How working out in the A.M. Can Change Your Day

Article by Alexandria Zimmerman, Ask Zimm

Morning workouts can truly fuel your day. I am by no means a morning person, and it is admittedly a challenge to wake up in the morning! But, what helps me wake up most mornings is knowing I will feel much better throughout the day after an amazing, up-beat workout. My energy levels are high, my mood is much better, than without, and i am able to focus more clearly. I love working out before work or before other responsibilities during the day because it is time I own and no one else can touch. This time is so valuable because without it, the rest of the day seems out of control as far as what you get to do with your time.

Some workouts are definitely more favorable than others for early mornings, but in my opinion, any workout can be done in the morning with the proper warm up. The warm up is key because it preps your body to perform its best and will prevent you from injury. My favorite morning workouts are cardio based, like boxing, running, and hiit workouts as well.

Some warm up exercises I do almost every morning are:

1. Foam rolling: This activity helps bring blood flow to your muscles and allows for loosening of tight areas. This will get easier and less painful over time. I foam roll twice a day most days.

2. Core Dead Bug: Lie on your back with arms extended directly overhead, and legs at a 90-degree angle. Extend the left harm backwards while extending the right leg straight outward while maintaining low-back contact with the ground. Repeat this movement on the opposite side, never losing contact with the ground and lower back. To achieve this, you will need to adjust hips inward to press low back into the ground. This movement is a deep core engager and very helpful for protecting the back and surrounding areas during exercise.

3. Fire Hydrants: Kneel on the ground on all fours. Envision the glute working to raise the leg at a 90 degree angle while keeping shoulders facing downward. Do not overextend the hydrant leg, as this will not warm up the deep hip flexor muscles that you are trying to warm up and protect. This movement will engage the glutes, and help them to become the prime mover in your leg movements that day.

After finishing this warm up circuit, I then get into circuit-style training. If I am on the treadmill, I will start with:

• 2 minute jog, followed by a series of sprints and running intervals ranging from 40 seconds to 2 minutes. Sometimes my workout is strength endurance, where I rotate through full body movements. Either way, I feel energized and ready for my day at the end!

I complete these warm-ups every day before i work out and I highly recommend! I have scoliosis- a story for another time- and these exercises have helped me correct injury and stay healthy while working out at high intensity! I will definitely be filming video to show how these work! Stay tuned!

-Azimm