Beginning your day with exercise and a healthy breakfast is almost a sure fire way to get your morning off the best start possible.
Not only do endorphins get released into your body, giving you a feel good sensation, your metabolism gets fired up and your body is ready to GO.
It gets your blood pumping, wakes you up, makes you feel alive and sets you off for having a productive and motivated day.
Making time for exercise in the morning is hard, unless you’re blessed with being a natural morning person (damn those people) then the likelihood is an extra ten minutes snooze time is much more appealing than jumping out of bed to start squatting and jumping.
It can take a fair amount of time to adjust your morning routine and make extra time to whizz up that green smoothie you’ve been telling yourself you’ll make before morning for the past few months weeks.
The key is little by little.
Making small changes will soon amount to adapting your lifestyle to a new way that suits you.
Try and set yourself mini goals, for example you might start with just 5 minutes of exercise daily, gradually work this up to 10, then 20, and so on!
This doesn’t have to be strenuous, in fact the best morning workouts are often short, sweet but powerful.
The Best Morning Exercises for a Successful Day
Here are some great morning exercises to get your body working, you can adjust reps and the time spent on these accordingly but hopefully they’ll set you off for your day at the office:
1) Stretch It Out
Before you get into your exercises, it’s important that you start with some great stretches.
You’ve probably just got out of bed so it’s time to stretch out those muscles to start your day. Try some yoga stretches if you suffer particularly with back and neck pain is this will help to ease the muscles and prepare you for your workout.
2) Jumping Jacks
Now these are definitely going to get your heart rate going! Great for improving cardiovascular health and tone, try 3 sets of 10 reps of jumping jacks but as stated previously, adjust to your own physical capability.
3) The Squat
Want to get those thighs burning? The squat is a great all-rounder for your legs and bum. Keep your arms stretched out in front of you, legs shoulder width apart and gradually lower yourself to a seat like position, Hold for a couple of seconds and then repeat.
Beginners should start with 2 sets of 10 squats to begin with, then bring this up to 3 sets.
If you really want to get the blood flowing in the morning, do jumping squats instead. Trust me.
4) Lunges
Another great one for not only your legs but strengthening your core too.
Lunges are pretty simple, just ensure that you keep your upper body straight, shoulders back, legs hip width apart and then step forward roughly 2/3 feet. Hold the lung for 3-5 seconds before switching legs. Try and aim for 10 lunges on each leg, gradually building this up over time.
5) Stomach Crunches
Great for working on a toned stomach and blasting any unwanted belly fat, crunches effective but they do require a little persistence as they can hurt!
Lay back on a mat with your hands behind your head and bring up your upper body by using your abdomen strength. Don’t dive in with 50 crunches before your mornings work as you could find your stomach feels like a large knot in your stomach by lunchtime!
Instead try 10-15 crunches, or less if you feel these are quite challenging. They’ll definitely make you sweat, that’s for sure!
Conclusion
Start off by incorporating these exercises into your routine and build up the reps gradually, as said earlier it’s all about taking small steps towards a greater change. So once you’ve got the exercise down, how about the next step?
Don’t worry! We aren’t suggesting you run a marathon. Ensuring you start your day with a substantial, nutritious meal is important.
A veggie packed green smoothie (see a great recipe here) alongside a protein rich breakfast such as eggs with avocado or even a slice of wholemeal toast and peanut butter will give you a protein boost and help to boost your energy levels.
A glass of lemon water is also said to be a great potion for fat loss for those trying to shift a few extra pounds!
It can be tough trying to get a balance of exercise into your life, especially when working an office job but by adding in a blast of exercise in the morning, plenty of fluids and protein you’ll be working towards a more motivated, productive you!
What morning exercises do you do for a successful day? Leave a comment below.