The Early Bird Gets the Worm

Life during quarantine has changed our lives physically and mentally. It’s difficult to keep some kind of routine in the new “normal.” For some it’s a bit of a blessing because there’s more opportunities to get things done around the house and perhaps workout at a decent hour. For others waking up an extra hour or so before their “normal” hours just to workout is not feasible. Who wants to leave their warm and cozy bed to workout in the morning, especially if you are working from home? I mean why not? Your commute to work is non-existent so you can sleep in a little bit. For me, this does seem appealing, but I feel as though it’s a wasted opportunity to get the day started on the right foot. There is something special about going out on an early morning run, especially in the summer. You’re out before the sun melts your skin and if your lucky you have a chilly start. On some occasions there is a beautiful sunrise staring you in the face begging you to soak it all in. The air you’re breathing is light and fresh while every step you take seems to send you flying as your stride opens up. I think this is the time where running is the most peaceful. Here are some of the reasons I enjoy working out early in the morning.

Breathtaking Views

Something that always makes a morning run the best are the beautiful views of the sunrise. The sky mimics a photo or a painting and is absolutely amazing. Seeing the sun rise illuminating the sky is something that is intoxicating for me. It not only wakes me up, but prepares me for what the day has in store for me. It puts me into a better mood before the day is even started.

Boosting Your Metabolism

After a morning run your body tends to keep burning calories due to your metabolic rate being elevated. This in turn means that while you’re sitting at your desk, you are burning calories. As you eat each meal or snack throughout the day, you are replenishing your body with the nutrients that were spent during your workout. If you were to run in the afternoon / evening, you would only be refueling with a limited amount of nutrients needed. Also, since the day is half over, your body is slowly winding down and preparing for sleep.

Scheduling

For most of us before quarantine there were several scheduling conflicts that shook up daily runs. Normally these consisted of work, meetings, picking up the kids from school, meetings, date night, more meetings. While some of these still come into play, there have been some new additions to everyone’s scheduling. You are no longer picking up the kids from school which is great, but you are now a 24/7 childcare service. Virtual happy hours have become more frequent as well. Although these may not take up a lot of your time, they do occur at different times throughout the day/week. By working out in the morning you can avoid all of that and enjoy everything the morning has to offer.

Less Traffic

While there’s already less traffic on the roads and trails due to the quarantine, there seems to be even less in the mornings. No cars honking, no exhaust from cars/trucks to breathe in, and no one shouting “on your left!” If you’re a road runner, you won’t have to play Frogger to get across the street. Everything seems quieter and there is a lot to take in when everything slows down.

Focus

Waking up early for a run can be a bit of a challenge, but afterwards your brain tends to switch gears from being tired to being more focused. Your blood is flowing through your body more and you have a lot more energy to tackle the day. Utilizing this energy throughout the day will perhaps make your day that much better. I’ve also noticed that on occasion, I’ll pass on my daily morning coffee after a run because I’m still revved up from my workout.

In a post quarantine world I would love to know if there are any newbie early birds that continue this trend of working out in the morning. It really does get your body going and ready for the day ahead. What are some of your pros and cons of waking up early to workout? Do you find it satisfying that it’s out of the way or do you prefer during the day?