Reasons to Run in the Morning

We all know just how comfortable and enveloping your bed can be in the morning. It’s the most tempting thing in the world to say “just 5 more minutes” until you have to run faster than Usain Bolt to catch your train to work. I’m going to say something that you’ve heard time and again on the Internet webs, but always look over because it’s just too much to handle. But, get ready, running in the morning is actually good for you. *GASPS* I can tell how much you already hate me for writing those words. But it’s true! There's nothing better than getting up early, and listening to the sounds of nature or music through your headphones (read more about those here). In this article, I’m going to try to convince you with 12 of the top reasons to run in the morning.

It’s the best way to start off your day.  

This goes without saying – starting your day with a good two to three (or however long you prefer) run is one of the best ways to start your mornings. Think of it this way: the start of your day sets the mood for the rest of your day. What kind of mood do you think is set when you keep hitting that snooze button every five minutes? Needless to say, it doesn’t help you out. When you start running in the morning, it sets the pace of your day to high productivity and low stress. Doesn’t that sound fantastic!?

You get your exercise out of the way.

Have you ever got back home from work, getting ready for your evening run, and suddenly remember about the dinner plans you made with your squad? And because you’re a decent human, of course you go to dinner and skip your run for the evening. But then you automatically regret it when your carbo-loaded dinner comes along. You know, all of this could be avoided by getting your run out of the way in the morning! By getting out of the bed and out the door early, you’re leaving your evening for things you really want be doing *ahem* Netflix.

There are less people out and about. 

Sure, there are some morning runners in the world. But most people are probably just like you and snoozing until the new millennium in the morning. That means that if you get up early, lace up those tennis shoes, and head out the door, you’ll basically have the streets to yourself. That’s perfect if you’re like me and hate when people see me looking like a tomato when I run! This is your chance to show the world what you’re made of without many people actually seeing you. Plus that means you won’t have to have those awkward glances that happen when you pass fellow runners.

You get to brag about it. 

One of my favorite reasons to run in the morning is that you get to brag about it after the fact. If you’ve ever actually ran in the morning and lived to tell the tale, you know how great of a feeling this is. Imagine this. You walk into work in the morning, sit down at your desk, and your coworker rolls on over to ask you how you’re doing. If you hadn’t gone for your morning run, you would probably say something like “Oh, I’m OK” or “Doing pretty good”. But no. You listened to the advice from this wonderful article and did a lil’ jog this morning. So instead of just OK or pretty good, you get to say “I’m doing great, Suzy! Got in a 3 mile run this morning, had some coffee, read the news, and started my plan for world domination. How are you?” Nothing beats that kind of positivity, y’all.

You feel less stressed. 

There’s plenty of evidence to back up the fact that running and exercise in general makes us less stressed and more pleasant-to-be-around humans. Sure, when you start waking up earlier than usual to do something you never thought you would do, you may feel a teeny more stressed than usual. But you gotta trust me on this one. If you keep at it and consistently run every morning, the release of all those endorphins and good ‘ole chemicals in your body will make it all worth it later in the day. Also, you don’t have to worry all day about how you’re going to fit in your dinner of Chinese takeout, about three hours of Netflix, AND an evening run!

Sunrises are better than Sunsets

Personal preference, but if you don’t think that sunrises are more beautiful than sunsets, then you’re just living life wrong. A beautiful sunrise in the morning is a great reward for pulling yourself away from your down comforter into the harsh reality of the outside world for a three mile run. There’s probably no science to back up this claim, but running + seeing a sunrise in the morning + taking an Instagram picture of said sunrise probably makes you a happier person. But in all seriousness, taking in the natural beauty of our world, however you can, is an important part of that morning run. Sometimes in the rush of our daily lives, we forget just how beautiful our planet is and running towards a sunrise can remind us of that.

The air is a little bit more crisp. 

Speaking of nature, one of the biggest reasons to run in the morning is having cleaner air to breathe. Yeah, really! In the wee hours of the morning, there’s less gross things in the air, since your fellow coworker Susy isn’t as healthy as you and hasn’t hopped in her car to clog up the freeways yet. Pollution is low, air quality is high, and you’re just feeling great! There’s also just something about breathing in the crisp, fresh air of the morning that makes your day that much better.

You’ll be crazy productive for the rest of the day.

By now, we’ve all seen an article or video about how making your bed in the morning can make you a more productive and happy person for the rest of your day. The same goes for getting in your morning run! Getting out of bed and accomplishing one big thing before your day even really starts just sets your productivity on high. You’ve managed to do what you thought was impossible the night before, so what else can you do before the day ends? Write that novel you’ve always wanted to write? Go out there and start a homeless shelter? Order a PSL without feeling the shame of basicness? The possibilities are endless, really.

You’ll learn self-discipline.

This is a big one of these reasons to run in the morning. You’ll learn how to tell yourself to do something and then actually follow through with it. More importantly, you’ll learn how to consistently discipline yourself to do that thing every day. And of course, this goes well beyond just running every morning. You can use this learning to make yourself buy healthy foods at the grocery store, finish your big work projects on time, or watch that documentary on Netflix you’ve been wanting to watch to make yourself feel like a more cultured person. Consistently taking time for that morning run can teach you things that even the Internet can’t.

It gives you a good reason to eat healthy afterwards. 

You’ve already ran three miles and are feeling FANTASTIC. Why are you going stop that by eating some burnt bagel, mediocre cream cheese, and handful of grapes? Most likely after your miracle morning run, you’re going to want to continue your journey towards perfect health by having a breakfast of fitness champions. You also most likely have time before work to make an actual breakfast! So go ahead – brew the fancy coffee. Make those fancy scrambled eggs with diced tomatoes. Get that fruit bowl going with a sprinkle of chia seeds fit for a queen. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re binging on those pumpkin-spice flavored cookies you see in the back of the cupboard.

You’ll give your metabolism a good ‘ole fashioned boost.

It’s true! When you get that morning run or workout in, you’re giving your metabolism a good boost for the rest of the day. That means that you’ll have less cravings for chocolate bars during the day and will burn more calories naturally. There’s yet another thing to brag about at the office! When you run in the morning, your whole day is set up for success – not just on a personal productivity level, but also on a health level. You’re going to make better choices, burn more calories than you would normally, and feel like a much healthier human!

You get some alone time. 

Depending on whether you’re introverted or extroverted, this may be more important to you. Personally, I love my alone time and a good morning run gives me that time to be by myself with my favorite music. And that’s super important for you to have, especially if you live with a partner or roommate. You may not get that time alone before/after work. Having solitude with your own thoughts without the distraction of a laptop or smartphone screen is incredibly important for your mental well-being and living an overall content life. So what are you waiting for? Get out there and be alone for a little bit.

There you have it. Now you know all of the best reasons to run in the morning. So what are you waiting for? Try it out tomorrow morning. Set your alarm to an hour that scares the living hell out of you, get your barely used tennis shoes on, and get out there and run!