Top 10 reasons to workout in the morning

So figure skating season is officially over, which means I needed to find something to keep myself busy with for the next 6 months. And I guess I found my challenge in the Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines. I’ve been doing the BBG for almost one month now and I absolutely love it! It’s intensive, challenging and I really see and feel the difference already!

Normally I choose to go to the gym in the morning before work and I love it! This works so well for me that I wanted to share my top 10 reasons to workout in the morning with you!

1. The gym is yours! Space, everywhere! Nobody checking you while you’re doing your exercises and no need to wait for any workout gear… empty squat rack… do I need to say more? ;-)

2. Your own music on the speakers! At the gym that I go to, you’re allowed to put your own music on speakers as long as there are no group sessions. This makes me do my workouts at 110%. Music keeps ya going babe! ;-) Just ask the PT’s/receptionist at your gym very kindly and maybe next time, you’ll be working out to your own tunes! ☺

3. You get out of the gym and you see people heading to work and you already did your workout. Trust me, this will make you feel awesome! It makes you even feel more badass than before! While others were sleeping, you already treated your body with a great workout!

4. Your metabolism gets its first big boost in the morning! When you fire up your metabolism in the morning, you will feel more energized the whole day!

Note: if you sit in the office without taking any active breaks in between, this effect will already be gone by the end of the morning. Sitting is the new smoking, so try to get a little active every hour! (for example, taking the stairs, getting your coffee from another department or doing some burpees or squats)

5. All the feel good vibes, the endorphins! All. Day. Long. I love it! Your body is treating you with all kind of happy feelings because you did something good to your body.

6. You get the most out of your day! Since I go to the gym in the morning, I really get more in one day. I wake up at 6, hit the gym at 7 and show up at work in between 9 and 10. When I come home after work, I have plenty of time to do other things! Like meeting up with friends, cleaning my house or just enjoy being a couch potato after a great and productive day.

7. When you already did your workout in the morning, It’s totally legal to be a couch potato in the evening! :-D Enjoy your relaxing evening with warming teas or treat yourself with a beauty treatment at home!

8. An intensive workout in the morning improves the quality of your sleep. Actually, this has been proven by science! If you can’t manage to do an intensive workout in the morning but you’re experiencing problems sleeping, consider taking a long walk somewhere after dinner time. Low intensive exercises at this time of day have also proven to improve the quality of your sleep.

9. You will get the most out of your REM-sleep. Your deep REM-sleep comes in several cycles. What some of you don’t know is that some people are “programmed” to get their first cycle of REM-sleep around 11 PM. This explains why you feel so tired when you had your 8 hours of sleep but went to bed after midnight: you simply missed the first cycle of REM-sleep. When you have to wake up early, it’s also more likely that you go to bed earlier and this can improve the quality of your sleep as well!

10. No excuses, baby! When you have difficulties with going to the gym frequently, working out in the morning could really help you. This has everything to do with willpower. When your willpower muscle is tired at the end of your long day at work, it’s more likely that it’s a huge struggle to get to the gym. When your willpower muscle is full of energy in the morning, it’s way easier to decide to do your workout anyway! Don’t make it hard for yourself if it can be so easy!

So these were my top 10 reasons to workout in the morning. The first few times it might be hard waking up so early, but you will notice that you get used to it. I hope at one point you will love working out in the morning as much as I do! Do you want more early-morning workout inspiration? Please follow me on Instagram!

See you at the gym? ;-)