As the sun rises earlier and earlier filling our mornings with brightness, cheer, and positivity, what better way is there to start the day than by pounding the pavement with a brisk morning run? While it’s incredibly tempting, even on gloriously cheerful mornings, to keep on hitting that snooze button time and again a morning run brings with it a host of benefits. It aids blood flow to the brain thereby helping to facilitate better concentration, focus, and memory throughout the working day. It’s also a great way to keep your blood sugar stable and manage the stress of the workplace and the household. What’s more, a brisk morning run floods your brain with endorphins helping you get a beautiful day off to the most positive possible start.
Still, despite the many benefits of a morning run, this popular activity also has some caveats. When your feet hit the streets it behooves you to be aware of the following…
Mind your surroundings
Your morning run is a great opportunity to get your thoughts in order and map out the day to come. Nonetheless, there’s a danger in staying too much inside your head at the expense of awareness of the street and the road around you. This is exacerbated if you hit the street with loud music blaring through your headphones. By all means, enjoy your favorite tunes while you run but be aware of other pedestrians and vehicles. Otherwise, your run could be cut short and you could spend the rest of your day finding personal injury attorneys online. Keep your music low enough to hear what’s going on around you and stay aware of your surroundings.
Fight the urge to sleep in
The morning is arguably the best time to head out for your morning run… But it’s also potentially the most difficult time to make the commitment to run. If you’re to reap the benefits of a morning run each and every day, you’ll need to have put measures in place to resist the allure of the snooze button. Some tips I find helpful include;
- Put your alarm clock out of reach (if you need to get out of bed to switch it off it makes everything else easier)
- Lay out your running clothes so you can climb straight into them
- Sleep in your running clothes (your partner may not be crazy about the idea but it’s a great way of making it as easy as possible to roll out of bed and hit the road).
Stay hydrated
Avoid breakfasting until you get back from your run but make sure that you are well hydrated and bring a bottle of water with you, even if you’re only going on a short run. If you fail to stay well hydrated this could result in a painful stitch that may cut short your morning run and put you off future running endeavors.
Enjoy a hearty breakfast afterward
Finally, you probably don’t need me to tell you this but when you get back from your morning’s exertions, it’s essential to treat yourself to a hearty and nutritious breakfast. Not only will your body get the best out of the nutrients it imbibes, but it will also help to establish a psychological system of effort and reward that makes running in the morning a healthy and pleasurable routine.
Happy running!
