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The 7 Best Workouts to Start Your Day

There's nothing quite as wonderful as starting your day with a workout! It's marvelous to roll out of bed and hit the gym or the jogging trail while the world is just waking up around you. You'll find yourself far more energized all day long, not to mention in a great mood.

If you're thinking about starting the day with a workout, here are the exercises you should consider:

Yoga – Yoga is relaxing yet pushes your body to its limits. It's a unique combination, one that works wonders for your muscular endurance, cardiovascular health, and flexibility. You can enjoy a morning oga workout to get your mind and body in harmony for the day ahead, but it will be a great way to work your muscles. You'll feel much more limber and flexible all day long.

Tai Chi – If you roll out of bed feeling stiff and achy, Tai Chi is a wonderful workout to start off your day. The slow, flowing movements will get the blood flowing and your muscles warm, but it won't push your joints too hard. It's an amazing form of physical therapy for people with joint mobility issues, or for anyone recovering from a surgery or injury.

Stretching – For those who want to start the day off right, there's nothing like a good stretching workout! Stretching will help to loosen up sore, stiff, and tired muscles, and will help to prevent aches and pains in your spine, knees, and other joints. Plus, it will get your blood flowing and enhance your mood.

Running/Jogging – What could be more fun than jogging or running through the park, along the river, or up a mountain first thing in the morning? An early morning run/jog is the perfect way to rev up your metabolism. After a shower and a hearty breakfast, you'll be ready for a day at the office knowing that you made time for your run.

Functional Training – The idea of driving to the gym while it's still dark may not appeal to you but, with functional training, you never need to leave your house. You can do dozens of bodyweight exercises: push-ups, pull-ups, squats, lunges, squat jumps, jump rope, planks, and the list goes on. These exercises will help to develop the strength you need for your activities of everyday life, and you can do them without the need for weights, resistance bands, or machines.

HIIT Training – If you're the sort of person who likes to sleep in in the morning, a HIIT workout is just what you need. The workout pushes your body to the limits of your endurance and beyond, and you'll blast through the training session in 15-25 minutes. Best of all, you end up burning more calories with HIIT training than you do jogging or cycling, and in half the time!

Weightlifting – If you want to kick your metabolism into high gear all day long, a bit of resistance training is the way to go. Lifting weights breaks down muscle tissue, and your body has to use a lot of energy to make the repairs. This leads to better calorie-burning all day long.

Start the day out with these workouts, and you'll feel fit and energized throughout the day.

[Image via Getty]

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