Set yourself up for success by taking a few minutes in the morning to move your body before your work day. Here are the best 5 Morning Exercises to do before work and a quick video routine that will help you start your day in strength.

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Do you hit snooze more than once? Are you a “too rushed in the morning to eat breakfast” kind of person? Is your phone the first thing you look at when you get out of bed? Do you feel frazzled, scrambled, or all over the place when you wake up? Is it hard for you to focus on anything other than: get out the door and get your butt to work?

How you start your day is how you live your day. Start your day in a stressful way and it will most likely continue to be that way.

And lets be real here: you ultimately become what you repeatedly do. If your morning habits aren’t helping you, they’re hurting you.

How do you want to begin your day? Here’s a quick habit that will help you jumpstart your day with energy, focus, power and strength:

Exercise.

Before you tuck your head under the covers, hear me out: you don’t need to wake up at the crack of dawn, run a marathon, or spend a super sweaty hour in the gym. Just a few minutes of Morning Exercises can make a huge difference in your posture, performance, energy, and mental state. A little bit goes a long way and can completely change how you live your day.

I often call exercise “physical coffee”, because getting a little dose of movement can put an extra pep in your step. The goal for getting a quick shot of Morning Exercises in when you wake-up is to ‘jumpstart’ your body for the day. You want to get your heart rate up, increase blood flow throughout your body, loosen up your muscles, and straighten out your posture. A little cup of exercise can help you walk taller, feel stronger, boost your confidence, and set you up for a day of success.

Here are 5 of the most effective Morning exercises you can do before work to start your day on a strong note. These exercises help you stretch out tight muscles, wake up your core, and lengthen your posture. Don’t have time for all 5? Do one! Or mix in a few of these Morning Exercises throughout your day for improved mobility, energy, and strength.

Ready to get started? Skip the snooze button and join me for the best 5 Morning Exercises to do before work and this quick morning fitness video routine that will jumpstart your day in strength.

Best 5 Morning Exercises To Do Before Work.

Morning Exercise One: Hip Bridge

Why? Stretches out tight quads and hip flexors. Engages butt, hamstrings, and core muscles

How: Lie on your back with the knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Place arms at your side and lift up the spine and hips. Slowly bring the hips back down, then lift back up. Try to do 10–20 reps or try 10 reps of single leg hip bridge with one leg in the air.

Morning Exercise Two: Butterfly sit-up

Why: Stretches shoulders, arms, hips and groin muscles. Works the core muscles and gets the heart rate up.

How: Lie faceup on the floor with the soles of your feet together knees open to the sides (in a butterfly position). Reach your arms overhead on the floor stretching the shoulders. Brace your core to sit up, reaching your fingers toward or past your toes. Slowly return to start. Perform 10–20 reps.

Morning Exercise three: Cat Cow

Why: Stretches the neck, shoulders, upper back, and core. Increases mobility and health of the spine.

How: Come to all fours with your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips. Your fingers should be pointing forward. Engage your core and abdominal muscles to start in a neutral spine position. Move into upward (cat) position by tucking your tail under and using your abdominal muscles to push your spine upwards towards the ceiling, making the shape of an angry cat. Then move into downward (cow) position by tipping your tail toward the ceiling, increasing the arch in your mid and low back and allowing the abdomen to stretch toward the floor. Pull your shoulder blades down your back. Work with your breath and alternate between cat (arching the back) and cow (belly towards the floor) for 5–10 repetitions.

Morning Exercise four: Air Squat

Why: Works the entire body (especially the butt and core muscles!), elevates the heart rate, and boosts the metabolism.

How: Stand with your feet hip distance apart and toes facing straight forward. Extend your arms out in front of you for balance. Sit your hips back and down, bringing your thighs parallel to the floor. Make sure your heels stay on the floor, your core is tight, and chest is lifted. Keep your knees behind the toes. Use your hips, butt, and abs to stand, pressing through your heels to return to a standing position.

Morning Exercise five: Push-up to Back Extension

Why: Works the entire body with a focus on the posture muscles: abs, butt, shoulders, upper back, and lower back.

How: Combine a pushup and back extension to get the best bang for your buck! Place your hands firmly on the ground, directly under shoulders. Ground your toes into the floor to stabilize your lower half. Brace your core, engage glutes and hamstrings, and flatten your back so your entire body is neutral and straight. Lower your body down — keeping your back flat and eyes focused about three feet in front of you to keep a neutral neck — until your chest grazes the floor. From the floor, perform a back extension, lifting the shoulders off the mat squeezing the shoulder blades together and engaging the upper back, lower back, hamstrings, and butt. Lower back down to the floor with your hands by your chest. Then push back up, keeping your core engaged, as you return to the starting position. To modify, drop knees to the floor. Repeat for 10 to 20 reps or as many as can be performed with good form.

Best 5 Morning Exercises Demonstration. Quick Fitness Video Routine To Jump Start Your Day.

Best 5 Morning Exercises To Do Before Work

I believe exercise is one of the key ingredients in having energy and living a powerful life. How will you start your day? I hope these Morning Exercises serve you in feeling your very best. Leave me a comment below if you try these Morning Exercises before your work day and let me know how you feel! And as always, if you liked this post, PLEASE HIT LIKE, SUBSCRIBE to my channel, and share this video with your friends! Thank you for your support in my work. I am here to help you feel your best inside and out.

Here’s to you starting and living every day in strength,

Caroline

My mission is to help you develop a positive relationship to self and exercise that adds to the quality of your life. Check out my list of services, stay connected about upcoming events by subscribing to my email newsletter, or contact me at [email protected] to discuss ways we can work together and live well.

I put my heart and soul into my corporate wellness programs and customize my services to benefit the unique needs of the company and the individuals within it. If you are interested in scheduling a consultation to discuss ways we can work with together and improve the health of your company, contact me at: [email protected]

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Originally published at www.carolinejordanfitness.com on April 20, 2017.