Good Morning!

I have a pretty reliable internal alarm clock. My eyes pop open almost every morning at about 5:30 am.  This is a good thing because it gives me time to get a workout in before the girls (or girl) gets here for the day.

When it's raining or too cold, I take the workout inside.

I much prefer to take the workout outside. I am walking 3 to 4 miles every day. Sometimes I'll jog a little but usually it's a walk.  (foot issues, and I hate my current shoes!)

A benefit of this time is it gives me a chance to clear my head a bit, to enjoy the sights and sounds of the early morning.

And the smells. Most mornings, my neighborhood smells like dryer sheets! Just an observation.

It is early when I get out there and, in the winter, it is dark when I get out and dark when I get in.

I see the same people out there everyday. There are quite a few out at that early hour too.  Runners, walkers, dog walkers, singles, couples, groups, some you can hear talking as they approach, others you can just hear their footfalls as they come up behind you.  We greet each other with "good mornings!"  as we pass.

It's really a perfect time to get in a workout, before work, before the kids get up for school, there's hardly any traffic in the neighborhood at that time. Just get up, get out, get a shower, get the day started. 

One weekend, recently, I set out 15 minutes before sunrise-about 7:15 and saw this amazing sky.

This is my favorite thing about early morning, outside workouts. Sometimes when the sky is not painted with brilliant hues, the clouds will be in amazing shapes.  Even now, in the dark, the stars and the moon can be so bright in the sky.

As summer approaches, the sun will rise earlier and I will be able to witness these lovely sights everyday.

I can't wait!

What's your favorite thing about working out?