How To Be A Morning Person

Last Updated on August 9, 2020 by Paula

My alarm went off at 5:30 this morning.

I’d like to say that I bounded out of bed,  ran a few miles, ate a healthy breakfast and then reported to work bright and early, ready to take on the day.

Unfortunately, in the statement above, only the parts about the alarm going off and my showing up at the office before 8 a.m. are true.

But don’t we all wish we were able to say that every day we rise and shine, full of vim and vigor, eager to get going with our tasks – after acing a full-fledged workout?

Of all the elements that go into a successful fitness routine, managing our energy level is one of the trickiest.

What we sometimes mistake for a lack of motivation or willpower is simply a a lack of energy; we are either too stressed, too hungry or too sleep-deprived to find our strength to go to the gym or slip o than our running shoes.

A leading expert on mood notes quite correctly that “at low-energy times, the prospect of exercise can be unpleasant” and that you are most likely to stick with your exercise plans when you are at a natural energy peak.

Is there hope for people like me – who yearn to convert from being night people to morning folk?

There’s probably a strong genetic predisposition to ‘morningness’ and ‘eveningness’.

Recent studies however showed that people who experience the universal low ebb of energy – that dreaded midafternoon slump – are able to revive themselves and rev up to their highest energy levels of the day with as little exertion as a brisk 10-minute walk.

In fact, exercise seems to be the single, most effective strategy for managing your energy and mood.

Calm energy is that ideal state in which we are in the best mood, at our most creative, least likely  to binge and most likely to exercise.

So even if I can never achieve “morningness” I will strive for that balanced state of alert relaxation, and I hope you will too!