Well, well...is it true? Is the relaxation and splendor of the summer really coming to an end? Are packing lunches, homework and all things scholastic right around the corner? Yes indeed...school is almost back in session.
As a mom who has endeavored to homeschool 3 out of her 4 children (baby is barely 2), I probably try to squeeze out the last drops of summer harder then most Moms. I relish the laid back schedule and ability to permanently remain wearing my MOM hat (while letting the 'teacher' hat remain undisturbed in my armoire). As of now, most of my curriculum is en route via Amazon, but I still have some subjects in the TBD file. But how does any of this, you ask, relate to fitness?
One of the major reasons that I have been able to conquer the last 3 of my 6 homeschooling years has to do with
consistent,
hard...and fun...exercise. I was never able to really exercise as often as I set out too when I was trying to schedule those workouts later in the day or evening. Too many good excuses would cause me to miss my weekly goals. Consistent exercise absolutely effects the ability I have to teach, remain organized, energized, and perhaps, most importantly, sweet.
Disclaimer: perhaps
sweeter would be more of an appropriate choice of words).
Also, I LOVE people and I need to know that I will have definite kid-free times arranged in my week. I look forward to joining my girlfriends every morning. The relationships people develop when the work,
dare say suffer, together is really special. Some of my greatest times are spent before 7am!
Early morning fitness continually holds the gold in regards to CONSISTENCY...the statistics are undeniable!
90% of consistent exercisers are morning exercisers! More over, early morning exercisers tend to be more productive, organized, and overall successful in not only the realms of fitness, but in many areas of their professional and personal life.
If you are about to start a new phase of life either sending your kids to school, or homeschooling, consider adding consistent and effective exercise to your weekly schedule. The emotional and physical results are worth it!
READ ON:
*Check out #6!!!
Learn to Love A.M. Exercise
(Even if You're Not a Morning Person)
-- By Rebecca Pratt, Staff Writer, SPARK
I am not a morning person.
This confession will come as no surprise to my friends and family, most of whom have spent many glorious years making merry over my tendency to nod off over breakfast, my need for copious amounts of coffee before noon, and my late-night bursts of productivity.
For years I’ve tried to pretend I’m one of “them”—those chirpy, cheerful folks who rise effortlessly at dawn to go after that proverbial worm. I’ve also spent many years suppressing the urge to complain bitterly about a world where night owls like me suffer grievous discrimination at the hands of those ubiquitous “normal” people.
So those who know me best are always startled—no, make that shocked—to find out that I do most of my exercising in the early hours of the day, anywhere from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. They’re even more astonished, after an initial double take, to discover that I actually like to get my exercise in early.
Really.
And though my morning-exercise regimen started out as a concession to the practical constraints of my life, I have since discovered that there are some very good benefits to learning to love exercise in the morning—so I’ll share with you my “Top Ten Reasons” for getting up with the early birds to get moving:
- Exercising early in the morning "jump starts" your metabolism, keeping it elevated for hours, sometimes for up to 24 hours! As a result, you’ll be burning more calories all day long—just because you exercised in the morning.
- Exercising in the morning energizes you for the day—not to mention that gratifying feeling of virtue you have knowing you’ve done something disciplined and good for you. (Much better than a worm!)
- Studies have shown that exercise significantly increases mental acuity—a benefit that lasts four to ten hours after your workout ends. Exercising in the a.m. means you get to harness that brainpower, instead of wasting it while you’re snoozing.
- Assuming you make exercise a true priority, it shouldn’t be a major problem to get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier—especially since regular exercise generally means a higher quality of sleep, which in turn means you’ll probably require less sleep. (If getting up 30 to 60 minutes earlier each day seems too daunting, you can ease into it with 10 to 20 minutes at first.)
- When you exercise at about the same time every morning—especially if you wake up regularly at about the same time—you’re regulating your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms. Your body learns that you do the same thing just about every day, and it begins to prepare for waking and exercise several hours before you actually open your eyes. That’s beneficial because:
- Your body’s not “confused” by wildly changing wake-up times, which means waking up is much less painful. (You may even find that you don’t need an alarm clock most days.)
- Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc.
- Your metabolism, along with all the hormones involved in activity and exercise, begin to elevate while you're sleeping. As a result, you’ll feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake up.
- Many people find that morning exercise has a tendency to regulate their appetite for the rest of the day. Not only do they eat less (since activity causes the release of endorphins, which in turn diminishes appetite), they also choose healthier portions of healthier foods.
- People who consistently exercise find, sometimes to their great surprise, that the appointed time every morning evolves into something they look forward to. Besides the satisfaction of taking care of themselves, they find it’s a great time to plan their day, pray, or just think more clearly—things most of us often don’t get to do otherwise.
- Exercising first thing in the morning is the most foolproof way to ensure that other things don’t overtake your fitness commitment, particularly if you have a hectic family life. (It’s so easy to wimp out in the evening, when we’re tired or faced with such tasks as rustling up dinner and helping with homework.)
- More than 90% of those who exercise consistently have a morning fitness routine. If you want to exercise on a regular basis, the odds are in your favor if you squeeze your workout into the a.m.
- Non-morning people can always trick themselves in the a.m. Having trouble psyching yourself up for a sunrise jog? Do what I did—tell yourself that you’ll still be so fast asleep that you won’t even remember—much less mind!
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