There are those who wake up in the morning easy and ready to go, then there are those who need a steamboat horn to get them out of bed. I would dare to say that for most  anyone, hearing an alarm go off in the morning isn’t their favorite thing to do. You might have a ritual or a crutch that helps you boost up in the morning and that may be a cup of coffee, tea, soda, caffeine pills, a shower etc. But, did you know that starting your day with a morning run provides benefits that go further than just helping you to wake up?

It gives you energy:

Epinephrine, otherwise known as adrenaline, is secreted from the adrenal glands. Adrenaline is released as part of the body’s “fight or flight” response and is also released when stress is placed on the body (working out, running, etc). This release helps to wake us up even when we feel like our energy level is low and ultimately gives us more energy which could become a replacement to other types of things you may use to wake up.

Morning workouts are great for your metabolism:

By starting your day with a workout or run, you are giving your metabolism a kick start. You burn more calories after a workout even while staying idle than you do if you hadn’t worked out. Metabolism helps with energy also, while asleep your metabolism will actually rise and you will feel more energized the next morning and this cycle can continue for as long as you do your morning routine. By doing a run or workout, and eating breakfast you are setting yourself up for a day of energy and a healthier eating pattern as your body will get hungry at a more natural time.

You will sleep better at night: 

As mentioned above, working out places stress on the body which causes adrenaline release and while any time of getting exercise in is good, it may be harder to fall asleep after a shot of adrenaline is introduced into the body. By doing your run or workout in the morning, you will feel a natural fatigue by the end of the day and experience a better and deeper sleep through the night.

It helps with time management: 

This one is obvious, but by training in the morning you are more likely to avoid scheduling conflicts that can happen throughout the day. For someone starting out, this can be a deterrent that stops them from continuing on with their training during the critical habit forming phase.  For others, it can prove to be more convenient to open up the afternoon and be done with your training first thing in the morning.

You will feel better throughout the day: 

All of these things add up to you simply feeling good. You feel better with more energy, you feel more confident in yourself when you exercise, you eat better which makes you feel healthier, and by coming off of a good nights sleep and higher energy levels, you more pleasant to be around for others. Exercise in any form has been linked to to a variety of things as a cure, and it’s a convincing argument to sacrifice a little more sleep to benefit big from a morning run.