All you can think about when you get out of bed is how to get a coffee to actually wake up. Most of us have extremely busy mornings before we go to work. Showering, grooming, eating breakfast and getting to work are the main tasks on our agenda. But how about exercises?
It is true that time is precious especially at the start of every day, but you should really consider the benefits which half-hour workout can give to you. Your body will get more oxygen and improved blood flow. Exercise helps to raise the levels of the hormones associated with happiness too.
All this means that you will have greater physical and mental energy plus good mood during the day. You should not expect your stress and anxiety levels to go up. But which exercises are the best for the early morning hours? Let’s find out.
1. Jogging
Source Flickr @mikecogh
You can jog following your own pace based on your age, health and overall fitness level. You can do it practically anywhere and all you need is a pair of sports shoes plus comfy clothes. Jogging will get all the muscles in your body working and help you to stay more relaxed and focused throughout the day. For best results, your workout should begin with a short warmup and end with cooling down.
2. Inchworm Stretch
This morning exercise combines three distinct types of stretches that are beneficial for your health, so it’s ideal for those who don’t have the perfect bed and for those who will sit behind a desk at the office all day long. While standing with your feet at the same distance as your shoulders, take a deep breath and stretch your arms straight up.
Remember to keep your feet firmly on the floor. Then exhale and slowly bend down. Place your hands on the floor and then bend your knees. Lower your torso to full plank position and then take your knees down the floor and arch your back as much as possible.
The final step involves rolling through your back and standing up. You can repeat this exercise as many times as needed.
3. Cycling
Source: Wikipedia
In addition to exercising all of your muscles, improving your blood flow and boosting your mood, cycling is a great alternative to taking the public transport or driving to work. You can readily cover just a portion of the distance by bike. This morning exercise will really keep you fit for life.
4. Lunges
These are great for stretching your legs and lower back. With lunges, you will work out the abdominal muscles too. These are great benefits to get from a single type of exercise. In addition to the traditional lunges in forward direction, you can do side ones too.
The key to getting things right is to keep your torso perfectly straight. When you get more advanced in your training, you can hold dumbbells in your hands to get toned arms too.
5. Aerobics
Source: Wikipedia
There are so many moves in aerobics and each one helps to stretch and exercise several parts of your body. This exercise is good for the heart and for keeping energy levels high and stress levels low. Perhaps the best thing about aerobics is that it has a huge beneficial effect not only on the body, but on the mind too.
The music which you make the moves too is a powerful mood booster. It will keep your spirits high throughout the day.
6. Twists
These are among the best morning exercises because they help you to strengthen your core muscles and the muscles of the back, in particular. When your back is strong, you will be at lower risk of aches, injuries and diseases associated with prolonged sitting and the lifting of heavy weights. Put the other way round, twists will help you to avoid the adverse impact which your work has on your body.
Since these exercises are not simple, you must ensure that you do them correctly. As you progress, you should definitely add weights to the equation. A medicine ball would be a great choice.
7. Walking
Source: pixabay.com
If you cannot engage in a more intensive workout session for medical reasons or you simply hate sweating, you can just take your dog for a walk in the park or cover some of the distance from your place to your office on foot. Either way, you will enjoy all the physical and mental benefits associated with aerobic exercise.
You can readily take a walk during your lunch break and right after dinner too to multiply the effect.
8. Bicycle Crunch
This morning exercise is very simple to do yet quite intensive. It helps you to work out your ab and back muscles and the ones of the thighs too. The bicycle crunch is ideal for improving core strength. You will stay fit and look great. You will have a lower risk of lower back problems too.
With this exercise, the reps are extremely important. Make sure that you do enough to get the best possible end result.
9. Swimming
Source: Wikipedia
If you want to get tones legs, abs and arms with just a single exercise, swimming is the right choice for you. As an aerobic exercise, it helps you to burn a great amount of calories too. Another major benefit of swimming is that it is easy on the joints unlike most of its counterparts in the aerobic range.
This exercise is quit intensive so it will definitely give you the good workout that you are looking for and help you to stay productive whole day, healthy, and fit in the long term. At the same time, it helps immensely for mental relaxation.
Just imagine yourself in the pool feeling the cool water and hearing nothing else but the sound of the splashes.
10. Squats
These are great for the core muscles and for the legs. They are ideal for the buttocks too. You should warm up before doing squats to keep your lower back and legs completely safe from injuries. Keeping your balance while doing the exercises will help you to get the best end result. To intensify your workout session, hold weights or alternate with leg squats.
