7 Benefits of Working Out in the AM

Waking up can be hard to do, but if you're looking implement a healthy lifestyle that sticks, working out in the AM may be one of the most effective ways maximize your results. In fact, early risers have been found to be less obese, depressed and less stressed out.

Ready to make the switch? (Or just feel better about your choice to rise and shine?) Then read on. Here are the biggest and best perks of working out in the morning.

1. You’ll Burn More Fat

Studies have shown that working out in a fasted state has serious benefits, including increased performance as well as bolstered fat burn. One study published in the British Journal of Nutrition revealed that people who exercise on empty torch 20% more fat than people who exercise post-meal.

One of the main reasons you'll burn more fat is because working out in the morning helps you build more muscle. Muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, so if you build muscle, the food you eat goes toward maintaining that mass instead of being stored as fat. And because your testosterone levels are higher in the morning, and this hormone is a prime driver in muscle growth.

2. You'll Eat Healthier All Day

You might think that working out in the morning would make you feel like you could eat whatever you want all day, but most people find the opposite: working out in the morning makes food less of a temptation.

This isn't anecdotal evidence either: a study from Brigham Young University reveals that women who exercised for 45 minutes in the AM were less tantalized by images of food. Researches also found that the women who exercised didn't consume any more calories per day than the group of women who didn't.

3. You’ll Enjoy Increased Energy

That same study conducted at Bringham Young University also found that the women who exercised in the morning were more active all day. Thank all those energizing happy hormones released by exercise. Thank a good night's sleep. Thank Newton's first law of motion that states body in motion stays in motion, because getting active in the morning will help you stay active (and burning more calories) all day long.

4. You'll Catch Better Z's

And speaking of a good night's sleep, exercising in the AM will actually help you sleep better at night. Working out in the evening raises your body's temperature and releases those exhilarating hormones, and this makes it hard to sleep. When we doze off, our bodies actually cool down and our hormones wind down to allow for optimal rest and recovery.

5. You’ll Protect Against Diabetes

Remember how rising with the dawn and working out on an empty stomach will help you burn fat? Well, it will also help control your insulin, protecting against insulin resistance and glucose intolerance -- both signifiers of type 2 diabetes.

The offshoot? By controlling insulin response, you’ll also fight off more fat.

6. You’ll Boost Your Mood

This is old news, but it bears repeating. Exercising makes you feel better! People who exercise in the morning enjoy better moods all day long. Combine a good mood, improved energy and the increased confidence that comes from a sexy, strong body, and you’re looking at an entire day of crushing goals, meeting deadlines, and living the best life possible. And that’s what it’s all about, right?

Right.

7. You’re Less Likely to Skip

People who workout in the morning are more likely to actually do the workout. They are fresher, less tired, and the demands of the day have not gotten to them yet. They haven’t run out of time or got sidetracked or waylaid by some other commitment. Their workout is done and dusted before their busy life can get in the way of their healthy lifestyle.

So try working out in the AM for a week. Make any adjustments you need to ensure it happens: get any equipment you need, get to bed earlier, stop drinking caffeine after 2pm, turn off screens an hour before you hit the hay and skip the nightcap. Just give it a try for 7 days. We guarantee you’ll fall in love with mornings.