There is nothing better than waking up early to go pump some iron, run a mile, and work those abs, am I right? Some of you are probably ready to quit reading because that sounds HORRIBLE, but don't! Hear me out. You might even come out of this article a changed person.
I used to sleep in as late as I could and lay in bed for hours scrolling through my phone whenever I had a day I could. I would dread the moment my stomach would start demanding food or my bladder would be screaming at me to go to the bathroom. I never wanted to leave the warmth and comfort of my bed.
The night before I would plan to workout as soon as I got out of bed the next morning. By the time I did get out of bed, however, half the day was gone. There was no sense in wasting any more of it. I would feel horrible the rest of the day. I never got out of my tired state and I moped around the house: waiting for bedtime again.
That was the old me. Now, my eyes have been opened.
My schedule here at college is quite interesting. I had a vision of what is would be like: I would have early classes and would be out by noon most days. Well, I was very wrong. In reality, I don't even start until 11 and sometimes 12:45 most days. Heck, my earliest class is 10:35. This was very problematic for me.
I had been working all summer and had to get up at 7 a.m. every day to start getting ready. My body had been programmed to be awake in the early hours of the morning. So, finding out I had five hours before I had to do anything in the mornings stressed me out.
This is where working out comes in.
Since the first day of classes, I decided to get myself to the gym almost every morning (sometimes it just doesn't happen, that's okay). I hated EVERY minute of it the first couple weeks. Then, I realized just how awesome it actually was!
You wake up, and you are so annoyed that you are awake. Then, you change into your workout clothes and throw up your hair - still annoyed. Then, you take the long walk to the gym contemplating why on earth you ever thought this was a good idea. Then, you get there.
Once you start your workout everything changes. You work the tired out of your body. You burn off those calories, you build that muscle and you leave the gym a completely different person. You actually have energy. You feel refreshed and so much more awake than when you first walked in there.
For me, the rest of the day I am energized. A good breakfast or lunch follows the workout and I am feeling super healthy. I don't feel bad eating that extra brownie or cookie, or stuffing my face because I earned it. That freshmen fifteen (or, as my dad likes to call it, freshmen 75) isn't coming my way anytime soon!
I may be sore later in the day, and my muscles might feel tired, but my mind is sharp. I am more productive and more motivated to get things done! If you accomplish nothing else during the day, you can at least say you worked out! That is something to be proud of. And who wants to workout after a terrible day or when they could be doing homework at night? No one.
Morning workouts are the best workouts because they build self confidence, a strong mental state, and healthy habits for the day ahead.