If you don’t consider yourself a morning person, it’s about time for you to become one. Even if it’s just for the sole purpose of developing the habit of morning runs. They have become insanely popular to go running in the morning, so you might want to keep up with the trend and improve your health!
For example, not only can a simple morning run help you lose weight, but it also makes you happier and more productive throughout the day. It is a great energy booster!
Another great advantage of a morning run is that it improves the quality of sleep. A study conducted by a Stanford University School of Medicine has investigated a group of people with sleeping problems, who were able to fix them by going on a simple morning run.
If all these facts have convinced you to wake up as early as you can and enjoy your morning while running in the park, we’ve got 7 highly effective steps for you to follow to improve your life through morning running.
Sounds interesting? Let’s get started, then!
Step #1: Consider going to sleep earlier
Our brain has a certain pattern of sleep (you can calculate your own ones using Sleep Cycle alarm clock for Android and iOS). It goes through specific cycles of a deeper and lighter sleep, and to make you feel more refreshed, none of these cycles should be interrupted.
If you need to get up at 6 or at 7 am, the optimal time to go to sleep is about 9 or 10 pm. But if you want to go running, you should also consider this activity when calculating your sleeping time. Ideally, running routine should take you at least 30 minutes if you’re a beginner, and can be extended to 1-1,5 hours if you’re morning run guru.
But you don’t want to oversleep as well. So when calculating your sleeping time, remember that it should take at least 7 hours of a nice, healthy sleep.
Step #2: Prepare your running clothes beforehand
It might be very discouraging when you find that you have nothing to wear to go running in the morning. As soon as you see that you have no appropriate clothes for this, you will definitely bail on the whole thing.
So go through your wardrobe before going to sleep to make sure that you have a necessary outfit for running the next morning. You might also want to check the weather to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Preparing your clothes beforehand will help you become more disciplined and organized, and also make your mornings more enjoyable.
Step #3: Put the alarm clock as far from your bed as possible
Are you guilty of constantly hitting that snooze button every morning? Snoozing gives you those desirable several minutes of sleep in the morning. But you know what they say: you snooze, you lose.
Hitting a snooze button is what we want to do next thing we wake up, but it can actually make you more tired, as your sleep cycles get interrupted, and thus the quality of sleep suffers greatly.
So if you want to go running in the morning, but are in doubt whether you’ll be able to not fall into the trap of hitting the snooze button, put the alarm clock as far from your bed as you can. It will force you to get up and take a few steps, which in its turn will help you wake up faster.
Step #4: Follow the routine
To make the next day more productive, plan everything the night before. And include your morning run in your daily plan. This way you’ll be more consistent with the exercise.
“On a staff training we were told that the best way to plan your day is to include every step you’re about to make,” says Meghan Walter, a developer at Prowritingpartner. So if the first thing you want to do in the morning is to go running, and you keep up with it, you will likely be able to complete all the tasks in your daily plan.
Step #5: Ask someone to run with you
Find yourself a running buddy to help you keep up with your exercise routine. It can either be your spouse, a relative, or even a parent or a child. It’s a nice way to hold yourself accountable for sticking to your routine and is also a perfect way to spend your morning.
You can also check out running groups available in your area. This way you’ll also be able to find new interesting acquaintances.
Step #6: Eat something
There’s a myth that you shouldn’t eat anything before a morning run. But the thing is that blood sugars are low after sleep, and there’s nothing in our body to help us survive the workout.
So you should definitely eat something before a morning run. But keep it simple: a banana, a sugar-free energy bar or a small bowl of porridge will give you a great start on your exercise.
Step 7: Hydrate yourself
It is normal to be dehydrated after sleep. And the best way to wake your body up is to drink some water. It will help your digestion and also is a great motivation to start your morning healthy. Even in the days when you don’t go for a run, this habit will keep you healthy and strong.
Ready to start?
Morning run is a perfect routine to embark on if you want to improve your lifestyle. Follow these steps to enjoy your mornings, make your exercising routine more effective and your life more productive!
Guest post by: Lucy Benton is a writing coach, an editor who finds her passion in expressing own thoughts as a blogger, and currently works at www.assignmenthelper.com.au. She is constantly looking for the ways to improve her skills and expertise. If you’re interested in working with Lucy, you can find her on Twitter.
