4 Great Morning Exercises to Start Your Day
How you spend your morning hours can have a significant impact on how your whole day goes. If you wish to be more productive, to feel more focused, and to be in a better mood, include exercise in your morning routine. Apart from these three reasons, there are many other reasons to exercise early in the day, such as because you beat the extreme summer heat, you are more likely to make healthier food choices, and you don’t have to work out during peak gym times when traffic is at its highest. Here are four morning exercises to start your day with.
1. Full-Body Warm-up
Warm-ups might not be the intense workouts that bulk up or shred your body, but stretching and range-of-motion exercises can actually hit all key muscle groups when done right. These movements also help minimize physical injuries that could potentially happen due to your actual workout routine. Experts recommend stretching your hamstrings, hips, shoulders, wrists, and quad muscles. A full-body warm-up gets your heart rate going and can be a good standalone exercise routine if you’re pressed for time in the morning. Get a yoga mat, some resistance bands, and a medicine ball to open up opportunities for new exercises.
2. Squats
One of the simplest workout exercises you can do is squatting. You can do it anywhere and anytime without any equipment. Squat exercises help strengthen your lower body muscles, particularly your quadriceps and glutes. They also effectively engage your core muscles, hip muscles, obliques, and calves. Squats can be integrated into your morning exercise routine in order to burn calories and to lose weight. Finally, squats can lower your risk of tearing the tendons and ligaments that cover your knees and ankles by strengthening these tissues and the bones that make up the lower body.
3. Running
Your morning exercise routine doesn’t have to be complicated; it just has to be effective at triggering the right bodily responses. Running gets your blood flowing, strengthens your lower body, engages your core, and provides a number of mental benefits. Even better, it’s free and doesn’t require any equipment. You can tailor the time and distance to your specific circumstances, including your environmental conditions and work schedule. If running is not possible, such as on a rainy day or if you live in an area that doesn’t have a feasible running route, you can instead do jumping jacks or jump rope. Both of these alternatives can offer the same benefits.
4. Planking
Another equipment-free exercise you can easily perform in the morning is planking. Simply find some floor space, lay down a mat, and kneel on it. Go to a push-up position, and then drop your forearms to the ground to support the body. The forearms and hands should be below your shoulders and legs in a straight position. Planks are a great workout, especially if you are suffering from lower back pain since it targets and strengthens the back muscles.
These are only a few of the many exercises you can incorporate into your morning routine. Rotate the exercises you perform each day to allow rest for each muscle group.
