If you're looking to lose weight and improve your fitness, you may be tempted to jump into an intense exercise regimen right away. However, experts suggest that starting with a quick morning workout can be an effective way to kick-start your metabolism and burn fat all day long.
Studies have shown that working out in the morning can boost your metabolism for hours after you finish exercising. This means that you'll continue to burn calories and fat even when you're at rest, making it easier to lose weight and keep it off.
As you move through the exercises, this workout has you up to your tempo and get your fat burning to the max.
The best part is, you can do this workout anywhere.
For those looking for fat loss, do these morning exercises before you eat your breakfast. Working out in a fasted state is shown to increase fat burning and lead to a higher resting metabolic rate.
All you need is 10 minutes in the morning. In just 3-4 weeks, you should be seeing noticeable improvements in your body and health.
4 Exercises for Your Morning Workout to Burn Fat
1. Squats
Squat exercise would work your lower body primarily, but it’s actually a great full-body workout. It’s one of the best physical movements you can do to not only strengthen your body but also increase functionalities. Squats require you to keep your upper body intact, using your core muscles.
They’d also work your hamstrings, quads, and glutes to mimic the sitting movements. By engaging all your body parts in one move, is a good exercise to start your routine.
You can do this with bodyweight only or add a resistance band to elevate your challenge.
How to:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keep your hands on the waist and slightly lean forward with your upper body.
- Contract your abs and lower your body as far as you can by pushing your hips back.
- Keep bending your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pause, and return to the starting position, and repeat.
2. Push-Ups
The pushup is the king of all exercises. It’s an effective way to build your fitness level and develop upper body strength. Push-ups are considered a total body exercise but primarily work your shoulders, chest, and core.
Though, let’s not underestimate this classic move. Push-ups add 75% of your body weight to the exercise by being parallel to the ground.
Your goal should be to complete 10 or so pushups on the floor, but if you are a beginner, start with a modified variation. As you build your fitness abilities, you may move up to these floor pushups.
To do beginner push-ups, instead of having your feet on the ground, keep your knees on the floor. They help you learn the techniques without having to take on too much challenge.
How to:
- Get down on all your fours in a push-up position with your arms straight and your hands placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Your body should form a straight line from your ankles to your head.
- Brace your core. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor. Pause, and then push back up. Repeat 10-12 times.
3. Plank
Plank is a core exercise that works your whole body. It has you tighten your core muscles and others throughout the move to keep the hold position.
Many assume it’s an easy exercise, but it can be further from the truth. 2-3 sessions of plank hold can really give your abs an intense workout like never before.
How to:
- Get in a plank position by placing your hands directly under the shoulders on the floor.
- Keep them slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Legs should be fully extended to the back and keep your feet on the ground to support.
- Squeeze your glutes and prop your body, so it forms a straight line from head to your heels.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds. Do your best to keep all your body parts in place during the 30 seconds. If you find your form from slugging, stop and rest.
4. Bicycle Crunch
Last but not least, the bicycle crunch is a fast-paced move that truly revs up your metabolism and gets your heart rate up. It’s vigorous and hard. But it’s a good fitness move with both anaerobic elements and strength training.
The movements are focused on the abs and core, but the toning benefits would far reach your lower and upper body. It’s also one exercise that truly targets your lower abs and helps you torch the fat in the low abdominal region.
You’d also be thankful it’s the last exercise on the set. After this move, you’ll be resting for a minute until you start your next set.
How to:
- Lie flat on your back on the floor. Put your hands behind your head, without locking your fingers together.
- Bring your knees in towards your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the ground.
- Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow towards the left knee.
- Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows.
- Now switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep. Continue alternating from side to side to complete 10-12 reps per side.
Last Word on Morning Workout
There you have it!
A quick early-morning workout routine you can do to start your day.
After your quick 6 minutes, you’ll be ready to tackle your day with good energy and a happy mood.
Exercising any time of the day is good for your body and health, but evidence suggests that you may burn more fat when you exercise in the morning before breakfast.
Challenge yourself to wake up 10 minutes early to start your day right with this 6-minute workout.
Sources:
- Joo, Jaehyun, et al. “The Influence of 15-Week Exercise Training on Dietary Patterns among Young Adults.” International Journal of Obesity (2005), U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2019, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6639161/.
- Gomez, Ana Maria, et al. “Effects of Performing Morning VERSUS Afternoon Exercise on Glycemic Control and Hypoglycemia Frequency in Type 1 Diabetes Patients ON Sensor-Augmented Insulin Pump Therapy.” Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, SAGE Publications, May 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604526/.