What’s one habit of most successful people in the world – they start their day with an exercise such as a morning jog. There’s something magical about jogging early in the morning, including giving you mental clarity and sharpness to face the day.
Jogging in the morning has many benefits, both physically and mentally. Physically, running allows the body to release endorphins, which are hormones that block pain signals from the brain. This can help relieve a headache, reduce inflammation, and alleviate muscle pain. Mentally, running has been shown to improve moods and alleviate stress.
Additionally, running has been linked with increased calorie burn, lowered blood pressure, improved mental clarity and focus, and lower rates of obesity.
Let’s discuss these benefits in greater depth.
Benefits of Jogging Early In the Morning
Jogging is a great way to start the day, and it has many benefits. Here are some of the most important ones:
1. Improves Your Cardiovascular Health
Although this is quite obvious, it’s still worth a mention. Running, whether in the morning or evening, can improve your cardiovascular health and build cardiovascular endurance. Every time you go for runs, your heart beat faster to supply the much-needed oxygen to the muscles.
In addition, running burns more calories and thereby lowers the levels of bad cholesterol, which in turn promotes heart health. Studies show that recreational runners have better cardiovascular health compared to people who lead a sedentary life.
Of course, these are the benefits you get from running at any time of the day, but it was still worth emphasizing.
2. Improves Race Preparation
Running in the early morning hours can give you some serious advantages when it comes to race preparation. By exposing your body to less humidity and cooler temperatures, you can help your muscles and joints perform at their best. Additionally, running early in the morning forces your body to use up more glycogen, which can help reduce inflammation and improve recovery post-race.
3. Increase Your Mental Focus and Productivity
One of the biggest benefits of exercising early in the morning is that it can help increase your mental focus and productivity. Numerous studies have shown that people who exercise early in the morning tend to be more productive than those who exercise at other times throughout the day. This is likely due to two reasons: first, exercise releases neurochemicals that improve mood and productivity, and second, exercising when you are most alert decreases the likelihood of making careless mistakes.
4. Morning Runs Improves Your Moods
Running in the morning is a great way to start your day off on the right foot and improve your mood. This is because running releases endorphins – hormones that can make you feel happy and euphoric. Exercise has been shown to be an effective antidepressant, so it’s no wonder that runners feel better physically and emotionally.
There are a few reasons why running might have such a powerful impact on your mood. Running loosens up tight muscles and helps promote circulation. It also activates your brain’s frontal lobe, which is responsible for controlling executive functions and regulating emotions. Combine all these benefits with the fact that exercise is stimulating and energizing, and you can see why running can be such a great way to start your day.
5. Supports Weight Loss
Running in the morning supports weight loss because it helps you burn more calories. According to a study by eBioMedicine, people who ran in the morning before taking breakfast burned more calories than those who ran at any other time of day.
The researchers believe that early-morning running helps you burn more calories because it increases your metabolism. This makes it easier to lose weight since you are burning more calories even when you are not actively exercising. Additionally, running in the morning can help to regulate your appetite later in the day.
6. Appetite Control
Morning runs have been shown to help control appetite by reducing hunger hormones and increasing the levels of satiety hormones. These hormones work together to help you feel full after a meal.
Hunger hormones like ghrelin are released in response to hunger. Morning runs reduce the amount of ghrelin that is released, which helps to reduce your appetite.
Satiety hormones like peptide YY and GLP-1 work together to decrease the desire for food. Morning runs increase the levels of these hormones, which helps you to feel more satisfied after eating.
Tips to Get Started
Morning routines can be difficult to get started but there are a few tips you can follow to help:
- Warm up your body and prepare your mind. Start by warming up your body with some simple movements such as squats or shoulder stretches.
- Wear comfortable clothing that allows freedom of movement, and avoid wearing restrictive clothing or shoes. In addition, avoid drinking alcohol before running; it will only make your run more difficult.
- You also need appropriate running shoes that provide good support for your feet and give you a smooth ride when running.
- Make sure your route is well marked, and if there is not enough signage, use a GPS device to map out your route.
- Pace yourself. Don’t over-extend yourself and push yourself too hard in the beginning stages of morning exercise. Start slowly and gradually increase your speed as you become more comfortable with morning running. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t complete your entire run at first; simply gauge how much further you want to go and plan accordingly next time.
- Allow yourself at least seven to eight hours of sleep before your morning jog. This will allow your body to rest and prepare for the workout ahead.
- Use a running watch to track your progress and measure your distance covered. This will help you stay motivated and achieve your fitness goals.
- Finally, bring along a water bottle and snacks if desired. Avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water during your morning jog. Avoid sugary drinks and eat healthy snacks beforehand to fuel your body with necessary nutrients.
Key Takeaways
The benefits of exercise are well documented, but it seems that one of the best ways to reap these rewards is by starting your day with a brisk run. Running in the morning has many benefits, such as increased energy and concentration throughout the day. The most common benefits include:
- Increased energy and concentration throughout the day
- Improved mood and productivity
- Reduced risk of heart disease and other health conditions
- Reduced stress levels
Therefore, if you’re looking for a way to make you feel better both physically and mentally, go for morning runs.
Marko Rakic is a trail runner and fitness enthusiast from Sydney, Australia. He is the lead writer for The Ultimate Primate and believes the best way to live a happy life is through constantly challenging yourself.