7 Benefits of Getting Your Run Done in the Morning

If you are training to participate in an upcoming race, you'll set yourself up for success if you can mimic race-day conditions during training.

It is very common for races to take place in the morning, especially long races such as a marathon or half marathon. So the more that you can train your body to perform at its best early in the day, the easier it will be to run well on race day. Your body will adapt to getting up early and running or jogging if you can participate in regular morning runs.

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When you run first thing in the morning, you put your own health and wellbeing first. By prioritising your own needs, you are practising a form of self-care. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, self-care can help you manage stress, lower your risk of illness and increase your energy. And when you care for yourself first, you may find that you have greater bandwidth to care for others—family members, work colleagues or friends—throughout the day.

Some people are very good at getting in their daily run regardless of the time of day it takes place. But others find reasons to procrastinate or avoid their jogging workout altogether as the day moves along.

While distractions can interfere with your commitment at any time of the day, you'll likely have more work or family commitments and other tasks that get in the way of your fitness as the day progresses. And some research supports this idea.

A 2020 study published in Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews found that a consistent morning-exercise routine can boost both exercise adherence and weight loss in those with excess weight.

If you go for a run before your workday begins, you increase your chances of bringing your A game to work. A morning bout of exercise can help you to function better mentally. Researchers have found that in the two hours following exercise, you are likely to experience improved executive functions including memory, problem-solving, cognitive flexibility, verbal fluency, decision making and inhibitory control. Exercise can also help you to sustain attention levels when you're tired. And studies have also shown that combining morning exercise with breakfast can help teens perform better on academic tests.

A morning workout may promote better quality of sleep as compared to afternoon or evening workouts. In fact, the authors of a 2014 study published in Vascular Health and Risk Management concluded that early morning may be the most beneficial time to engage in aerobic exercise.

Other studies have supported these findings. A study on older adults published in Sleep Medicine showed that morning workouts may be particularly helpful for those who have difficulty falling asleep. And another study suggested that vigorous evening workouts (conducted within an hour of bedtime) may impair sleep.

A few studies have suggested that a morning-exercise session may help some people manage hypertension (high blood pressure). For example, the authors of the previously mentioned 2014 study from Vascular Health and Risk Management looked specifically at those diagnosed with prehypertension. They found that the improved sleep enjoyed by morning exercisers helped study participants lower blood pressure at night, which they suggest promotes a restorative physiological process.

Running or jogging at any time of day can help you to burn calories, reduce body fat, promote weight loss and improve your body composition. According to the American Council on Exercise, a 68kg person burns about 362 calories during a 40-minute run at a 12-minute-per-mile pace. If that same person were to run an 8:30-minute-per-mile pace, they would burn 521 calories, and they'd burn a whopping 725 calories at a six-minute-per-mile pace. When paired with a nutritious and calorie-controlled diet, a jogging programme can help you to reach and maintain a healthy weight.

But morning exercise may provide additional benefits. According to a 2016 study published in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, participating in a morning run after an overnight fast can increase fat oxidation during exercise and help you to decrease food intake over the 24 hours following exercise.