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 Information-packed FREE Weight Loss Articles
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Top 10 Reasons
to Exercise in the Morning By Greg
Landry (Sincere thanks to Greg for letting me reprint this
article here!)
Copyright 2004
by Greg Landry, M.S.
If I had to pick a single factor that I thought
was most important in a successful exercise or
weight loss program, it would be to exercise first thing in
the morning - every morning! Some mornings, you may just be
able to fit in a 10 minute walk, but it's important to try
to do something every morning.
So why mornings?...
-
Over
90% of people who exercise *consistently*, exercise in the
morning. If you want to exercise consistently, odds are in
your favor if you exercise first thing in the morning.
-
When
you exercise early in the morning, it
"jump starts" your metabolism and keeps it elevated for
hours, sometimes up to 24 hours! That means you're burning
more calories all day long just because you exercised in the
morning!
-
When
you exercise in the morning you'll be
*energized* for the day! Personally, I feel
dramatically different on days when I have and haven't
exercised in the morning.
-
Many
people find that morning exercise
"regulates" their appetite for the day - that they aren't as
hungry and that they make better food choices. Several
people have told me that it puts them in a "healthy
mindset."
-
If
you exercise at about the same time every morning, and
ideally wake-up at about the same time on a regular basis,
your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms adjust to
that. Physiologically, some wonderful things begin to
happen; A couple of hours *before* you awaken, your body
begins to prepare for waking and exercise because it "knows"
it's about to happen. Why? Because it "knows" you do the
same thing just about everyday. You benefit from that in
several ways..
a) It's MUCH easier to wake-up. When you
wake-up at different times everyday, it confuses your body
and thus it's never really "prepared" to awaken.
b) Your metabolism and all the hormones
involved in activity and exercise begin to elevate while
you're sleeping. Thus, you feel more alert, energized, and
ready to exercise when you do wake-up.
c) Hormones prepare your body for exercise by
regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to
muscles, etc.
-
For
many people, that appointed time every morning becomes
something they look forward to. It's time they've set aside
to do something good for themselves - to take care of their
body, mind, and soul. Many find that it's a great time to
think clearly, pray, plan their day, or just relax mentally.
-
Research has demonstrated that exercise
increases mental acuity. On average it lasts four to ten
hours after exercise! No sense in wasting that brain power
while you're sleeping. :)
-
Exercise first thing in the morning is really
the only way to assure that something else won't crowd
exercise out of your schedule. When your days get hectic,
exercise usually takes a back seat!
-
If
finding time to exercise is difficult,
anyone can get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier to exercise (if
it's a priority in your life). If necessary, you can go to
sleep a little earlier. Also, research has demonstrated that
people who exercise on a regular basis have a higher quality
of sleep and thus require less sleep!
-
You'll feel
GREAT! DO IT! :)
Author and
exercise physiologist, Greg Landry, offers his free, "Fast,
Healthy Weight Loss" newsletter at his site:
http://www.Landry.com
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