Men: Maximize your morning workout routine
A morning workout is your ticket to good health and well-being
It gets your blood flowing, your heart pounding, and energizes and invigorates your mental attitude for the day. But are there steps you should add to help maximize this effort, making the most of your early morning exercise routine?
A plan to follow when focusing on muscle-building or shedding excess pounds is best for reaching your goals. That’s why utilizing the following recommendations will make your morning workout routine even better and more effective and will boost the goals you’ve set for yourself. Here’s what’s recommended:
- Fuel your body well
While there is no fast and hard rule you must eat something before an early morning workout, there are certain suggestions to follow if you do. First, eat a light breakfast about 30 minutes to one hour before your workout. This is not the time to stuff your body by eating strips of bacon and large Danish. Fatty foods break down more slowly and can upset your stomach, making you feel nauseous or sluggish.
Instead, consider choosing berries with oatmeal, a low-calorie protein shake, or a banana or whole wheat toast with peanut butter. You need a combination of complex carbohydrates paired with a protein source, amplifying your energy needs and recovery afterward.
- Work in a warm-up before your workout
Your body needs to “wake up” after sleeping overnight. It’s not necessarily like a car that can go from zero to seventy in seconds. Therefore, you need to get the blood flowing by helping it adjust to waking up by doing dynamic movements or a pre-workout routine. For starters, you can try yoga moves such as a downward dog or basic stretches like twisting your trunk from side-to-side or mimicking the type of movement you’ll be doing in your workout routine. A warm-up should last about 10-15 minutes, ample time to get your body ready to roll with your workout routine.
- Workout to music
Playing music while exercising keeps you inspired, increases stamina, and sets you in a better frame of mind. Listening to your favorite tunes also helps create a rhythm to your routine while making the time working out fun and enjoyable. Research backs this up. Studies have shown people who work out to music will work out longer and with more endurance than people who refrain from listening to music. So, turn on your playlist of favorite songs while getting physical.
- Stay hydrated
Waking up slightly dehydrated is nothing new for most of us. The human body is about 60% to 65% composed of water, so being well-hydrated before working out is a must to perform your best. Maintaining good hydration is imperative for being well-hydrated throughout each day. Make it a habit to drink 8-10 ounces of water every two to three hours during the day and then drink water 10 to 15 minutes before bedtime. That way, you wake up hydrated and ready to work out.
- Pack in protein after the workout
Maintaining muscle mass is likely one reason you exercise regularly. Protein is a key nutrient for helping both build and maintain your muscles. Therefore, after your morning workout, it’s critical to have a post-workout snack consisting packed with protein to help repair muscles and boost muscle growth when the muscles are more receptive to using amino acids from protein breakdown. Good protein-rich post-workout snacks include eating hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, low-sodium beef jerky, chocolate milk, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or cheese sticks.
Dr. David Samadi is the Director of Men’s Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in Long Island. He’s a renowned and highly successful board certified Urologic Oncologist Expert and Robotic Surgeon in New York City, regarded as one of the leading prostate surgeons in the U.S., with a vast expertise in prostate cancer treatment and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy. Dr. Samadi is a medical contributor to NewsMax TV and is also the author of The Ultimate MANual, Dr. Samadi’s Guide to Men’s Health and Wellness, available online both on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Visit Dr. Samadi’s websites at robotic oncology and prostate cancer 911.