Your Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Morning Runner

“I’m glad you’re recording this, because I want to go on record: Morning people do not exist,” booms Brogan Graham, the gregarious cofounder of the free morning exercise movement the November Project. With upward of 20,000 members in dozens of worldwide “tribes,” as they’re called, the November Project has nearly become synonymous with mornings. Convincing people to wake up before the sun, and often in subfreezing temperatures, was no picnic, contends Graham.

“I’M GLAD YOU’RE RECORDING THIS, BECAUSE I WANT TO GO ON RECORD: MORNING PEOPLE DO NOT EXIST."

Waking up early objectively sucks. It’s hard for everyone. But there is a reason why, despite its daybreak call time, the November Project has grown so dramatically: Working out in the morning is special—dare we say magical. “A lot of it is an experience,” says Graham. “The a.m. is such an alien time. By the time the sun comes up, you feel like you stole something from the city.”

Listen, we know you’ve heard that morning running is good for you—early bird gets the worm and all that. There is so much more to it, though. Researchers are discovering that, in ways big and small, exercising first thing is significantly better for the mind and body.

For example, running in the morning, as opposed to any other time of day, is more effective at lowering your blood pressure, and inducing longer, more beneficial sleep cycles the next night, according to a study published in Vascular Health and Risk Management. Run first thing on an empty stomach, and you could burn 20 percent more fat than exercising later in the day without eating, and reduce p.m. food cravings while you’re at it. Researchers have also found that morning runners finish their day with more total physical activity, regardless of their weight. As Newton put it, a body in motion remains in motion.