St. Luke's Student Demonstrates Benefits of Morning Exercise

Get Out of Bed Sleepy Head!

On cloudy overcast mornings like today’s, the urge to hit the snooze button just one more time is almost intoxicating. The weather seems to slowly fold into the suburban atmosphere, as hundreds of citizens rub their sleepy eyes, stumble to the coffee machine, and let out a shaky yawn. But while many start their day in a drowsy stupor, a few ignite their day explosively, deciding to begin with an early morning workout.
As retired United States Navy Admiral William H. McRaven famously stated during the 2014 University of Texas Commencement Speech, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.” The conscious decision to attack each day with vigor rather than passively drag on, has a dramatic impact on mood, productivity, and counterintuitively energy levels. In addition to bragging rights at the water cooler, the symbolic importance of beginning each day with a commitment to one’s health is impossible to overstate.

I caught up with the Wilton Wahoo’s National Team to better understand the effects of a morning swim on America’s stereotypically most unmotivated and lazy demographic: teenagers. Twice a week at the metaphorical crack of dawn, otherwise known as 5:05 AM, these intrepid daredevils do the seemingly unthinkable. They jump into a cold outdoor pool to work out for up to 2 hours before bringing that same fearless mentality to a full day of school work, jobs, family commitments, and often, and I shudder at the thought, another workout.
St. Luke’s Freshman Nicholas Besgen spoke of the experience, “At first the transition was certainly difficult to adjust to. I would wake up mad at myself, asking is it really worth it… but I made the commitment to my team and myself and that outlasted the minute of doubt I might feel.” Similarly, his teammate Rory Hess added “to be completely honest, I have come to enjoy those cold rainy practices… that feeling of accomplishment completely outweighs the pain.”

While exemplifying an undoubtedly extremer version of the morning workout, their philosophy is admirable. In life, scheduled dogma so routinely can bog down one’s emotional wellbeing, leaving one left with apparently reasonless feelings of ennui and unfulfillment. So in whatever way works for you and your responsibilities, I implore you to ask yourself why not get out of bed and try to make a change for their better. Take charge and carpe the most out of each of these precious diems. Exercise is a well-documented source of natural endorphins and so in addition to the health benefits, you might be shocked to find yourself happier as well after the switch. Or to summarize, in my mother’s and countless other mother’s words, GET OUT OF BED SLEEPY HEAD!