Three Benefits of Morning Exercise
Updated: Aug 31, 2020
I have a confession. I loathe running! I have never liked it. Totally avoid it if at all possible, unless I am running for my life, which I have not had to do, thank goodness. However, I will hike a mountain, weight lift, bike, dance the night away, walk a country mile and even cross train if I had a choice. Just don’t make me run.
One of the hardest things we have to “find time” to do is exercise. With our busy schedules from sun up to sun down, who has time or energy for it? Right? Well, we all have the same 24 hours as the president, pope and the every other noteworthy person. The difference is values and priorities. If you value your health, exercise and eating clean become a non-negotiating priority. So when is the best time to get it in? The morning!
Morning Motivation
After your morning meditation or prayer, whole fruit (or simple breakfast) and a cleansing glass of lemon water, head to the gym, swimming pool, or even the nearest room in your home to rev up the metabolism and trim down the fat. The best time to exercise is first thing in the morning shortly after awakening because the body is most compliant at this time. Working out at this time also raises the growth hormone (GH). Adults require an appropriate level of GH to change fat to muscle, for metabolic processes and cholesterol regulation. With insufficient GH levels, the crucial metabolic process does not work well. Our bodies are not designed to wake up and sit down all day.
Learn About the Lymph
Science proves that exercising in the morning improves is metabolism. After sleeping all night, the lymphatic system is at its lowest and needs a jump start. Conditioning and purifying the lymphatic system is important for ridding excess body fat and cellulite. When this system is sluggish or backed up, we gain weight, get and stay sick often or both. It is one of seven elimination channels that that filters toxins and supports the immune system not only against the common cold but also degenerative disease.
The lymphatic system has channels (vessels) vales and filters (lymph nodes). However, it does not “pump” on its own like the circulatory system does. The fluid (lymph) that travels through the system depends on us to move our bodies so that constantly flows and does not pool or become stagnant. It’s like the water pumps that require you to move the handle up and down to produce a stream of water. It is only stimulated when we crank or move it. Ina similar fashion, the muscle action, deep breathing and gravity work together to pump the lymphatic system.
Elimination
Another reason to exercise in the morning is because the body is ready to eliminate from the assimilation it has done overnight. After the final meal of the evening and while resting at night, the body shifts gears and begins to move everything to it’s proper place. What is usable gets stored for the activity of the day, what is not get’s taken to the trash (colon) for disposal. In the morning everything that is not serving you is now ready to be eliminated from the body. This is why it is typical to have urinary and bowel movements in the morning. Help the body out by exercising in the morning and stimulating the process. There is no reason to hold on to extra waste or pounds so burn it off in the morning.
Exercise helps us in so many ways, especially with the sedentary lifestyle we’ve become accustomed to. Sitting for long periods of time is detrimental to the body and increases the risk for disease because
Even if you can’t exercise in the morning, don’t let that stop you completely. A short walk or jumping jacks, push-ups, crunches, anything to help the body finish the good work it has done for you overnight while you were sleeping.
The type of exercise is less important. It could be jumping on a trampoline for 30 minutes which is an incredible, fun way to stimulate the lymphatic system. The most important thing is that you do something.
VKNOX is a holistic nutrition wellness practitioner, behavior change specialist, fitness nutrition educator, lifestyle transformation coach and author. She is the creator of the R.A.W. Lifestyle System.