There’s no two ways about it: getting up in the morning and forcing yourself to go out and do some exercise is really hard work. No matter how devoted you are to the cause of your wellness and wellbeing, fitness and weight loss is not necessarily your top priority in the bone-chilling wee hours of a winter morning. Throwing off the covers can actually feel quite torturous, especially when you know that what lies in wait is a sweaty Zumba class or a tedious session on the treadmill.
It’s really worth pushing through the pain, however, because working out first thing in the morning can boost your metabolism, energy levels and mood for the entire rest of the day. Fortunately, there are some little tricks you can try which should make getting up in the morning a bit easier to bear.
First of all, try to start your day with a blast of sunlight – when your eye senses light it causes a chemical reaction in your brain which lets you feel more alert and energised.
If you stand next to an open window first thing in morning, or even position your bed so that it faces towards an east-facing window, the natural rays of the sun will help you to wake up in the morning. In the middle of winter, however, you may find that it is still dark when you wake up, and in this case you can invest in a light box, to simulate natural light and make you feel better.
Drinking coffee might sound like an obvious solution, but a recent study has also found that just the smell of coffee can help to fight off sleep-deprivation and stress, coaxing you into the mood for a workout. If you have a timer on your coffee pot, you can set it to brew for you when you wake up in the morning.
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