Momentum Issue 48: Morning Movement
Importance
“By moving your body in the first half of the day, you reinforce the body’s internal cues that it’s daytime.” - Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar
After light, movement is the most powerful zeitgeber, or circadian cue.
Movement tells your body that it’s time to be awake and subsequently resets your circadian clock. This has positive downstream effects on every aspect of your health.
“Morning exercise is especially beneficial to your circadian rhythm as you age. In your late forties and early fifties, you will need to give your body strong signals in the morning that the day has started so you can get to sleep at night.” - Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar
Morning movement also:
Increases cognitive abilities as effectively as a cup of coffee
Releases happy hormones such as endorphins, leading to increased feelings of happiness
This habit may be even more crucial with winter just around the corner - it’s a great way to support both our physical and mental health on cold, dark days.
“Spending an hour on the treadmill late in the day isn’t going to do as much for you as twenty to thirty minutes of activity as soon as you wake up.” - Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar
Implementation
Plan everything - what you are going to do, where you are going to do it, what time you are going to do it, how long your session is going to be.
Without adequate planning, it’s going to be harder to be successful.
You don’t have to do the same thing day in and day out, but make sure you know what you’re doing at least by the night before.
You may need to wake up 5-10 minutes earlier to fit your movement session in, but the positive effects on your sleep will be well worth it.
Remember that this doesn’t need to be a workout - that can come later. This is simply about getting your heart rate up a bit and your blood flowing.
“The key to overcoming that resistance is understanding that what we're talking about here is not a morning workout. This is morning movement.” - Aubrey Marcus, Own the Day, Own Your Life
Resources
Here is a free link to a 5 minute routine I created specifically for the morning:
Here is a quick and easy yoga flow that is great for the morning:
Here is a longer mobility routine:
If you want to read more about the benefits of morning movement, check out this article: