5 Important Reasons to Exercise in the Morning

You only need 5 minutes.

Morning exercise is a great way to support our health. Its impacts range from optimizing the circadian rhythm to improving cognition and increasing metabolism.

This morning movement doesn’t need to be a workout. It doesn’t even need to be a long session. Just 5 minutes of moving can reap massive rewards.

1. Resets circadian rhythm

Movement is one of the most powerful cues for our circadian rhythm. Exercising in the morning signals to your body that it is time to be awake, thereby resetting your internal clock and optimizing all the functions that this clock is responsible for.

Optimizing your circadian rhythm is important for every aspect of your health. Not only does it improve sleep quality, but it also supports metabolism, hormone regulation, gene expression, and brain function.

“A disrupted clock is the mother of all maladies, and, conversely, in most chronic diseases, clock function is compromised.” — Dr. Satchin Panda, The Circadian Code

A study has shown that the best times to exercise in regard to circadian rhythm was either 7 am or between 1 pm and 4 pm, further highlighting the importance of morning movement.

2. Improves cognition

The improved cognition that results from morning movement is partly due to the optimized circadian clock mentioned above but is also a result of how exercise affects your body. Movement releases cortisol and endorphins as well as increasing your core temperature and circulation, all of which are going to make you feel more alert, full of energy, and ready to focus. Morning exercise has been found to increase cognitive abilities as effectively as a cup of coffee.

3. Increases metabolism

Morning exercise will give your metabolism a boost. After exercise, the body experiences excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) and your core temperature is increased, meaning you’ll burn more calories throughout the day compared to if you exercise later in the day. To reap even more benefits, have a cup of black coffee or green tea beforehand. This will help with the mobilization of fatty acids during your movement.

4. Negates sedentary lifestyle

We live in a sedentary society. Fortunately, we can work toward offsetting the negative effects such a lifestyle brings. Moving in the morning is a great start to prevent the negative side effects of sitting for long periods.

“A sedentary life causes you to breathe only shallowly, and this strains the heart and starves the brain… You think you are fatigued or bored at the end of a day of sitting, but it’s really more than that. Your brain is starved of oxygen, and so are the tissues in your body.” — Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar, Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life

5. Improves sleep quality

People who exercise in the morning are more likely to go to bed earlier, have a more restful sleep, and wake up earlier than those who do not. This is important, as our current lifestyles, with lots of blue light and stimulation after sunset cause melatonin to be released later in the day than it should be.

This means we won’t feel sleepy at night when we should and the melatonin will still be in our system when we wake up, which is why we can feel so groggy in the mornings.

As mentioned above, exercising in the morning will reset your circadian rhythm which will improve sleep quality, but exercise also improves sleep quality separate to this effect.

One study found that exercise reduced the amount of time it took to fall asleep and reduced the number of times participants woke up during the night. Therefore, through two different mechanisms, morning exercise will help you get better sleep.

Implementation

• Incorporate at least 5 minutes of movement somewhere in your morning. You might have to wake up 5 minutes earlier, but it will be worth every second; 5 minutes less sleep is not going to change anything. Pick a time and be consistent with it.
• Figure out what you’ll do: a walk around the block, a yoga session, a quick gym workout. Whatever will work best for you is great — it needs to be something you will actually do. For a 5-minute exercise routine, you can check out this article.
• Commit to this appointment with yourself.

Morning movement is an incredibly powerful way to reset your internal clock and optimize your health. It improves cognition, increases metabolism, improves sleep quality, and negates the effects of our sedentary society.

Try to incorporate some form of movement into your morning. As little as 5 minutes can have huge benefits for your health and wellbeing and can set you on a trajectory to success.

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