http://www.ryanwhiteside.com/jogging-in-the-morning.html
One of the greatest habits you can get into in your life is jogging in the morning. It’s simply the best way that I know of to start the day off right.
But why first thing in the morning? Why not wait until after work or later in the evening?
Don’t get me wrong, jogging every day is extremely beneficial no matter what time you do it. But doing it in the morning is much better in my opinion. And here’s why…
An experiment was done once with a large group of people who exercised sparingly. They were given the same workout routine to perform each and every day for a month.
However, half of the group did their workout first thing in the morning. The other half did it when they got off of work. They were forced to stick with it. And then after a month, they were free to do as they pleased.
After a few months past, they asked the group if they planned on continuing their exercise routine. Surprisingly, the group that exercised in the morning were 80% more likely to stick with their workout compared to the other group.
That’s quite a startling conclusion! So…
It might not be easy at first, but once you get in the habit of jogging in the morning, you will be very likely to stick with it for a lifetime. Of course, that’s where the problem occurs. You have to get in the habit of doing it.
I know what you’re thinking, “No way! That’s just not me.” Well, it can be you! And it’s much easier then you think.
Benefits Of A Morning Jog
Some people think that jogging in the morning will make them tired the rest of the day. But in fact, the complete opposite is true.You will simply be amazed at how much more energy you will have during the day. Before I started this habit, I had a very hard time making it through the afternoons. Right after lunch I could barely keep my eyes open!
Doing any kind of work proved to be very difficult. But instantly, my morning jog completely changed all of that.
You will start to notice that you will be able to get so much more done. Your metabolism will be working for you throughout the entire day. You will also find yourself being much happier with life and everything in it.
The grass will seem greener. The air fresher. Everything you do will have more meaning and purpose.
Another thing you will begin to notice is you will start sleeping better. It will be much easier for you to fall asleep each night. And you will also find yourself sleeping deeper and deeper throughout the entire night.
It’s really something you have to experience first-hand. Your self-esteem will go way up. You will feel so much better about yourself. You will start to see yourself as a highly effective and hard working person.
And you will notice that you are much sharper and more alert. It will add confidence in yourself in everything that you do.
But don’t take my word for it, see for yourself!
Making It A Routine
I get asked all the time how I can get up so early and start jogging. And the answer is simple…It’s just habit.
It’s just as easy to get in the habit of jogging as it is to get in the habit of watching television. Most people just choose the TV because it requires less effort.
The hardest thing in the world to do is break old habits. You’ve probably made it a habit to do very little when you first wake up. The longer you have done it, the harder it is to break out of the habit. But if you want to get in the habit of a morning jog, here is what I suggest you do…
First, get out your workout clothes and place them beside your bed. Have it all out so you can get dressed and go. Have this be the last thing you do before you go to bed each night.
Second, tell someone about it. Tell a close friend that tomorrow you are going to start getting in the habit of jogging in the mornings. This will help you take action. You don’t want them to ask you the next day how your job was and you disappointedly tell them you didn’t do it. This will be the final thing that goes through your mind before you decide if you’re actually going to do it.
Finally, don’t take days off. OK, I guess you can rest on Sunday. But don’t skip a weekday “just because.” This is extremely important when you are first starting out.
It’s been said that it takes 21 days to make something a habit. So make sure that the first 21 days you don’t let yourself off the hook. This is something that is going to change your life, so stay committed to it.
If you want, start setting your alarm 10-20 minutes earlier to allow yourself plenty of time. This will make sure that you don’t have any excuse to skip a day.
No matter how tired you are when you wake up, after about two minutes into your jog the fog will start to go away in your mind and you will be wide awake. And you’ll stay awake throughout the entire day, no matter how little you slept the night before.
Update: One thing that has worked really well for me is that I made a rule that I'm not allowed to eat breakfast until I've had my morning jog and shower. When I wake up, I'm usually very hungry. So by making this rule, it forces me to want to hurry up and get my jog over with so I can start chowing down!
A Change For The Better
At first, you’ll probably hate me for talking you into jogging. You might even start sending me hate mail. But it won’t take long before you start to love it. It will be a way for you to turbo charge your day. A great alernative to coffee.You’ll be ready to tackle whatever life brings you. And you’ll do it with more energy, and more excitement then you have had in your entire life.
I sincerely hope you try it for yourself. You will be thankful you did.