Early advantages

FITNESS: Regular exercise is good for you, especially if you have a sedentary office job. But at the end of a long day, it can be hard to put on your running shoes. The surprisingly simple solution: do that workout first thing in the morning.

“It is so easy to put things off, but when people exercise in the morning, in many cases they did so because over time they realized that working out in the morning puts you in a better mood and you’re more productive and you have more energy throughout the workday,” says Tom Rath, author of Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements.  Rath and co-author Jim Harter have done extensive research into the qualities and habits that contribute to high levels of well-being in social, career, financial and community life. The writers told US News and World Report that a 20-minute workout in the morning can improve your mood for hours afterwards.

Julia Valentour agrees. “People that exercise in the morning are more likely to make it a habit, as there’s less chance of scheduling conflicts that get in the way of exercise,” says Valentour, an exercise physiologist and programme coordinator at the American Council on Exercise.

Tom Rath

"If you exercise in the morning, you're more productive." 

As a sports instructor herself, she has several tips on how to make morning exercise more fun. One important aspect is to find a good training partner. “I think that’s a big motivating factor — having someone there to work out with, especially in the morning, because it’s so easy to hit the snooze button.” Another tip is to do what you like. “Doing something you enjoy is going to help you stay with it. What do you prefer doing? Is it a class you take? Or is it running, lifting weights or just walking?”

Combine your exercise with your commute to work, Valentour suggests. “Some people that I know are really dedicated to riding their bikes to work and that’s a good way that you’ll guarantee you’ll get your workout in — in the morning and in the afternoon.” She cautions that this option may not be ideal if your office does not have showers — neither your boss nor your colleagues will appreciate having to spend the day with a sweaty co-worker.

Valentour confesses that she’s not a morning person, but she manages to get moving early by teaching a morning yoga class. “I wouldn’t exercise in the mornings, but I get paid for it, so I have to now.”