

Initially, you will literally have to drag your feet to get up early, but as you continue with the habit, you will be more alert and happy to get out of the bed the moment the alarm starts snoozing. It is because, when you exercise regularly, you sleep better making it easier for you to wake up with full clarity and alertness in the morning.