If you can barely pull yourself out of bed in the morning, let alone exercise, it can be difficult to put together a workout plan. There are many benefits to getting in your day’s exercise in the wee hours, even if it is a little difficult at first. Let’s look at just a few reasons why exercising in the morning may be right for you.

1. Evening exercise is too easy to put off.

After work or school, we’re tired and all we want to do is relax. It is all too easy to put off that workout until tomorrow when your coach is beckoning. People who exercise in the morning generally find that they are less likely to skip their workouts once they get into a routine. You’ve got your whole day ahead of you, and you won’t be in the mode to wind down in the morning.

2. Morning exercise increases your metabolism.

One of the single best reasons to haul yourself out of bed in the morning for some cardio or strength training is that you’ll be giving your metabolism a jump start with all that activity. Better yet, the effects last throughout the day, so you’ll be burning fat even while you’re sitting at a desk. This is a great way to start your day.

3. You’re training your body to be more energized.

When you get into the routine of exercising in the morning, your body will begin to anticipate this. After a few days, or maybe as long as two weeks, your body will start producing endorphins right before you wake up. This means that you’ll wake up feeling less groggy and you’ll be more alert. If you can stick it out for a few days, you’ll be doing yourself a big favor and you will see results.

4. Your brain will thank you.

If you need to be sharp mentally for a big day at work, exercise is very good for your brain. All those good chemicals that exercise releases into your bloodstream help your brain function better and you will be more mentally alert. It may not seem like it at first, but you should notice a big difference in how you feel during the day after regular morning workouts.

5. You’ll sleep better.

Exercising later in the day tends to disrupt your body’s cycles. All the benefits we mentioned earlier will be occurring, but they will be happening too late in the day. You may find that you’re too wired to go to bed if you exercise too late in the day. All of that brain power and metabolism boosting will be going to waste! By switching to morning workouts instead, your body will be ready to go to sleep at the end of the day and you will sleep more soundly.

It may be hard to get up a few minutes earlier, but in the end, you’re doing your body a big favor. Take the morning exercise challenge for two weeks and see how you feel!

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Originally posted 2008-08-26 05:49:30. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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We all know that eating poorly and failing to exercise is the best way to stay fat, but there are other factors that can lead to excess weight gain. While some of these factors may be out of your control, there are a few that you can address, starting today. In many cases, until you make these changes, your dieting efforts may not be as successful as they could be. Let’s take a look at just a few of the things that may be making you fat and how to nip them in the bud.

Problem One - A Lack of Sleep.

Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can lead to excess weight gain for a number of reasons. First, your hormone levels are thrown off when your body does not get the sleep it needs. Many of these hormones are responsible for weight gain, especially around the middle section. Second, when you do not get enough sleep, your body needs additional fuel to keep going. This leads to eating more than you should and before you know it, you’ve got a real problem on your hands.

Solution: These studies recommend getting around eight hours of sleep a night. If you are finding this difficult, you may need to take a hard look at your schedule. Granted, there may be a few things that you cannot control, but on the other hand, many of us waste quite a bit of time each day. Try turning off the television for a week and see just how much extra time you have – that could be devoted to recharging your body.

Problem Two – An Excess Amount of Stress.

This is a huge problem for millions of people and if it is outside stress, it may be difficult to control it. When you are under stress, your body is producing more cortisol, a hormone that has been blamed for weight gain. Once again, you have a similar problem as the one mentioned above. Continued stress may also lead to stress eating, and a host of other problems.

Solution: Learn to channel bad stress into good stress to combat this issue. Adding physical activity each day can help your body get rid of that stress and you’ll feel refreshed and you will be less likely to succumb to stress eating. Try to limit your stress as much as possible by managing your time more effectively, finding a different job or by finding ways to decompress at the end of every day.

These are just two common problems that can lead to weight gain. See how many trigger areas you have in your life that may be the culprit behind that spare tire you’re carrying around. Once you’ve identified them, you can work to resolve the issue and get healthier. It won’t happen over night, but by reducing your stress levels and sleeping more, you will notice a difference not only in your weight, but in your overall health.

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If you're living a stressful life and wondering why those pounds keep creeping on, there is scientific evidence that has proven that stress can actually make you fat. The good news is that there are many ways you can combat stress and start getting healthy. But first, let's look at why stress can cause you to gain weight.

1. Stress releases hormones that allow us to store fat more efficiently.

Storing fat is a bad thing for many of us, and although it's necessary to some degree, stress causes our systems to go a little haywire and we start producing too much cortisol. This causes our bodies to retain fat around the middle, which is not only unsightly, but incredibly unhealthy. Since most of us live with stress on a daily basis, we're producing far too much cortisol and this is leading to weight gain.

2. Stress interferes with sleep - which causes more weight gain.

Recent studies have also shown that a lack of sleep can lead to weigh gain, once again thanks to hormones that run amok in our systems. Even if you're not feeling stressed, your body is and it's reacting by producing more hormones. When we are physically stressed, our whole body tightens up and our minds start racing. It's pretty hard to get enough sleep when you feel like this and we get trapped into a vicious cycle that is very hard to break. Stress piles on more stress and pretty soon, those pounds starting coming on.

3. Stress causes emotional eating.

While some people respond to stress with a reduced appetite, by far the majority end up eating to combat their stress levels. Whether it's increased snacking simply because we feel so edgy or emotional eating of comfort food, stress is a major reason that many of us overeat. When combined with the factors above, you've got a recipe for disaster.

But there is a way to change all of that and break the stress cycle. While you'll never be able to remove all stress from your life, there are ways that you can combat it and break free of that cycle.

First, you need to learn to realize when you're feeling stressed out. As soon as that feeling creeps up, you'll need to learn to take deep breaths to counteract what your body is telling your brain and vice versa. Practice deep inhalations and exhalations until they become second nature.

Next, you'll need to learn to start treating your body right instead of abusing it, which only makes stress worse. If you're having a rough time or a bad week, schedule a massage. It will do wonders for your mind and your body. If you're feeling overworked, take a personal day and do absolutely nothing. You'll be able to recharge and get back on track.

Little changes add up when it comes to beating stress in your life. While it is difficult to address what causes stress in our lives, we can change the way we respond to it.

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Get on the right supplements -

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Start a healthy exercise plan -

Jumping right into a 2 hour a day exercise plan is not going to do your body any favors and in fact, you can end up injuring yourself. If you have not been active, you need to start small and build up your endurance. Don't be ashamed to exercise for just 15 minutes - it's better than nothing. Slowly add more time each day until you're at a level that is healthy for you.

Drink enough water - but not too much -

Water plays such an important role in our health. We all need it, and when you're dieting, water can really help you feel less hungry. However, you need to make sure that you are not drinking too much water, which can actually be dangerous. Use this simple formula to see how many ounces of water you should be drinking every day - take your weight and divide it in half. This will be the amount of ounces you should be drinking. Just as a reminder - one glass usually equals around 8 to 12 ounces, depending on the size of the glass.

Get plenty of sleep -

Your body is going through a lot while you're dieting and it is very important to make sure that you get enough sleep. This will help balance your body's stress hormones, which can play a role in how we retain weight. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night while you're on a diet, and try to get to bed before midnight.

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