Smash your goals: How to add a class to your morning routine

When you live in a city that’s always buzzing, it can be hard to fit everything you want to do into a day. Whether you work from home, commute to an office or have a young family to manage, you need to grab every opportunity to optimise your routine. Here’s why a morning fitness class might help you achieve more than you realise – and how to fit one into your schedule.

Morning exercise benefits

There are a tonne of social and personal reasons that exercising in the AM is a brilliant idea, but here’s what science has to say about it:

That coffee you fumble to make while your eyes are still opening? It has been proven to boost speed and endurance. So a coffee an hour before your workout is not just allowed, it’s positively encouraged. But that’s not all; a post-workout cup of coffee also increases the amount of energy you burn in the time after your workout.

To top it off, studies have shown that exercising in the morning helps you make better food choices throughout the day, both in terms of reducing snacking and choosing healthier options.

As if nailing your personal fitness goals and making your morning cup of joe even more effective isn’t enough, you also get a burst of stress-busting endorphins when you work out. 

An added bonus for the fearless: try a fasted workout (sorry, that means no coffee). While the research on this is inconclusive, it does suggest that fasting helps to prevent weight gain in people with a higher calorie diet.

How to fit a class into your morning

With all these benefits, you can hit your fitness goals AND get to enjoy being in nature with good company by squeezing a group class into your morning. 

Classes don’t have to start at silly o’clock, but you’ll soon warm up and feel the buzz once you get going, so try getting out of your comfort zone and kickstarting your day a little early. Not sure you’ve got it in you? You can increase your chance of success with the following tips:

• Prepare your breakfast and post-workout snack the night before.
• Keep your workout gear all in one place, ready to go.
• Set your alarm and leave it on the other side of your bedroom so you have to get up to shut it off. According to research, using a recording of a familiar voice instead of a standard alarm tone might help you wake up more quickly.
• Brush your teeth just before you leave and make sure you’re hydrated (trust us on this one).
• Get a coffee down you first thing!

Now you have the lowdown on how an early outdoor workout can help you be healthier and happier all day, the only thing that’s left is to book a kick-ass morning class.

As always, stay fit, and stay healthy.