One of the best ways to start your day is to have a morning jog. Jogging, in general, provides a lot of health benefits, however, there are some debates regarding the best time to have a jog. While others prefer to do their jogging at noon or in the evening, there are several reasons why you might consider shifting your schedule to a morning jog.
Benefits of a Morning Jog
Improves alertness
Waking up early in the morning can make you feel drowsy at work or at school. Having a morning jog to jumpstart your day, however, boosts your heart rate and respiratory rate, loosens tight muscles, and increases blood flow to the brain, making you feel more alert and energized. In turn, you head to work or to school with an alert mind resulting in better productivity.
Aids in weight loss
Jogging can help you to lose weight. If you do it in the morning before breakfast, however, you may be able to lose weight faster. A morning jog has been shown to trigger your body to metabolize fat as a source of energy to fuel your jog instead of the carbohydrates that you ate for breakfast.
Easier to schedule
It can be harder to achieve consistency when you schedule your jogging in the afternoon or evening when various appointments with workmates, families, and friends can come up. Even if you have a jogging activity scheduled on your calendar, you could be forced to skip it for the day. On the other hand, if you choose to jog early in the morning, you won’t have to worry about the sudden changes in your schedule getting in the way as much.
You’re one with nature
Compared to jogging at noon or in the evening, morning jogs feel more refreshing because of the peaceful and quiet morning atmosphere. Since a majority of people are still fast asleep, you can peacefully finish your morning jog without worrying about human traffic and excessive noise pollution.
Morning jogs also let you enjoy the fresher and cooler morning air since there are still fewer cars on the road. Jogging at noon or in the evening can be bad for your health, most especially if you live in a city wherein air pollution levels are high. Morning jogs are also considerably healthier because the sun isn’t scorching hot and the streets are also safer.
Energy boost
A lot of people believe that early morning jogs will drain you of energy and make you tired for the rest of the day. However, it’s actually the opposite. Doing workouts like jogging and running stimulates your body to release your feel-good hormones called endorphins. Endorphins reduce your pain perception, improve your mood, and trigger a positive feeling that’s similar to the effect of morphine.
Cardiovascular fitness
Jogging improves your cardiovascular fitness and reduces your risk of developing atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke. This is because jogging improves your blood circulation and prevents the buildup of plaque in your veins and arteries. Since your heart is a muscle, doing cardiovascular exercises also makes your heart stronger.
If you are struggling to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, try to sleep earlier at night. Instead of watching late night TV shows, go to bed and sleep early. If you can’t still sleep, take a warm bath and dim the lights to help induce sleep. Don’t forget to set up your alarm clock. You might feel drowsy when you wake up early in the morning, but that drowsiness will be easily swept away within a minute of jogging.
If you’re convinced to give morning jogging a try, don’t forget these tips before you hit the sidewalk or the park:
- Wear a pair of running shoes that provide adequate support, traction, and cushion to your feet. Wearing ill-fitting shoes can lead to calluses and blisters as the skin rubs against the inner surface of your shoe.
- To prevent damage to blister-prone areas, stick moleskin to your toes and heels.
- Warm up prior to your jog with dynamic stretching activities like plyometric jump squats or a brisk walk.
- Remember to drink lots of water before and after your jog to stay hydrated.
