Running in the morning; a perfect way to start the day. The morning is often a time when you still feel very fresh and is therefore ideal for running. It is also often convenient because people have other things to do in the afternoon and evening.
Despite these benefits, many people find it difficult to muster enough motivation to go for a run in the morning. We will change that with this article! In this article, we’ll teach you 10 easy-to-use techniques that you can use to boost your motivation.
#1: Eat a light meal before your run
Many people proclaim that it is wise not to eat anything before you go for a run in the morning. There is certainly something to be said for this. However, if you lack motivation, it is very unwise not to eat anything beforehand.
If you don’t eat anything beforehand you can feel very energyless, which will of course only lower your motivation. Therefore, eat a light meal beforehand; no heavy meal, this will bother you while running.
#2: Be aware of your ‘why’
If you want to go for a run in the morning, you have a reason for this; maybe you want to lose weight, or you want to improve your endurance. Whatever your reason, always keep it in mind.
A good ‘why’ can motivate you enormously to achieve your intended goal. It works well to write down your reason for running on paper and read it out loud each morning before your run.
#3: Meditate before your run
Meditation can help you start the day in a happy and grateful way. You can meditate by just closing your eyes, but you can also listen to a guided morning meditation via YouTube. A suitable YouTube channel for this is ‘Great Meditation’, click here to go there.
Meditation can put you in a completely different mental state that will make it much easier to go for a run.
#4: Know that you will feel better for the rest of the day
The fact is that you will feel happier during the day if you run in the morning. This is because various substances are released during running that contribute to your feeling of happiness.
The extreme feeling of euphoria is also known as the runner’s high. This state often occurs after an intense or long run.
#5: Make sure you get enough sleep
If you don’t sleep much, you are already 1-0 behind in the morning. It is then much more difficult to muster enough motivation to run. Therefore, try to get about 8 hours of sleep.
In addition, make sure that you can make your room as dark as possible. Your deep sleep phase will then go better and you will feel fresher in the morning.
#6: Start simple
If you try to run 10 kilometers the first time you go for a run, you will most likely not go on day 2. It is essential to take small steps.
Start slow; on day 1, a walk of a few kilometers is even enough. Build it up slowly, if you start too enthusiastically, there is a good chance that you will not keep it up.
#7: Buy a light alarm clock
Do you know the feeling? Your alarm goes off in the morning, but you still feel so tired that you can barely get out of bed? You can prevent this with a light alarm clock.
A light alarm clock will start to emit light about 20-30 minutes before your alarm goes off, becoming slightly brighter. This ensures that you go from your deep sleep state to a lighter sleep state. When the alarm goes off, you will feel fresher and it will be easier to get out of bed.
#8: Don’t touch your phone before you start running
This is a tip that is going to be difficult for many people. Many people pick up their phone as soon as they get up. By doing this so shortly after you get up, you start the dopamine spiral right at the start of the day.
For example, dopamine is released when you scroll through social media; this is the substance that makes you feel happy. The problem is that once you’ve had this feeling, your body craves more dopamine. This ensures that, for example, you are inclined to open social media again; you lose focus. This will make it more difficult to motivate yourself to run.
#9: Make running in the morning a habit
Of course, this sounds easier than it is in practice, but making running a habit will ultimately make it much less difficult for you. Habits are easy to maintain.
One tip to make running a habit is to link it to another activity in your morning routine. For example, always go for a run immediately after brushing your teeth. In addition, it is essential that you always keep the streak going, it does not matter that you sometimes only go for a short run, but keep going! That’s how you keep the habit.
#10: Prepare everything the day before
To keep the threshold for running as low as possible, it is essential that you prepare as much as possible. A good tip is to lay out your sportswear and sports shoes in advance. This will make it easier for you to start running on the day itself.
Lifestyle coach [5+ years of fitness experience]