Start Your Day With A Workout

Current Weight: 216 lbs.
Body Fat: 29.0%
Change 26: Workout First Thing

There's no gauge in your gut, but at this point in the morning, it's pretty much a given that you aren't operating at full fat-burning capacity. How do we know? Simple: Your thyroid gland is still snoozing. As the master regulator of all things metabolic, this gland pumps out hormones that control how quickly your body burns nutrients and fat stores in response to energy demands. Those demands are low when you're asleep -- and they'll remain low when you're awake, unless you shake up your slow-mo routine.

Squeeze in an a.m. run. In a recent Taiwanese study of 27 men, scientists found that the men's production of thyroid hormones shot up after the men ran on a treadmill. And once thyroid hormones are released, they'll remain in your bloodstream for hours, keeping your metabolism revved well after your workout. Here's another reason to hit the treadmill before you hop into the shower: An early cardio workout will boost your mood for the workday ahead, says Cedric Bryant, Ph.D., chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. Aerobic exercise increases your brain's output of serotonin (a hormone associated with happiness) and dopamine (the hormone most closely linked to motivation).

Information from Men's Health Magazine.