Pay your “body” first: Exercise before the sun comes up and you’ll improve your performance at work and in life

Every morning at 4:50 AM my eyes open, I sit up, swivel to the left and hop out of bed. As I’m brushing my teeth and splashing my face to wake up, one of my 5 alarms sounds in the background. At first blush this might sound stressful however to me, it’s invigorating and an important key to my success.

Like you I’m a hardworking professional. My specialty is enterprise sales and if you’ve done this for a living you’ll appreciate that it’s the best of times and the worst of times; a rewarding yet demanding full-time job that makes getting to the gym tough. Typically, I write about the Digital Transformation because it's my passion and profession. Today I’m going to share my perspective on another one of my passions - health and wellness. My goal in writing this is to inspire you to improve your performance in life via regular activity.

One of my favourite philosophies in personal finance is the idea of paying yourself first. Of course! You work hard for your money which is why you should be sure to save and invest before paying any bills so that you can live out your days in unrestricted adventure, comfort and security. However consider this piece of knowledge from a trusted advisor to the ages (Maslow): building toward self-actualization requires a strong physiological foundation. So, with this in mind, what’s the point of all that hard earned savings if you’re not there to enjoy it with vitality, mobility and stamina? AND, without a strong physiological foundation, how can you expect to perform at your potential socially, emotionally and mentally each day?

Back in my personal training days I failed to empathize with my clients who would lament about their busy schedules and how they had no time to get active. When I entered the corporate world my perspective changed and I found myself faced with the same dilemma.

To all of my former clients: sorry for being young and ignorant.

In searching for a resolution, I noticed a commonality between the most successful athletes, business people and celebrities. In nearly all cases, those who were infinitely successful obsessed over their morning routines. Aha, a morning routine! That's the ticket. For me to be successful at staying active regularly, morning workouts were the key. It's been a great 7 years walking to the gym in the dark.

Below are three reasons why being willing to get up and start your day with physical activity before the sun comes up will improve your performance in the gym and in life:

1) Focus: When we wake up in the morning we’ve hit the mental reset button and are void of distraction. As we go through our days we are bombarded with mental stimuli which can distract and exhaust us. For the typical day worker, the idea of an evening workout can seem overwhelming and often times we’ll decide to pass. Even when we do make it, we may not be fully engaged due to anxiety from the day’s events. This distraction can kill our workout performance and in the long-run, create barriers to achieving our fitness and life goals.

2) Physical reset: When we workout in the morning, our bodies are fresh from a digestive standpoint and our muscles are rested. As we go through our days we might eat something that puts us off, causes us to crash or we might exhaust our muscles from repeated movements. Like mental distraction, these physical distractions can undermine the effectiveness of our workouts or even influence us to skip. Shame!

3) Setting yourself up for a successful day: For years it has been known that exercise provides immediate and longer-term mood-enhancing benefits. Several studies have shown that regular exercise offers resilience to anxiety. Thus, by beginning your day with exercise you’re increasing the likelihood of a successful day at work as well. And it’s not just Justin Baker who believes this – several of the most famous business leaders such as Dragon Den’s Kevin O’leary start their day with exercise.

Like any good routine, success demands repetition. I recommend giving early morning workouts at least a two-week try with at least 3 workouts per week. This will not be easy. We all know the challenge of getting up early which is usually met with a press of the snooze button. To put a cherry on top, it's the winter time which makes getting out of bed a wee bit tough. What I can promise is that if you commit to this routine, you will improve your exercise consistency and start your days off with a high-energy bang!

If you enjoyed this post, you can follow me on Instagram at: ultimategrit.yyz. My intent with the account is to inspire professionals to get up and pay their bodies first! Just because you work 14 hours a day and run a high-powered organization doesn’t mean you can’t live a healthy lifestyle too. If I can do it so can you!