LIFE S.A.V.E.R.S.
E Is for Exercise
“If you don’t make time for exercise, you’ll probably have to make time for illness.”
—Robin Sharma
“The only exercise most people get is jumping to conclusions, running down their friends, side-stepping responsibility, and pushing their luck.”
—Unknown
We all know how important exercise is for maintaining our health, increasing our strength, and improving our endurance, but we may not be aware of the benefits that are specific to exercising in the morning. The benefits of morning exercise are too significant to ignore. From quickly transcending that just-woke-up mental fog and boosting your alertness, to enhancing your mental clarity and focus, to helping you sustain higher levels of energy throughout the day, exercising soon after rising optimizes how you feel and how well you perform your daily tasks.
When you exercise, even for just a few minutes, it circulates blood and oxygen throughout your body, significantly boosting your energy and cognitive functions, enabling you to think more effectively and concentrate longer. Postponing exercise delays the benefits that would otherwise positively impact your productivity throughout the day.
Additionally, exercising on an empty stomach (in a fasted state) has been proven to burn more excess body fat than exercising after eating a meal. This happens because after a full night’s sleep, your supply of carbohydrates (your body’s preferred energy source) is not readily available. According to a study performed at the University of Cambridge, “Aerobic exercise at low-to-moderate intensity, performed in the fasted state, induces an increase in fat oxidation when compared with exercise performed following consumption of a carbohydrate-containing meal.”
To clarify, I’m not suggesting that you need to go to the gym or do a full-blown workout in the morning. What I am suggesting is that you spend a few minutes moving your body and elevating your heart rate so that you can harness the benefits of morning exercise.
I recently watched an encouraging interview with personal development expert, bestselling author, and entrepreneur Eben Pagan. He was being interviewed by Tony Robbins, who asked, “Eben, what is your number one key to success?” I was pleasantly surprised when Eben’s response was, “I start every morning off with a personal success ritual. That is the most important key to success.” He then went on to address the importance of morning exercise.
“Every morning, you’ve got to get your heart rate up and get your blood flowing and fill your lungs with oxygen,” he said. “Don’t just exercise at the end of the day or in the middle of the day. And even if you do like to exercise at those times, always incorporate at least 10 to 20 minutes of jumping jacks or some sort of aerobic exercise in the morning.”
As you customize your Miracle Morning, you’ll decide the amount of time you want to devote to exercise, but as you’ll see in the next chapter, you can experience the benefits of morning exercise in as little as 60 seconds (literally). For now, just know that whatever you do during your period of morning exercise—whether you spend a few minutes doing jumping jacks, lifting weights, following a yoga video on YouTube, or going for a quick walk, run, or bike ride outside—is up to you. What’s important is that you commit to engaging your body in movement during your Miracle Morning to get blood and oxygen circulating throughout your body and brain, so you can think and feel at your best.
Let’s Talk About Yoga
To be clear, I am no yogi. But if I were only allowed to practice one form of exercise for the rest of my life, I would, without a doubt, choose yoga. The reason is that it is a complete, holistic form of exercise. It is complete in that it combines stretching, strength training, cardiovascular training, breathwork, and even meditation. It is holistic in that it tends to benefit the mind, body, and spirit—simultaneously.
I began practicing yoga shortly after I established my Miracle Morning and have been doing it, and loving it, ever since. One of my favorite teachers has been world-renowned yoga expert and author Dashama. I have found her to be one of the most authentic, enjoyable, and practical yoga teachers I’ve ever come across. I asked her to share her unique perspective as a true expert who has invested well beyond 10,000 hours into practicing and teaching yoga.
Yoga is a multifaceted science that has applications for the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of life. When Hal asked me to contribute a short introduction to yoga for this book, I felt it was in perfect alignment with The Miracle Morning. I know from personal experience that yoga can help you create miracles in your life. I’ve experienced it in mine and witnessed it in countless others whom I have taught around the world.
The important thing to remember is that yoga can take place in many forms. Whether it is sitting in silent meditation, breathing to expand your lung capacity, or back bending to open your heart— there are practices that can help every aspect of your life. The key is to learn which techniques to practice when you need a remedy and to use it to your advantage to bring yourself into balance.
A consistent yoga practice can enhance your life in many ways. It can heal what is out of harmony and can move stuck or blocked energy through your body, creating space for new fluid movement, blood flow, and energy to circulate. I encourage you to try some new sequences as you feel ready.
Blessings and love,
Dashama
If you’d like to try yoga from the comfort of your own home, I recommend simply visiting YouTube and searching “yoga” to access countless guided videos from Dashama and other yoga teachers.
Final Thoughts on Exercise
While we all know how beneficial daily exercise is for optimizing our health and energy levels, it can be far too easy to procrastinate and make excuses to put off exercising. Two of the most common excuses are “I don’t have time” and “I’m too tired.” Have either of those excuses ever stopped you from working out?
That’s what makes incorporating exercise into your Miracle Morning such a game changer: it happens before you have an entire day to come up with excuses to avoid exercise and before your day wears you out and you’re too tired. The Miracle Morning is a surefire way to make exercise a daily habit, which will enable you to perform at your physical, mental, and emotional best every single day.
Disclaimer: Hopefully this goes without saying, but you should consult your doctor or physician before beginning any exercise regimen, especially if you are experiencing physical pain, discomfort, disabilities, and similar. You may need to modify or even refrain from your exercise routine to meet your individual needs.