AM Running

If you're the kind of person like me that hates to get out of bed, then running in the morning doesn't have much appeal.  All you can think about as you rub the sleep out of your eyes and crawl out of bed, is the whereabouts of your slippers and how soon you can get a hot cup of coffee in your hands.  The first 20 minutes of everyday, you spend in a semi-zombie state, staring at the paper, waiting for the caffeine to kick in.

Here are some great reasons to change your routine and burn some carbs as the sun rises:

Top Priority
We all lead busy lives.  With the hectic pace of our technology flooded days, all it takes is an unexpected text or email to cut the time you had allocated for exercise out of your schedule.  Not much is going on before the sun comes up, so get out and run before anyone knows you're up, then you can deal with whatever the day brings without deleting exercise from your list.

EPOC
Otherwise known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, EPOC describes the increased use of oxygen after cardiovascular exercise to restore the body back to its resting state.  There are many changes that happen to your body when you exercise--some you can see, and some you can't.  Your core temperature rises along with your heart and respiratory rates, but there are things happening on a molecular level too.  Once you stop exercising, your body then needs to get all its systems and levels back to a resting state, and that takes effort.  That's why you're still breathing hard even after you've stopped running.  This sustained oxygen consumption is called EPOC.  Enhance the EPOC effect and exercise in the morning.  You'll be burning even more calories as you go through the day.

Brain Power
Exercise increases mental alertness.  When you exercise in the morning, you're not only revving your metabolism, you're revving your mind.  Got some tough decisions to make?  Get your brain in gear first with a nice morning run, then decide.

Appetite Suppressant
There's no bigger motivator for me to eat healthier, than having to run an extra couple of miles because of the second helping of cake I had the day before.  Having to add extra mileage in the morning is a good reminder to keep my eating under control.  I know if I don't, I'll be back out the next morning with even more miles to run.

Sleep Aid
You'll get a better night's sleep if you've had a good workout.  Exercise stimulates your body, so get it done in the morning, enjoy the buzz during the day and sleep like a baby at night.

No Side Cramps
You've been fasting for hours, so you won't have to worry about getting side cramps from something you ate. 

Wake up and LACE UP!