4 tips how to become a morning workout person and start this new year active and H.A.P.P.Y.

It’s mid-January so it’s time for a little reflection on the last two weeks. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? I can honestly say that I am not the biggest fan of resolutions, mainly because they tend to be so negative. I know that they are aimed at achieving a certain goal in the future, but most resolutions that I hear of always include restriction. Quitting smoking, giving up sweets, sugar, fast food, shopping, whining…you name it.

Seriously, January is cold and dark enough!

Let’s stop restricting ourselves from certain things and let’s start focusing on adding things to our lives that make us feel better.

Instead of saying “I will quit eating sugar this month”, say “I will start eating more fruits and vegetables this week”. For once you now have a positive sentence, and you have a smaller timeframe that makes it seems more achievable than the month-long timeframe.

I know that this may sound silly, but when I completely changed my diet back in 2013, that was what I did. And I changed my diet from one day to the other without ever falling off the bandwagon. I am not saying this to tell you how great I am, but to tell you that a positive mindset is so much more important than you may think when it comes to achieving goals. It is one of the most important factors that enable you to achieve long-term successes this year.

One of my goals for 2017 is to do more Yoga. Since I knew I am not a New Year’s Resolution kind of girl, I already started this last year during the Holidays. My boyfriend and I did a 14-day yoga challenge, and it was the best decision ever as it made us feel stronger and more positive during those stressful days. We always combined it with a morning run with our dog Balu to get our bodies nice and warm for the practice. And we even got a short session in on January 1st 2017, so this positive attitude definitely helped us to achieve this goal.

In order for us to keep it up in the next months, we will use the videos from the H.A.P.P.Y. Challenge* that the sweet Amiena Zylla for Alpro* and sisterMag*. Not only are the Yoga workouts perfect for any level, but they are also filmed in the beautiful sisterMag loft, where I would instantly move in. The H.A.P.P.Y. challenge is a 14-day program for a positive, active and healthy start into the new year. It is a great program with lots of delicious and healthy recipes to make your start into the new year easier and less stressful. I am a true believer of this program as it combines all the important elements of a healthy lifestyle. If you speak German, you may join the H.A.P.P.Y. Facebook-group, and download the free H.A.P.P.Y. booklets. They really are amazing!

Since I am a morning runner, the dark season is not a good season to run so early in the day. That’s why my January routine is a Yoga video in the morning, and then a run in the early afternoon or a visit to my gym at night.

4 Tips to become a Morning Workout Person:

1. Start inside with workout videos.

Instead of dragging your body out in the dark and cold winter mornings, get your workout done inside. I like using workout videos to do this. My favorites are Yoga videos, such as the ones by Amiena Zylla as they can easily be done before work. Amina’s workouts are sadly in German only, so just go to YouTube and find your favorite English yoga instructor. Starting the day with a little bit of gentle Yoga is so much easier than getting your body out in the cold for a run (and also less dangerous!).

If you are not a morning workout person yet, Yoga is the perfect way to get used to the sensation of working out in the morning. Once the sun rises earlier, your body will be already used to some movement in the morning, and the transition to a morning run will be much easier for you.

2. Get motivated by treating yourself with things you love.

If you treat yourself with little things you love after every workout, you might be more motivated to get up early in the morning. Whether this might be a big almond milk latte, a golden milk or some dark chocolate. As long as it makes you happy and motivates you to workout in the morning, it’s a treat!

3. Listen to your favorite new songs only when you work out in the morning.

Now this might sound really strange, but I am one of those people who listen to their favorite new jams constantly on repeat. If I have found a song I love, I will play it all the time. I use this as a motivation to workout in the morning by allowing myself only to listen to the songs while working out in the morning. It may be weird, but trust me, all you will want to do is work out to listen to your favorite music.

4. Enjoy the after-work evenings.

Now, this is more of a result of working out in the morning. If you get your body moving in the morning, you will have so much more time after work to do the things you love. And you get to really enjoy the time you spend at home on the couch, without constantly reminding yourself that you should rather be spending your time in the gym than in front of the TV. Early morning workout people do not know this kind of guilt.

These are my H.A.P.P.Y. tips for you how to start working out in the morning. It will make you feel so much more energized and content during the day, because you will already have completed your workout before you even had breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day so my next H.A.P.P.Y. post will be all about breakfast!

Are you a morning workout person? What are your tips?

I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

*This post was sponsored by Alpro and sisterMag and their H.A.P.P.Y. Challenge 2017. Thank you for supporting the brands that make hour-long recipe testings in the Heavenlynn Healthy kitchen possible!

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I know that this blog is mainly about food, but I strongly believe that a healthy lifestyle also means being active most days of the week. I have always been an active person, I did track and field most of my adolescence, and these days I try to go for a run at least every other day. I love high intensity sports like HIIT or tabata, but I have come to appreciate yoga, too. It took me a while to get used to the idea that workouts can be calming and relaxing instead of exhausting and sweaty, but now I would not want to miss my yoga workouts. Luckily I have a friend on the other side of the world, who is a talented Yoga teacher in Australia. For my first blog birthday, she brought us a relaxing Yoga frequence that everyone can do at home. 

Now on to Yara…

Yara lives in Dunsborough, Australia, where she works as a Yoga and SUP-Yoga teacher. If you live in the area and have a passion for movement and yoga, be sure to stop by UP SUP DOWN.

The World Exists To Set Us Free

Practicing Yoga is a process for being present in the moment with a lasting sense of freedom and wholeness that allows us to feel fully alive and energized.
Yoga has taught me to listen to my body and to connect the postures to the breath. The appearance of our breath is a mirror of what is going on in our body, with yoga and meditation we can learn to bring awareness to it even in stressful situations. Yoga can be beneficial to everybody as it is a practice of progress, not of attainment.

Soothing Starter

Before jumping into your favourite pose, make sure to warm up your entire body to prevent injury.

1. Come into table top, hands below shoulder blades and knees below hipbones.
2. Inhale, extend right arm and left leg away from the body.
Reach hand and foot away from the body
3. Exhale, draw elbow and knees toward each other, no need for them to touch.
Repeat 5 times.
4. Inhale, extend left arm and right leg away from the body.
Lengthen through fingertips and toes, keep hips square.
5. Exhale, draw elbow and knees toward each other, no need for them to touch
Repeat 5 times.

If you’re already an advanced Yogi, then here are some more yoga poses for you:

Marichi’s Pose – Marichyasana III
Besides stimulating the digestive system this seated twist variation massages the abdominal organs, including the liver and kidneys. While relieving mild backaches and hip pain it strengthens and stretches the spine.

Half Moon Pose – Ardha Chandrasana

This standing asana challenges ones balance but with some input it will stabilize your physical and mental focus. Learning to stay in this position for 30 seconds up to 1 minute can improve your coordination and sense of balance.

Warrior II Pose Virabhadrasana II

Practicing Virabhadrasana II will also train the warrior within and will support us in dealing with more difficult times. It will create a foundation that can help us maintain balance when life seems out of control.

Camel Pose or Ustrasana

Ustrasana is a strong pose that opens our heart chakra and makes us more open to giving and receiving love. It is also an important preparation for further more advanced backbends.

Tree Pose or Vriksasana

Balancing poses demonstrate our state of mind. Practicing to keep a steady balance increases our ability to focus and think clearly.

Thank you, Yara, for this wonderful article and those beautiful photos!

Since I do not live in a big city, my access to good Yoga classes is limited. However, I found this extremely amazing online platform called Do Yoga With Me. The platform offers hundreds of free Yoga videos for beginners, intermediate and advanced Yogis. Fiji Mc Alpine is my favorite Yoga teacher in case you want to give it a try. She just released a 14 Day Yoga Challenge, which I can highly recommend. 

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