We all know the physical and health benefits of exercising daily in the morning. If we exercise, we will remain fit, healthy and energetic all through the day. We also know the health benefits of exercising in our sedimentary lifestyle. Regardless of age, exercising helps us prevent chronic diseases and maintain our cholesterol and blood pressure levels. It also helps us burn those extra calories and to keep our weight in check. Exercising also keeps different parts of our body active, making it easier to do any strenuous physical task whenever required.

But there are many other benefits of exercising daily in the morning which we don’t realize. These benefits effects our mood and energy levels all through the day. Here I am listing 5 such positives from exercising which we don’t realize –

1. Personal Victory

When you wake up early, and get out of bed for exercising, that itself is a victory. A personal victory over our lazy and procrastinating self. A victory over the many different reasons which you will find for not getting out of bed in the morning. And let me tell you, those reasons will always be there. Having the courage to actually get out of bed and go walking or jogging is a personal victory. And what better way to start your day than with a personal victory over that part of yourselves which is weak, doubtful and unsure by the part which is courageous, brave and energized.

2. Confidence in Yourself

Keeping your confidence in yourself is very important, especially in times of setbacks, emotional turmoils or financial difficulties. Knowing that you wake up every morning and exercise will always remind you that you are a winner. It takes a lot of courage, determination and discipline to exercise daily and when you apply these traits in exercising, you know you can apply these in other areas of your life too. You carry the positive energy coming from exercising to the rest of your life and that will help create a chain of positive events, even in difficult times.

A man's health can be judged by which he takes two at a time - pills or stairs. ~Joan Welsh

3. Stress Buster

Life is full of surprises, and not all of them good. And it hurts when a not-so-good surprise reaches us when we are not expecting it. Often we find ourselves reaching for things like food, alcohol, or drugs because they make us feel better. The same feeling can come from exercising. Exercise provides an outlet for negative emotions like your frustration, anger, resentment towards an individual, an organization or a situation, which in turn promotes a positive outlook. Medically also it is proved that exercising releases mood-elevating chemicals in the brain and reduces the amount of negative hormones.

4. Peaceful Greeting to the Day

Exercising is a wonderful way to greet every new day as it begins. Nothing can be better than seeing the first rays of light on the horizon or the sunrise. Everything is so quite and peaceful in the morning, and many say that mornings are the most productive time to do anything. You can easily hear the sound of the wind, of bird chirping in the morning. You can focus on your breathing in the morning as the city is still asleep and you are alienated from its hustle and bustle. Mornings are also a wonderful time to read a book, or to think and make plans for the day ahead.

5. Free Time Later in the Day

When you get up early in the morning, you are calm and relaxed as you get time to think and plan out your day. You don’t to have to rush to get ready to catch the office bus or take the car through traffic in a rush to reach office in time for that 10 am meeting. Instead you are free and can leave early to avoid the traffic rush. With this state of mind, you are more productive and energetic the whole day and will obviously wrap up your work earlier than in normal days. This will leave you extra time in the evening to spend with your kids and family. Just imagine the kind of sleep you will get at night if you get up and exercise, then reach office and work more productively,  and later spend some quality time in the evening with your family.

In such a lifestyle, there is no space for any stress and we will always be better equipped to handle life’s problems and setbacks when they come. All by doing one simple act of exercising daily, and regularly. If you have always thought that you didn’t have time to exercise because you are busy, think again. Because exercising does not only gives you benefits in that 30 mins or 1 hour that you exercise, it has a huge impact on the whole of your day. I would say, certainly a worthwhile investment to do daily first thing in the morning.