I can’t say that I am the best morning person out there. For example, as I type this, I am still lying in bed and it’s already 11:30 a.m. So, I know that the struggle is pretty real when it comes to getting up early some days. However, I, the queen of sleeping in, am telling you that it is so worth it to wake up early before class or work and go exercise.

There are many scientific studies on this and a lot of them point to the benefits of early morning workouts, but I am going to just give you the benefits that I see in my own life from early workouts and leave the scientific studies for you to Google later.

1.You aren’t even tired once you finish

When I wake up an hour or two earlier than normal to go run, I always wake up exhausted. I try to go to bed early enough to get adequate sleep every night, but there is just something about waking up extra early that leaves me tired. But, the second I start running, the fog lifts and I feel wide awake. It actually is incredibly energizing and I don’t really need caffeine after the fact because I feel so ready to go.

2.It gets everything moving

This may be a little TMI, but I like how exercise kinda gets everything flowing again. I usually will drink a decent sized glass of water with lemon like 10-20 minutes before I workout, and between that and the exercise, my system gets very woken up and I feel like all the gross stuff that just sits in my body all night gets flushed out. Kinda gross, but defs a benefit.

3.It motivates you to get stuff done later in the day

When I wake up to workout, I feel so accomplished so early in the day that I feel motivated to do lots of other things. It’s kind of like when you make a healthy choice in the morning and then it helps you eat healthy the rest of day. I did something great, so I feel like I should continue doing other things to make me feel even more accomplished.

4. You will focus better in class

This actually is really nice. When I work out in the mornings, I notice that my focus is significantly better for my classes. I don’t zone out as bad and I actually feel productive. The only exception to this is when I don’t sleep enough the night before, so it’s important to sleep well if early morning workouts are going to be a part of your routine.

Overall, any time you workout is still going to be great for you, but I just notice that morning workouts are awesome in my schedule. If you haven’t tried a morning workout, try it and see how you feel!

Collegian Blogger Katy Mueller can be reached at blogs@collegian.com or on Twitter @katymueller13.