Dr. Dario Dornbierer 11 mins read 19 Jan 2023

A beginner-friendly guide to becoming a morning workout guy

Ein einsteigerfreundlicher Leitfaden, wie du ein Morgen-Workout-Typ wirst

Important points

  • In general, regular exercise has its well-documented benefits, including better physical and mental health, increased energy and productivity, and reduced stress and susceptibility to chronic disease. The problem for most people, however, is finding the personal motivation to start, especially if they're more of a night owl.
  • Making the switch to morning workouts is a gradual process, but it's very rewarding if you stick with it. As long as you stay diligent and committed to your goals, you might be surprised to find that you're actually a morning person.
  • Mistakes can be made, but that shouldn't be a reason to engage in negative self-talk. Just get up and try again!
  • To resist the temptation to hit the snooze button, try B・SYNC ON, the world's first clinically tested supplement to combat sleep inertia. B・SYNC ON contains four natural active ingredients in a sustained release capsule: vitamin B5, vitamin B12, zinc and caffeine, making B・SYNC ON the perfect wake-up pill to start your day!

Let's face it: mustering the willpower to start working out is a difficult challenge, let alone adjusting to a whole new workout routine. Plus, gravity isn't the most forgiving force when you're in the weight room at the crack of dawn.

If you're wondering if there's a particular time of day when you can exercise best, then exercising in the morning definitely has undeniable benefits. In this article, you'll find a series of practical tips and scientifically backed evidence on how to become a morning exerciser and incorporate exercise as a regular part of your daily routine!

AM versus PM - Why is it a good idea to exercise in the morning?

All in all, there are both logistical and physiological factors that suggest that it makes sense to train before lunch. These include, for example, the following:

The timing is absolutely perfect

Choosing to work out early in the morning is a great way to free up your schedule. This is because your workouts can be very long and therefore take up a lot of your time. So working out in the afternoon or evening can unintentionally limit your productivity. Also, many people lose motivation to exercise when they have to start lifting weights after a long, stressful day at work.

The feeling of having achieved something is real

Establishing and maintaining a healthy routine does wonders for increasing your enthusiasm and discipline. That's why you might find it unexpectedly easier to stick to your exercise routine if you put it first - both figuratively and literally. Perhaps this somewhat inexplicable motivation is due to the feeling of accomplishment and euphoria that one often feels when one successfully hits the gym while the rest of the world is still fast asleep. So if you're even capable of waking up early, you might as well hit the gym.

The gym is (probably) empty

When it comes to exercise, there's nothing more annoying than working out in a crowded gym. At some point during your gym membership, you've probably encountered the dreaded treadmill hoarder, the obnoxious grunt, or even the uninvited personal trainer. If that's your experience at the gym, switching to early morning workouts could be your saving grace.

In most cases, gyms are fairly predictable in terms of capacity throughout the day, with mid-morning, lunchtime and early evening being the most crowded times, so if you can get in before the weight rooms fill up, you'll most likely have the most equipment available to you. Not to mention, there's an undeniable feeling of satisfaction when you can walk into the gym and immediately snag a spot at your favorite squat rack!

Aside from giving you instant access to your favorite equipment, training outside of peak hours gives you the opportunity to meet like-minded people. You might even find a new training buddy or a trusted spotter by chance!

How can you become a morning exerciser?

If one of your personal goals is to incorporate exercise into your morning routine, here are some practical tips to help you develop and maintain this habit.

Take a B・SYNC ON tablet the night before

Developed by pharmaceutical and nutritional supplement manufacturer Galventa, B・SYNC ON is a wake-up tablet with an optimal blend of caffeine, vitamin B5, vitamin B12 and zinc that sharpens your focus, eliminates fatigue, increases your mental performance and improves your mood for the day.

In addition, B・SYNC ON tablets are designed to delay the effects of all ingredients by about seven hours, so they only kick in when you need them. This unique and patented technology allows the nutrients stored in B・SYNC ON to be released gradually, allowing you to wake up naturally and without effort.

Sign up for a non-refundable morning workout class

If you've invested your hard-earned money in an exercise class, you're more likely to show up and make sure you get the most out of it. To some extent, your subconscious mind automatically holds you accountable when you sign up and pay for it, so this might be a counterintuitive approach to getting yourself moving at the crack of dawn.

Reflect and adjust your attitude

Before you go from being a morning grouch to being a morning exerciser, you should consider what could be stopping you.

One particularly effective approach is cognitive restructuring, a mental framework that can help you change your thinking and attitude towards morning exercise. By identifying, evaluating and eliminating unhelpful mental models and filters, you can watch negative thoughts disappear. However, keep in mind that this result will not happen overnight, as building habits takes time and effort. However, understanding the intentions behind your desire to become healthier and fitter is an important factor in establishing a morning exercise routine.

Consider skipping drinks before bed

While it's true that drinking alcohol before bed can help you relax after a long day at work, it's also important to know that such habits can affect the quality of your sleep [1]. So if you're hoping to get a good night's sleep, consider skipping the glass of cocktail or wine before bed that you might be used to.

Plan and prepare everything you need before you go to bed

If you're a natural morning person, the idea of ​​having to choose your workout clothes or pack your gym bag is probably so unappealing that you'll just want to go back to bed. However, if you take a few minutes before bed to prepare everything you need for your workout, it will be much easier to get out of bed the next day because you can just grab your things and go right away.

That's why you should plan everything you want to accomplish the night before, and then work backwards to figure out what you need to take with you, what you need to wear, and what time you need to get up. That way, when you wake up, you'll have less stress and worry to deal with, and less trouble dragging yourself out of bed.

Place your alarm clock across your bedroom

One of the most popular and effective strategies to ensure you wake up is to set your alarm clock across the room before bed. Because if you put your alarm clock right next to your bed, it's too easy for anyone to hit the snooze button, so you're basically forced to get up if you want to turn it off.

That said, there's another, albeit subtle, benefit to this method, especially if you use your phone as an alarm clock: it forces you to move far away from your phone throughout the night. This will most likely help you sleep better.

Set a constant wake-up time

Regardless of whether you plan to exercise every day, it would be extremely beneficial if you always wake up at the same time, no matter what you plan to do. The reason for this is primarily biological: if you maintain a consistent routine, over time your brain will adapt to this body clock and naturally adjust to the early wake-up time.

That said, you could consider it a monthly challenge. Starting next month, try to get yourself to wake up at the same time every day, including weekends, so your body can get used to that schedule. Once your body gets used to it, you can allow yourself the luxury of getting up an hour later every now and then. Of course, you should still make sure you maintain most of your sleep schedule.

Put away your electronic devices

Answering emails or mindlessly browsing social media in the middle of the night will rob you of the opportunity for uninterrupted sleep, making it difficult to wake up before sunrise. So it's equally important to wait until you've completed your morning workout routine to check your emails and TikTok posts to minimize the chances of going back to bed in the morning.

Prepare a breakfast you look forward to

If you're a foodie, you can't deny that having breakfast to look forward to in the morning is an incentive for you to get up early, so try to prepare the first meal of the day the night before or at least have all the necessary ingredients ready.

However, if you're not the type of person who eats a heavy meal right after waking up, you don't necessarily need to eat breakfast before your workout. Instead, you can reward yourself with a delicious meal when you get home from your workout!

Drink some water and a caffeinated beverage

To transform you from a sleepy dwarf into an athlete capable of doing a deadlift, a glass of cold water right after you wake up can help stimulate your regulatory and digestive system

Additionally, supplementing your morning workout with mild sources of caffeine can give you a quick energy boost. Drinks that may be of interest to you include:

Matcha green tea, which scientists say has the potential to reduce stress and anxiety [2].

Yerba mate tea, which can help with weight loss [3]

Moderate cocoa or dark chocolate, which is said to have anti-inflammatory effects [4]


Choose a workout routine that suits you

If you find it hard to resist the snooze button, consider what kind of exercise programs and environments suit your needs. The best thing would be to choose an exercise plan that you really enjoy and that you can happily do every morning when you wake up.

Bring your friends

There's nothing like having a community of people to support you in your morning workout, and your friends are a great choice. If you're someone who needs a workout buddy, invite your friends to join you and get fit together.

Make a public announcement about your new training routine

Tell the world about your new commitment. Announcing your goals will increase accountability so you don't break your promises. Not to mention, it can help you see your new exercise routine as part of your daily habit.

Maintain a long-term perspective

Accidentally overslept one day and missed your morning workout? That's totally fine, and it happens to the best of us! There will be times and circumstances where we aren't able to do what we set out to do, but that shouldn't be a reason to separate yourself from the "morning exerciser" identity you've created for yourself. Basically, you should always think long-term to ensure your exercise program remains healthy and sustainable.

Final considerations

In short, not everyone is born an early riser, and the prospect of having to get up at the crack of dawn to do more than go to the bathroom or drink a glass of water may annoy some of us. Still, there is an undeniable benefit to getting up early and hitting the iron before the rest of the world wakes up. Thankfully, there are many tools and strategies to help ease the transition to morning workouts, and hopefully you'll discover once and for all that morning workouts have their undeniable magic!

FAQ

Why is it so hard to exercise in the morning?

In most cases, the feeling of exhaustion in the morning is due to either the lack of quality sleep or a low fuel supply.

When should I eat before a morning workout?

If you want to train early in the morning, you should get up early enough to eat breakfast at least an hour before training.

Should I eat something before my morning workout?

For certain sports such as endurance and strength training, it is a good idea to have a small snack with carbohydrates and some protein before training to provide your body with the necessary fuel.

Sources

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/alcohol-and-sleep#
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665927122002180
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8622869/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4696435/

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