Workout Idea: Mini Morning Workout For Battling Sleepiness

What are your mornings usually like? Do they start with a quick cup of coffee? Do you roll out of bed with your eyes still closed and try to figure out which the day of the week it is? I have got another idea for you. My Mini Morning Workout will wake you up - and guarantee an amazing start of your amazing day.

Don't just say "Mornings suck. I can't exercise in the mornings." You can. I have never been a morning exerciser myself.  The few times I tried it, I returned from my run in a bad mood and still kind of sleepy. The morning yoga routine plan? I hit the snooze button and never got around to doing it. The good news is that I have recently found the key to morning exercise even for those who despise mornings in general - namely, myself.

If you are not a morning exerciser, getting right into a rigorous strenght training morning routine will only bring you down. You may think that only a workout which gets you all sweaty and tired is a workout. Not true. Any exercise counts, and here we are talking more about getting your eyes wide open, getting those endorphins rushing through your system and giving an awesome kick start to your day. Sounds good? Read on for my little morning mix of yoga, strenght training and cardio which will take less than 15 minutes of your morning!

So this is what I do:

• Relax in Child's pose for one minute. This is the easiest way to stretch it out while your muscles are still sleepy and your mind is begging you to get back to bed.
• Rock the Downward Facing Dog for 30 seconds. This is the pose which energises me. For extra points, do this with one leg off the floor and up in the air.
• Spend another 30 seconds in Upward Facing Dog and feel the energy flowing - by this point your eyes should definitely be open.
• Pretend to do jumping rope for 30 seconds. If you have a real jump rope... Hey, I am jealous! Anyhow, nice little cardio there.
• Get into Plank pose and hold for 30 seconds.
• Do 20 small crunches. 
• Repeat the Plank and crunch part. Why? Doing one set of reps is no good! Doing more always rocks, by the way.
• Let's not forget our cardio. 30 second jump rope. Remember what it was like when you were just a kid?
• 10 push-ups with your knees on the floor. For all the tough ladies out there, do the military ones. And please, let me know how you got to the point of doing those.
• Do 20 dumbbell curls. Nice and easy, the dumbbell weight up to you. Just remember its an easy morning workout, okey?
• Repeat the push-ups and the dumbbells. Reason for that mentioned above.
• One nice move for our legs - the classic squat! Do 20 of those, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat.
• Upward Facing Dog
• Downward Facing Dog (more of that energy!)
• Relax  in Child's pose. Don't go back to sleep. By now, you are up and ready to go. I know it. You know it. Have a nice day!

If you want a serious-looking version of this (without my cheery comments and with detailed explanations how to do each exercise) let me know in comments.

This is my little morning miracle. It works for me. Better than that Caramel Latte, by the way. I have left the days of impossible morning sleepiness behind me. Now I am left with basic human sleepiness (quite understandable after a night of History papers and Chemistry lab reports) and something to look forward in the morning. Who knows, maybe one day I will turn into a morning exerciser. It's a big maybe, though.

How about you? Have you tried working out in the mornings? Share your experience and tips in the comments - I would love to hear from you!

Picture from http://www.bistromd.com