The never-ending debate in the fitness world – should we be working out in the morning or at night?

Well, girls, I myself was always an evening ‘worker’.
Only the thought of working out first thing in the morning gave me the chills.

Until I challenged myself to try exercising in the morning for a week and completely fell in love with it.

To be honest, I was never a morning person. And I still don’t think I am.
But somehow, I’ve grown to love working out in the morning, and today I’ll show you exactly how and why that happened.

And while there’s really no such thing as ‘the best time to work out’, we can’t argue with the fact that there are tons of benefits of working out in the morning vs night.

In fact, there are so many perks of an early morning workout, that exercising at other times of the day just can’t provide.

But, is it really worth it to move around our schedule just for the sake of doing a morning exercise routine?

I know lots of you struggle with this question, so I did a research and came down to pretty interesting conclusions.

So, even if you’re not a morning person, I challenge you to read this with an open mind and see if this is something you are willing to try out.

PLUS try out my quick morning workout and decide if working out in the morning works for you as much as it does for me.

Spoiler Alert: There’s a great chance you’ll fall in love with working out in the morning.

Without further due, let’s jump right into it.

Check out my morning routine that keeps me fit:

 

The Benefits Of  Working Out In The Morning Vs Night

An early morning workout will provide so many benefits for you and your daily routine.

This means that it’s not only beneficial when it comes to your health and fitness, but to your daily schedule as well.

It will give structure to your day, and the discipline required to do your workout no matter what.

Let’s see the benefits…

#1 Working Out In The Morning Boosts Your Metabolism

Metabolism is the sum total of energy your body expends each day.

It’s pretty simple: you burn less fuel at rest, and more energy when you are active.

That being said, the more active you are during the day, the higher your metabolism will be.

And among the other things that play a huge role in boosting your metabolism (such as body composition and muscle mass), working out in the morning will make sure to increase your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day.

Especially if you’re doing the right type of workout in the morning (which we’ll talk about in just a while), you’ll feel the afterburn effect for the rest of the day.

Also, exercising on an empty stomach, and giving that metabolic boost to start the day, will help you use the meals you eat to replenish your body and provide calories to meet your higher metabolic needs.

#2 Working Out In The Morning Will Help You Develop Discipline And Consistency

It’s so easy to interrupt your workout schedule when it’s done later in the day.

For example, something comes up, you are late from work, you are too tired to even get your butt off the couch, uninvited guests come over… should I go on?

It’s a fact that there are plenty of things you can do in the evening, that can be unpredictable yet must-dos, and working out usually loses the priority battle over all of these things.

My constant excuse back in the days was that I am just too tired and beaten up from the long busy day, and can’t manage to find the motivation and strength to get up and workout.

And working out that tired can often do more harm than good.

However, in the morning when you are filled with energy and there’s nothing to distract you, exercise will be your first priority and it will get done.

And that’s how you make exercise a habit.

By putting up your fitness goals on the front burner, at the beginning of your day with focus and determination.

I’m more than happy to say I’ve never missed a morning workout.

#3 Morning Workouts Increase Your Overall Energy

Working out in the morning became my cup of coffee.

Yup! And you’d be surprised by the tremendous burst of energy fitness can be when done early in the morning.

Beyond that, working out in the morning improves focus, sharpness, and mental energy throughout the whole day.

Not only will you feel awake and have more energized, but you’ll be more productive overall.

Plus, if you start your day active, you’ll keep active by the rest of it.

#4 It Improves Your Mood

Just knowing you got your workout out of the way, will help you feel more satisfied, fulfilled and accomplished throughout the entire day.

I feel like I constantly have a responsibility hanging over my head when I leave the workout for later in the day.

However, that’s not the case when working out in the morning

And feeling good about yourself because you were actually able to make this happen is the best feeling in the world.

Not to mention the fact that physical activity overall is a natural remedy for stress too, since, during exercise, your brain makes more endorphins which are the so-called “feel-good” hormones.

In addition, working out in the morning will be a great way to start the day on the positive and happy.

You’ll also feel accomplishment, which will boost your motivation giving you an optimistic start of the day.

#5 It Helps You Sleep Better

Working out in the morning will not only make sure you sleep longer but will ensure to improve the quality of sleep by promoting deeper sleep cycles.

Plus, the fact that you are waking up early in the morning to exercise will help you sleep better long term.

Here’s how it goes…
While exercising, our body releases all sorts of hormones including adrenaline and cortisol.

These hormones are actually known as the stress hormones, that make sure to keep you awake and alert.

And this is a perfectly healthy and good thing if you’re getting it in the morning, to start off your day with sharpness and great energy.

This will help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep at the end of your day.

However, when you get all of these hormones in the evening, your body will get mixed signals which can result in losing sleep.

 

And these are just a few of the countless benefits of exercising in the morning, but you get the picture.

It might not seem enjoyable at all to get out of bed early in the morning to exercise, it is totally worth it.

At least it’s worth it to try it, and decide if it’s your thing or not.

But I Hate Waking Up Early To Exercise…

As much as it’s beneficial, you just can’t suddenly become a morning person.

But, no worries, I got you!

With my morning exercise plan and with the best quick morning workout routine, anyone can do it.

Check out my short ‘how-to’ guide…

#1 Wake Up Earlier

Unfortunately, if you want to complete your workout at the beginning of your day, you’ll have to wake up earlier in order to have the extra time.

Now, the first few days will be pretty hard, but as time goes by and this slowly starting to become a habit for you, it’s going to become much easier.

So, give it time to grow on you, and see if it works for you.

#2 Keep It Short & Explosive 
Try Out My Quick Morning Workout

No one has the time and the energy for a 2 hours training session this early.

That’s why you have to keep the working ut in the morning short and explosive.

And one of the best exercises you can do in the morning is HIIT, which stands for High Intensity Interval Training.

The training sessions are short and explosive, yet will give you excitement throughout the whole workout keeping you burn calories even hours after finishing the workout.

That being said, I have the perfect quick morning workout packed for you.

Head on to check it out!

If you are up for more, check out my workout program Burn Baby Burn.

It’s a 28-day workout program, that will help you get fit in only 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Head on to check it out!

#3 Keep Your Nutrition On Point

Nutrition is key when it comes to getting fit and healthy overall.

No matter how hard and consistent you are with your morning exercise routine if you’re not eating right you’ll never get the results you want.

So, eat healthy, nutritious foods, high in clean proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates, throughout the whole day, and you’ll get to your fitness goals faster and more definite.

If you are not sure of how to eat healthy, and don’t have a meal plan yet, head on to check out my BBB 28-Day Meal Plan.

Should you eat before working out in the morning?

While working out before breakfast has some benefits, what’s far more important is to stabilize your blood sugar before your morning sweat session.

Otherwise, your body will have a hard time providing the energy needed to go through the workout. 

So, before your quick morning workout, have a light snack, that’s rich in healthy carbs and proteins.
These nutrients will help your muscles boost up and get you through the workout safe and powered up.

So, the ideal pre-workout morning snacks I usually have are:

  • apple slices with peanut butter,
  • banana-berry smoothie
  • protein bar

Have one of these snacks 20 minutes before heading on to workout, and your energy levels will be all set.

#4 Develop A Healthy Morning Routine

No one is born to be a morning person, we train ourselves to start loving mornings.

And one of the best things you can do in this whole process of becoming a ‘rise and shine’ kind of person, is a morning routine.

Developing a healthy morning routine will give you a structure to start your day, providing tons of benefits along the way.

Here’s my morning routine that keeps me fit…

 

Find Your Perfect Timing

At the end of the day, it all comes down to your own body and your own ‘perfect timing’.

Everyone is different.

And when it comes to working out, the best time of day to get in a workout session is one that you can do consistently.

That being said, the “right” time depends on you and you only, and the factors like your preference, lifestyle, and body.

If you can’t go to bed early, and you are losing valuable hours of sleep just for the sake of working out in the morning, don’t do it.

What I will warmly suggest is to try out working out in the morning for a week, see if you like it and if it’s something your body can adapt to.

In the end, we are all different, and the best time is the one that you can stick to long-term.

Till next time babes!
xo,
Monica