Rise and shine with a healthy you

Waking up earlier is the only way I can fit in a workout, but I'm not a morning person. Everyone dreads those dark winter mornings when you wake up so zonked that even hitting the snooze button makes you tired. What can I do to make getting out of bed easier?

Think baby steps. You may be tempted to set the alarm 2 hours earlier than normal to catch a 6 am Spinning class, but don't do it. Chances are the only muscles that will get a workout will be those in your fingers as you repeatedly hit the snooze button. Even if you do manage to drag yourself out of bed, you'll plod through an uncomfortable workout, making an encore performance unlikely.

Your initial goal should be to wake up a mere 10 to 15 minutes earlier. Just roll out of bed and onto the floor for a few morning–friendly yoga poses or a quick set of push–ups, sit–ups, and lunges. You don't even have to change out of your pajamas. On alternate days, climb stairs, take one speed–lap around the block, or pump out a couple of moves.

At this point, what you do isn't as critical as getting into the habit of doing something––anything––every morning. In other words, for the first few days, simply concentrate on making those 10 to 15 minutes of activity happen, any way you can. Then gradually increase your workout time––by getting up 5 minutes earlier––until you're exercising for at least 30 minutes each morning. My guess is that a few weeks into your new routine, you'll be so invigorated by it that you'll be leaping out of bed––no snooze button required.

"Because your core temperature is at its lowest, physical performance is worst in the morning, especially when it's cold," says Michael Deschenes, PhD, a professor of kinesiology at the College of William & Mary. "When your muscles are cool, they don't generate as much force and are more susceptible to strain and injury."

Whether you're a committed early exerciser or not, it's worth it to get up and get moving because it will make mornings easier. "As your core temperature rises, hormones and endorphins are released, making your limbs feel looser and improving your mood," says Deschenes.

So according to research breaking sessions into 10– to 15–minute "mini–bouts" a few times a day si the best way to get started as well as for those who hate heavy exercises early in the morning. But then some people wonder if one need warm up and cool down with these shorter workout periods?

Well, warm–ups and cool–downs are important to increase circulation and warm your muscles if you are going to be performing intense exercise, such as jogging or strength training. Short bouts of exercise are designed to be more moderate "lifestyle" types of activity, such as walking around the block, going up and down a flight of stairs, or performing simple calisthenics. In other words, a short bout of exercise does not mean getting out of your car and sprinting down the block for 2 minutes before work. For that, you would need a warm–up.

Even though short bouts are not inherently intense, they can be just as good for you as more vigorous exercise, according to research. In a 2–year study of more than 230 overweight, sedentary folks, researchers from the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas found that men and women who upped their physical activity by taking the stairs at the office, walking around the soccer field during their kids' practice, and gardening had about the same improvements in fitness, blood pressure, and body fat as did people who went to a gym for 20 to 60 minutes of vigorous exercise, 5 days a week.

In a similar study at Johns Hopkins University, researchers found that people who added just 30 minutes of lifestyle activity to their day lost almost 10 pounds during the 16–week treatment period––more than a comparable group who did step aerobics 3 days a week.