From Night Owl to Early Bird: How Morning Exercise Transformed My Life
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People who enjoy waking up before 10 a.m. used to genuinely confuse me — how could anyone actually be happy before lunchtime? My idea of a reasonable schedule involved getting to bed way too late, waking up just in time to make it to work feeling absolutely awful, and then skipping the gym at the end of the day because I felt too sluggish to get there.
That horrible cycle landed me with major back issues (hello, sciatica!), signaling that it was finally time to create a schedule that made room for consistent exercise. The key was finding a space in my routine and sticking with it, and for me that meant early morning workouts. I had to accept that some people are capable of having an amazing workout after sitting at a desk for eight hours, but I am just not one of those people. While it still really sucks to get out of bed in the morning sometimes, I keep at it because of these dramatic mental and physical changes.
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Positive Mood Changes
In the past, my anxiety would creep up during the workday and before I could stop myself I was dwelling in a miserable mood I struggled to snap out of. That same awful feeling made it difficult to drag myself to the gym at the end of the day, and the guilt of skipping made it that much worse. In my new schedule, waking up early and starting off the day with a sense of accomplishment (read: exercise!) boosts my overall happiness and makes it easier to get through an entire day without an afternoon mood swing. Elle Woods definitely knew something I didn't about endorphins.
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A Better Sleep Schedule
Before I overhauled my lifestyle, my sleep routine was undeniably awful. My pattern of sleep (or lack thereof) kept me feeling completely out of it every day at work, but I relentlessly repeated the same cycle over and over again. Now, waking up hours earlier and physically pushing myself for at least 45 minutes makes my body naturally exhausted at night. Without even thinking about it, I'm ready to crash at a more reasonable time, ultimately leaving me more refreshed in the morning.
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Workouts That Are Truly Worth My Time
On those rare occasions I made it to the gym after work, I was totally checked out. Every minute was spent waiting for time to slowly crawl by on the treadmill before hopping off at the 15-minute mark to grab dinner. Waking up in the morning for a class I love has totally changed the quality and intensity of my exercise routine. In complete honesty, I'll be damned if I'm going to sacrifice sleep to clock in a meaningless workout. Plus, going earlier means I'm not sluggish from an entire day at the office, meaning I have plenty of energy to burn.
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A Successful Breakup With Caffeine
My body was so dependent on caffeine at one point that it actually felt like four to five cups a day was an appropriate amount for any one human to intake. The highs of being overly caffeinated combined with the intense crash at the end of every day had my body on a constant roller coaster. Not great! Now I find that a high-intensity workout in the morning gives me plenty of energy to get through the day without even thinking about reaching for coffee. Now when I do drink coffee it's only because I enjoy it, not because I'm a total slave to caffeine.