Running in the morning: effective and free weight loss. Morning jogging: benefits for women and men What is the best way to start running in the morning

Many overweight people would like to start jogging in the morning to get a lean and athletic body. Morning jogging for weight loss helps improve health, does not require financial expenses, normalizes metabolism, gives vigor, and gets rid of extra pounds. However, to get this result you need to run correctly.

What are the benefits of morning jogging for weight loss?

There is no clear answer about the absolute benefits of morning exercise; many factors are determined by the characteristics and habits of a particular person. If you have a hard time getting up in the morning, you shouldn’t mock yourself and go for a run. Feeling overwhelmed will not help you achieve a beautiful figure and will ruin your mood for the rest of the day.

Important! If morning running does not bring satisfaction, you should think about evening classes.

Morning jogging for weight loss

For a person who wakes up easily, running in the morning will bring positive results. Before your run, you can eat a little, drink a glass of water and start exercising.

Running in the morning for weight loss: benefits

General benefits of regular jogging:

Blood circulation in the body improves. The number of heart beats per second increases 2-3 times, the heart muscle strengthens.
The muscles of the legs, abs, arms, and neck develop.
The walls of blood vessels are strengthened.

The benefits of running in the morning compared to running in the evening:

Running in the morning, compared to jogging in the evenings, puts less strain on the spine, since the vertebral discs have not yet sagged after a hard day, which means they are less injured.
Running in the morning is healthier due to cleaner air, since emissions released into the atmosphere the day before have already been partially processed by plants overnight.
Morning exercises speed up your metabolism, which speeds up weight loss.

Can you lose weight if you run in the morning?

Note! It is morning jogging that is most useful for losing weight.

After waking up, there is an energy deficit in the body, so when running, you spend a third more calories than when training in the evening or during the day. In the morning, the body will begin to use energy from fat reserves.

How to start jogging in the morning to lose weight

The main reason for dissatisfaction with your figure is excess weight formed by fat. Losing weight is complicated by the fact that the body perceives fats as the main energy reserve.

Note! In order for the body to begin to consume reserves, it must run out of the main building material - proteins. In this case, the body converts reserve fats into energy.

For maximum energy expenditure, slow running is suitable, after which a person gets less tired. Thanks to the slow pace, fat is consumed faster with minimal stress on the body.

Jogging on an empty stomach or after breakfast?

Almost every person who decides to jog in the morning wonders whether it is worth eating before exercise.

Morning jogging on an empty stomach is useful for losing weight, but a minimal amount of sugar in the blood can play a cruel joke on a person. Sugar deficiency can lead to loss of consciousness.

Important! Before training, you should not have a heavy breakfast.

Before training:

Morning jogging on an empty stomach is good for weight loss

You need to replenish your fluid supply. A large cup of tea with sugar is suitable for these purposes. Water will help reduce blood viscosity, sugar will immediately be broken down for energy.
Depending on the intensity and duration of exercise, you need to adjust the amount of breakfast before jogging. The longer and more energy-intensive the workouts are, the more energy the body will require. In such cases, you can supplement the tea with cereal cookies or light porridge.

Note! During sleep, the blood becomes thicker and more viscous. If a person goes for a run without replenishing the water deficit, he creates additional stress on the heart, which will be forced to pump thick blood at an accelerated rate. Such stress is fraught with cardiovascular diseases.

A nutritious breakfast containing carbohydrates, vitamins and proteins must follow your workout to replenish the lack of nutrients in the body.

A small snack is necessary before any activity at any time of the day (meal must include a drink or consists only of drink).

What time should you run?

Most people give up morning exercises due to the difficulty of getting up in the morning. To make the task easier, you can start going to bed 15-20 minutes earlier.

Note! Intense exercise after waking up is harmful to the heart. To reduce the load on blood vessels, you should do a short warm-up before jogging.

Warming up will help warm up your muscles before training and prepare your heart for the load.

Jogging at any time of the day is contraindicated:

people with severe heart and vascular diseases;
people with severe spinal injuries.

If you want to start running with such diseases, you must consult a doctor.

If jogging is done to strengthen the body, the time of exercise does not play a significant role. Running for weight loss will be most effective in the first half of the day.

Morning running for beginners: weight loss schedule

A jogging schedule when losing weight plays an important role for both men and women. The schedule develops the habit of jogging. The training program helps you achieve results faster and helps the body adapt to the load.

When creating a training schedule, you should alternate between rest days and jogging days. 3 running workouts per week are considered a classic load schedule.

Running for beginners

The following rules should be followed when creating a schedule:

Beginners can start with 15 minutes of running, adding 2-4 minutes with each workout.
Don’t forget about the final exercises that will help return your heart rate to normal and restore vascular function. This could be walking, walking in place.
Don't start with long distances. For starters, 600-700 meters will be enough.
Gradually the distance can be increased by 100-150 meters.
Men are recommended to run a distance of 3 km, women - 2 km (with a gradual increase in the distance).
The lesson can take from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. The duration depends on the goals of the training.

The following training structure is considered standard:

About 20 minutes of stretching or warming up

About 20 minutes of stretching or warming up.
About half an hour of running.
10 minutes of finishing exercises.

You should not give your body a lot of stress during the first two months of training. This time is necessary for the muscles to adapt and create tone. Overload can lead to disruption of the cardiovascular system. When practicing, you need to focus on your feelings and well-being.

Running in the morning is an effective, affordable and free way to lose weight. The main thing is regularity of classes. At first it will be difficult if you are not used to it, so it is important not to give up exercising, and then after 3-4 weeks you will be able to see the result on the scales.

Most doctors and trainers talk about the benefits of morning running, but there is still no clear opinion on this matter. And this is understandable: unreasonable morning workouts can harm the body. And besides, there are a number of contraindications that make running in the morning undesirable.

Basic Rule– This is a mandatory warm-up before starting classes. When running, you also need to pick up speed smoothly, moving from slow to your normal pace.

We will tell you about the benefits and harms of morning running.

Benefit

It is known that running has a positive effect on the heart, increasing blood flow to the heart muscle and thereby making it more resilient. It is also useful for the lungs, as it increases their volume. And the entire cardiovascular system, receiving a load, is strengthened. Due to this, the overall endurance of the body and its resistance to disease increases.

As for morning running, with regular exercise the body gets used to early exercise. And this makes the climb quick and easy. A person wakes up in a cheerful state, which is important for a successful start to the working day.

Jogging in the morning is especially useful for those who complain of poor appetite: jogging leads to the expenditure of energy resources. It is clear that after it the body needs to replenish its reserves. And this naturally leads to increased appetite. So, having walked a couple of kilometers in the morning, you can sit down to a hearty breakfast.

Morning cross-country is especially important for those who want to lose weight. During the day or evening, the body burns fats only after it runs out of carbohydrates. And to deplete carbohydrate reserves, a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise is required. But in the morning, when we just woke up, carbohydrates are virtually at zero. This means that when running in the morning, fats begin to be burned immediately after the process begins.

It should also be said about healthy sleep. If you run, for example, in the evening, your body needs to calm down and readjust. And this takes time. Running in the morning, forcing a person to expend energy, makes itself felt by the evening with pleasant fatigue, which guarantees a quick fall asleep.

Harm

First of all, excessive loads are harmful. Anyone who runs faster than 11 km/h has the same chance of getting a heart attack as those who like to lie on the couch. Therefore, the best option is to jog, slowly. Doctors consider the optimal running time to be 50 minutes, and in general they advise running no more than 2.5 hours in a week.

This absolutely applies to running in the morning. But there is another important nuance here. If a person has problems sleeping, then early jogging will harm the nervous system. This method of awakening will result in noticeable stress and, as a result, a general weakening of the body.

Let us also add that running in the morning is not recommended for people with diseases of the liver, kidneys, joints and cardiovascular system. Problems with the spine and posture are another contraindication. So is hypertension. In addition, individual characteristics can become an obstacle to morning jogging: for example, the body takes a long time to “start up” and does not work at full capacity for the first half of the day. In a word, take care of yourself, run correctly and be healthy!

How to start running?

Yes, yes, “I want to start running”, “I’ll go jogging on Monday”, “I need to take care of myself” - it’s hard to even imagine how many times and in what languages these words are spoken every day. There is nothing particularly bad about this - the way our body works is that lying at home in front of the TV is much more pleasant than running in the drizzling rain on a cold morning. But the path to the stars is thorny, and losing excess weight or strengthening the cardiovascular system or developing endurance will not work just like that.

And yet there are, there are running techniques that will suit even the laziest. Is it hard to run? And you go. Every day. Then add more minutes of running until you can run for 15 minutes. Choose a slow pace, it is advisable to be able to talk while jogging, if you feel unbearable, slow down.

People were created to run, many people just forgot about it. One way or another, the moment will come when you can spend a quarter of an hour jogging without any problems. For this moment to come, you must adhere to some rules:

Warm up. This will prepare the body for the upcoming “Turbo” mode and make it easier to stay in it.
Try not to overeat before running.
Body position: head looks forward, chin is not pressed to the chest and not thrown back, arms are bent at 90° and pressed with the elbows to the body, legs are carried forward by the hip, do not play, the body is strictly vertical, we land in the middle of the foot, push off with the base of the big toe (in The result is rolling).
Breathe in a way that is comfortable for you, but in cold weather we recommend inhaling through your nose.
Don't be afraid of pain in your side. Slow down when it appears, after a few workouts it will stop bothering you.
Pace. Take care of yourself, choose moderate - it's great for beginners.
Do not take too wide steps; ideally, the impact of your feet should occur under your body.

Golden Rule, of course, not necessary, but you will resort to it one way or another: every week increase the distance traveled by 10% (2000 meters - 2200 meters), the time spent on training (60 minutes - 66 minutes). After some time, you will remember with a smile that you once ran 2 kilometers in 18 minutes.

Now you can start experimenting - set goals for yourself and try to fulfill them. Run such and such a distance in such and such a time, run short distances with maximum acceleration.

If you are interested in losing weight, then you should know some nuances. During the first 15-30 minutes of running, the body uses up glycogen and ATP reserves in the muscles, and only after this time does active lipolysis turn on, i.e. fat burning. This happens if you are not running very slowly. To speed up the onset of lipolysis, the method of intermittent (or intermittent) running is best suited. Run 1 minute hard, 2 minutes slow, and repeat these cycles until you get tired. Choose the ratio of fast to slow running for yourself. This method is quickly exhausting, but is most suitable if you want to lose weight.

While running, you can meditate, listen to music or sounds of nature, you can find yourself a partner - perhaps one of the best ways to break up your running routine. Nowadays, there is so little something pleasant and useful at the same time, and running is one of these rare phenomena. Enjoy it and it will reward you with good health and good mood.

A healthy lifestyle attracts more and more people every day. And this is not surprising - by giving up bad habits and playing sports, you can significantly extend your life and move forward by many years the point at which a person begins to suffer from all sorts of “sores.” Morning jogging is a simple and effective way to keep yourself in good shape. But how can you force yourself to run in the morning, and what are the benefits of such running? Let's try to figure it out.

What are the benefits of running in the morning?

Running workouts done in the morning have many benefits. The main benefits of running include:

strengthening blood vessels and the heart, preventing heart diseases, including blockage of blood vessels and heart attack;

normalization of blood pressure, reduction of pulse - this is especially useful for older people;

development of skeletal muscles, increased blood flow in bone tissue, prevention of joint diseases;

burning fat deposits without the danger of sagging skin - the effect of losing weight from running is usually longer lasting than from all kinds of diets;

improving the functioning of the respiratory organs due to active ventilation of the lungs and increasing their volume.

These benefits apply to any running, no matter what time of day you do it. Is running in the morning beneficial? Morning jogging has its own special advantages. So, what are the benefits of running in the morning and why you should start doing it:

Morning jogging is especially useful for people with spinal diseases, since in the morning the vertebrae are compressed much less. But it should be taken into account that, in case of any problems associated with the musculoskeletal system, you can run only with the consent of your doctor.

When is it better to run in the morning or evening?

Everyone knows that there are 2 types of people - “larks” and “night owls”. The second type of people is more adapted to active physical activity in the afternoon. Is running in the morning harmful for such people?

Experts believe that it is better for night owls to train in the daytime or evening, since in the early hours their body is in a half-asleep state and it is not recommended to subject it to excessive stress. For them, running in the morning will be extremely stressful, which can unsettle them and prevent them from concentrating on work. Therefore, when asked when it is better to run in the morning or in the evening, for night owls the second option should be preferred.

But for early risers, the benefits of running in the morning are undeniable. Such people are used to waking up early, so going for a run at an early hour will be pleasant, easy and useful for them.

But running in the morning also has its downsides. After waking up, the viscosity of the blood is increased - it is thicker than in the daytime, when the body has entered the active phase. Therefore, it is not recommended to start running immediately after sleep - this can have a bad effect on the heart.

The best option is this approach: after waking up, you need to drink a glass of water at room temperature, wash or take a shower, do 5-minute exercises, drink a cup of coffee or tea. And only after that you can start running. It is imperative to take liquid before your morning jog - it will reduce blood viscosity and make it easier for the cardiovascular system to tolerate stress.

Morning running for beginners

To start running with maximum benefit, you need to follow the correct running technique and also exercise regularly. Runners starting from scratch are not recommended to take on long distances from the first days. A sudden load on an unprepared body will definitely lead to pain in the muscles, and you will no longer want to run.

Before you start jogging, you should warm up. It consists of simple stretching exercises: turning the head and body, swinging the limbs, squats and bends. Just 10 minutes of such exercises will help warm up all muscle groups, bring them into “combat readiness” and avoid injuries while running. You need to complete the warm-up with a brisk walk, which gradually turns into running.

For runners starting from scratch, the load should be moderate. Sudden physical overexertion can negatively affect the condition of the heart muscle. For beginners, it is very important to focus on duration and technique rather than intensity. To eliminate the disadvantages of running, you should adhere to the following rules:

Hand movements. You can't put your hands down often. They need to be held at the waist, swinging evenly in time with the movement of the legs. The shoulders should not be tense, they should be relaxed as much as possible.

Body position. In order for blood to circulate better throughout the body, you should keep your back straight, slightly protruding your chest. It is strictly forbidden to run with a hunched back.

Breath. You need to start jogging at a pace at which your breathing will be rhythmic. It shouldn't get lost. If you start immediately with high loads, it will become difficult to breathe, as a result of which the supply of oxygen will decrease and fatigue will quickly set in. For beginners, it is recommended to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.

Positioning the legs. Professional athletes place their entire foot on the ground. This technique will be quite difficult for beginners from scratch, so you can place your feet in the most comfortable way - either on the heel or on the toe.

It is recommended to start running training with interval running, in which jogging alternates with walking. This type of running is also great for losing weight. After completing the workout, you can’t stop right away - you just need to walk for 5-10 minutes.

It is advisable to create your own jogging schedule. For beginners, it will be enough to run for 20 minutes every day, or 30-40 minutes every other day, gradually increasing the duration of the training. The pace of classes should be average. If you run at high speed, you need to set aside 1-2 days to rest and restore the body.

It is recommended to run away from large highways and other places with high air pollution. The ideal option is a park area or a forest path. Beginners should choose a route that does not have steep ascents and descents, as they increase stress on the joints. The best place to start is by jogging around the stadium.

Running clothes should be comfortable and not constrict or constrict the body anywhere. You should give preference to sportswear made from natural materials. Sneakers must have shock-absorbing soles. Women need to take care of purchasing a special bra that will support their breasts while running.

Morning running in winter

In cold weather, not everyone dares to conduct running training outside. But few people know that running in the winter in the morning has many advantages:

Hardening the body. When jogging in cold weather, the productivity of training increases; not only the body, but also the character is hardened.
Strengthening the immune system. Proper functioning of the respiratory system while jogging in cold weather helps increase the body's defense against respiratory diseases.
Improving psychological mood. Jogging in winter is a way out of your comfort zone, a victory over yourself. Just 30 minutes of running in the cold will give you a feeling of euphoria, and depression and winter depression will disappear.
Cheerfulness. During frost, the air is filled with negative ions, which have a beneficial effect on the human body. Intensive inhalation of these elements will give you vigor and energy for the whole day.

But running in winter also has its downsides. If you have any respiratory diseases, it is better not to run in the cold, as this can cause an exacerbation of the disease. If you really want to continue training outside in winter, you should consult your doctor.

When running in winter, you should wear appropriate clothing. The best option would be special thermal underwear that can absorb sweat and retain heat. Such underwear will additionally contribute to weight loss. It is recommended to wear several layers of thin clothing rather than one thick one. When running in the cold in winter, you definitely need a hat and gloves to protect your ears and fingers from hypothermia. It is advisable to choose shoes with anti-freeze soles that do not slip on ice in winter. After finishing your run, you can drink a hot drink and take a contrast shower.

Morning jogging for weight loss

If you want to lose extra pounds, morning running will be a great help. When running, the body warms up, blood flow increases, and sweating increases. Together with sweat, toxins and salts are eliminated, which promotes weight loss. In addition, morning jogging helps you lose weight because there are no carbohydrates in the body and fat is burned much faster. Jogging reduces the feeling of hunger and reduces the content of bad cholesterol in the blood.

To lose weight, you need to jog for about an hour a day. The ideal option would be interval running. Many weight loss programs recommend this type of running, in which moderate loads alternate with intense ones.

How to force yourself to run in the morning

Not every person manages to motivate himself to go for a morning run. First of all, you need to determine for yourself the purpose of these workouts - for weight loss, hardening or general improvement of the body. To convince yourself of the need to exercise, you must have a strong desire to improve your physical fitness.

To avoid getting bored while running in the morning, you can find a nice company and follow your dreams together. It will be hard to run only the first time. Once you get involved in regular training, your body will begin to get great pleasure from running and it won’t be at all difficult to force yourself to go for a run in the morning.

Morning jogging is a universal way to get rid of drowsiness, irritability in the morning, and lethargy. It gives a boost of energy and allows a person to feel alert and full of energy throughout the day. Recently, running in the morning has become a very popular activity, since this sport, accessible to everyone, allows you to keep yourself in excellent physical shape without any financial costs. What are the reasons for forcing yourself to take up this sport at the initial stage and how to start running in the morning correctly? You will learn about everything in this article.

Should I run in the morning?

The answer to this question is unequivocal - yes! A person who starts his day with a morning jog compares favorably with those who do not do this with his good spirits. All doors open for such people, and they more often achieve their goals. The reasons why you should take up morning jogging are listed below.

Improvement and stability of health

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about running in the morning is improving your health. Morning jogging improves the circulatory and cardiac system as a whole. Running is accompanied by proper breathing, as well as oxygen saturation of blood cells and brain cells.

In addition to all this, while running, all harmful substances are released through sweat. Therefore, after training, it is imperative to take a shower.

Energy for the whole day

Any physical activity in the morning, after sleep, brings a huge boost of energy for the rest of the day. Running relates to this more than any other morning exercise. Just don’t push yourself to the point of “I can’t.”

A morning run should be a joy and bring only positive emotions. It is also harmful to immediately load your heart with the maximum possible load when running. You need to start small and gradually increase your running pace or mileage.

If you cannot run for one reason or another, you can switch to a sports walk. The main effect is the same as when running.

Great charge of emotions

Morning jogging should be fun. If a person does not exhaust himself on it, then a charge of positive emotions is guaranteed.

You can run with friends for company. Then morning running will be a great opportunity to see friends and discuss something after the run. It’s also worth noting the competitive aspect of jogging with a friend. It is possible, from time to time, to hold competitions to see who has more endurance or who can run the most.

Improved brain function

Scientists have long proven that morning jogging is an excellent stimulant for brain function. While jogging, different thoughts come to mind. You can find a solution to a long-standing problem. All you have to do is give freedom of thought while running.

However, you shouldn’t be too concerned about solving any problem if you run in urban areas in places not designated for this. There is a risk of getting hit by a car.

Endurance and fitness

A morning jog will help keep you in great physical shape. If you are overweight, morning running is what you need. By devoting half an hour to an hour to this exercise, over time an excellent figure and physical shape is ensured.

It is worth noting that many athletes jog in the morning to improve their endurance. However, in this case, you should alternate between a calm and fast running pace.

Running itself brings exceptional benefits to the body. And morning running tones up, makes the day more favorable and eventful.

How to start running in the morning?

If you have made a decision and are determined to exercise, then you should adhere to some rules:

In no case should you do training daily at the initial stage. The body does not need stress; it is difficult for it to immediately adapt. It is advisable to alternate a day of jogging in the morning and a day of rest. A beginner should run no more than 10 km per week, starting with 1-2 km on the first day and gradually increasing the mileage.
You shouldn’t chase great results along the length of the distance; if you get tired while running, then you shouldn’t be shy and you need to take a step.
There is no need to run at a fast pace, especially at the very beginning, run evenly, breathe correctly. Just enjoy the process.
Under no circumstances should you be embarrassed by the glances of passers-by! Remember - you are doing everything right.
Monitor your heart rate and blood pressure while running. Nowadays there are a lot of different devices that you simply put on your hand.
Do not increase the length of the distance in subsequent weeks by more than 10-15% compared to the previous one.
Be sure to choose comfortable shoes - this is a very important aspect, otherwise you can ruin the whole impression of your run.

The conclusion is this. If you have a desire to run in the morning, then you definitely need to implement it. This will not only contribute to your physical performance, but will also help you achieve success in other areas of your life.

Seven runners who start the day before 70% of other people by running in the morning share their personal experiences of how willpower can overcome laziness.

“We all have the same amount of time. The question is, what do you do with yours?” - sounds motivating, right? People who manage to go for a morning run by 10, eat two meals and work productively cause a mixture of admiration and irritation among many. “I couldn’t do that,” you think, and you continue to wake up everything in the world.

We asked fellow runners about how they manage to start their day early and run in the morning and gleaned some useful tips from their answers.

Honestly answer the question “Why?”

Armen Petrosyan, publisher:

For early rises, I follow simple conditions. Firstly, I must clearly understand why I need this. What benefit and joy will the things I can get done by starting the day earlier bring me?

It makes no sense to wake up earlier and fight sleepiness all day. If I change my daily routine seriously and for a long time, then I need at least 7 hours of sleep a day. Here the sleep timing in the Jawbone bracelet helps me out. I sleep for an hour and a half during the day. My proven ways to get into work mode when waking up early are freewriting and the Surya Namaskar complex. Running early in the morning didn't work out for me.

I regularly hear about the desire to wake up earlier, but rarely about plans to go to bed earlier. Sleep and rest are underrated. It took me experiencing injury and overtraining to understand the importance of recovery.

Laziness occurs where there is a desire to achieve something, but there is no understanding of why you need it.

My trick to combating laziness is simple: I write down the reasons in favor of completing the upcoming task. It doesn't take much time. I imagine the joy of the changes that action will bring. The most important step is to start doing at least something in the direction of the formulated changes.

After all, laziness is like a swamp: the more you stay at one point, the more you plunge into it.

Try to go to bed earlier

Daniil Vakhovsky, PR manager of Ukrazaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways):

The best rule for getting up early is to go to bed earlier. Before going to bed, you need to make a certain ritual. Biologically, people are designed in such a way that bright light stimulates our brain to produce special substances that keep us alert longer. The body perceives bright light, including mobile phone, tablet, and TV screens, as daylight, so if we sit on devices all evening, it is much more difficult to fall asleep.

My ritual looks like this: I don’t turn on my laptop after 10 pm, and I don’t read e-books on a tablet an hour before bed, I use dim, diffused light in the apartment. Every person needs a certain amount of sleep, for me - at least 7 hours. Therefore, if I don’t go to bed earlier, then I won’t be able to get up either.

My life hack: sometimes I allow myself to succumb to laziness. There are days when you are really very tired, and you simply don’t have the resource to pull yourself together. If the batteries are not charged, I can move the workout up a day. Sometimes I do it differently: when I don’t have the strength to get ready and run in the morning, I can get up for a morning walk and run in the evening. We need to find a balance between maintaining a training schedule and abusing the body. If he is not ready for the load, then the training is unlikely to be effective.

Nothing helps better than a challenge

As much fun as running can be, getting up early can be difficult. There is only one way that works for me: set the alarm for the right time and go ahead. And then it’s time to fall asleep on time. It can be difficult in the first days, so some people find it easier to adjust gradually. I often think out a cool route with beautiful views in the evening, so that in the morning I have less time for internal dialogues.

My laziness likes to progress when there is no strict plan for the marathon. Favorite excuse: “I’ll start next week.” Therefore, I came up with the “30 morning runs” challenge, where over the course of 2 months you had to run 30 times in the early morning, share the results on Facebook, and at the same time show the morning city and your favorite routes through the eyes of a runner. Deadlines, schedule, reporting, and even beautiful - everything I love. It’s not a fact that it will work for everyone, but with such a challenge it was definitely easier and more fun for me.

Create a comfortable schedule

Denis Tkalich, e-commerce manager at Petcube:

To prevent the work-training-family triangle from turning into a Bermuda triangle, you need to have time to train before work. My working day is shifted relative to the standard from 9 to 6, I come to the office around eleven and work until eight in the evening, sometimes later. Accordingly, evening training would most likely be at night, and I would see my family sporadically on weekdays.

Therefore, I have developed this regime for myself: in the morning I get up at 6-7, if I’m training near my house, or at 5-5:30, if I have to go somewhere. I return before 9, have breakfast and go to work. After work, I always try to spend a couple of hours with my family.

If I run on my own, sometimes I set the alarm clock to an hour in the morning to sleep longer, especially in winter, when it’s dark and nasty outside. But if you agree with someone to run in the morning, then you must be there.

Fight laziness for what you love

Anastasia Bereza, journalist:

I always woke up early and, it seems, I was even late for school once or twice in 10 years. I am an adept of running in the morning: after working out before work, you can easily drink a glass of wine with friends, stay late at a birthday party, or have a hearty dinner. An evening workout will keep me on my toes all day.

Now I run around six in the morning: not hot, not crowded, little traffic, quiet and fresh at any time of the year. Even in winter, at this time it is brighter and safer than in the evening. To wake up at five, I just try to fall asleep around 11. Anyway, at this time you can’t be busy with anything other than surfing the Internet and watching movies and texts that can be put off until the morning. At first, the alarm clock helped me a lot, but now I easily wake up on my own.

You can also train yourself to get up early to train while on a business trip or on vacation in another country. There is a pity for time to sleep and I really want to take a better look at everything, but there is not always enough time for this. A morning run is a great opportunity to get to know a new city.

My method for fighting laziness is to remind myself that I don't have to do it, but I feel better if I run in the morning. This line of reasoning doesn't just apply to running. And if it doesn’t work, then maybe you don’t like it so much?

Work is a bad excuse to skip a workout

Dmitry Molchanov, nurse:

I wake up at 3:30 and don't drink coffee. No, I'm not a zombie. It’s just that my working day starts at 4 am. All my adult life I was a night owl until I moved to America a year and a half ago.

I adapted to the change in time zones quite quickly, and later got a job in a medical facility. Everything about this job was good, except the schedule: 3-4 times a week you have to work from 04:00 to 19:00. For the first two months, my body took this change very hard, because out of habit I went to bed at 11:00 p.m., and had to get up four hours later.

I didn’t oversleep even once during my entire work, even if I barely slept at night. The motivation here is simple: if you didn’t come, you didn’t receive the money. Music helps me turn on before work, but I can’t “sway” for half a day, because I work with patients and a lot depends on my concentration. Due to accumulated fatigue and lack of sleep, my routine gradually changed. Now, after a working day, I can go to bed at 8 pm and sleep for 12 hours if I have a day off tomorrow.

Although my routine may be intimidating to many, I have found a way to balance training and work. I bought a running backpack, with which I sometimes run 8 km from work to home, and often ride my bike to work.

I can’t say that I’m completely used to my routine - I still have 5 alarms on my phone, and a couple of times I was so tired that I wanted to quit this job altogether.

Every time I see photos and posts from friends about how they got up early and already managed to run, I imagine to myself that I would need to get up at 2 am to repeat their feat! 🙂