Not many of us would describe ourselves as “morning people.” But there are those out there who don’t require copious amounts of coffee to start the day and those who don’t need to hit the snooze button until they make themselves late. However, if you count yourself among the night owls and non-morning people of the world, you still can motivate yourself to complete morning workouts instead of having to take time later in the day to fit in fitness.

There are many advantages to doing morning workouts, including regulating sleep patterns, so if you like to lounge in bed, then you may not need to after getting in the morning workout habit. And when you teach your body to rise and shine at the same time each day, you tend to rely less on the alarm clock and more on your body’s natural clock. Rising at the same time each day regulates your body’s endocrine system and circadian rhythms. And when you work out in the morning, you jump start your metabolism, which can keep burning more calories for up to 24 hours after that first workout!You also harness more brainpower – mental acuity is high for four to 10 hours after exercise, so it’s beneficial to get in a workout before that morning meeting or presentation. When you work out consistently in the morning, then you don’t have the opportunity to wimp out later when the day starts getting crazy and your priorities shift. Give a morning workout regimen a try – it’ll pay off for the rest of the day…and beyond.