# Sunrise In NYC > Just got out of bed, standing in the bedroom, wants gentle natural energy without a routine. - **Canonical URL:** https://wakeout.app/exercises/gentle-morning-exercises-bedside - **30-second demo video:** https://wakeout-assets.b-cdn.net/demos/sunrise_in_nyc.mp4 - **Exercise count:** 13 - **Positions:** standing - **Where:** bedroom - **Time of day:** morning ## When to reach for this pack Just got out of bed, standing in the bedroom, wants gentle natural energy without a routine. ## Why this happens The first few minutes after waking are a physiological inflection point. Cortisol, the hormone that pulls you into alertness, spikes naturally in the 30 to 45 minutes after you open your eyes. Gentle movement in that window amplifies the cortisol awakening response and pulls the nervous system out of sleep inertia faster than lying in bed checking your phone. This pack is built for that exact window: a soft, standing, bedside sequence to do before coffee, before the shower, before the day starts trying to claim you. Most movements are slow reaches, easy weight shifts, and yawns with intent. Nothing athletic. The point isn't exercise, it's giving your body a cleaner signal that the sleep shift is over. Done consistently, it anchors circadian rhythm and makes the first hour of the day noticeably less foggy. ## About this routine Best for the bedside, standing, pre-coffee window, ideally with some natural light in the room. Takes about five minutes and requires no equipment. Safe during pregnancy. Skip if you wake with dizziness, orthostatic symptoms, or recent vestibular issues. This is a gentle vitality primer, not a workout. Standard disclaimer: this isn't medical advice, but it's a better first input than scrolling Twitter with one eye open. ## Exercises 1. **Day Start Toe Touches** 2. **Wide Self Hug** 3. **Twilights** 4. **Sunrise Kicks** 5. **Sunrise Punches** 6. **Open And Close The Curtains** 7. **Day And Night** 8. **Super Yawns** 9. **Lazy Torso Twists** 10. **Forward Step With Knee Raise** 11. **Sheet Shakes** 12. **Huge Sunrise Breaths** 13. **Sunrisers** ## Who this is for - **Boost Energy** — These energizing morning movements provide a natural vitality boost perfect for combating low energy moments, using gentle twists and stretches that awaken the body and can easily be adapted to any workspace setting when you need to shake off fatigue. - **Make Me Stand Up** — These bedside standing exercises naturally compel you to rise from bed and engage in energizing twists and stretches, transforming morning grogginess into active vitality while establishing an upright, awakened posture to start your day. - **Engage My Hips** — Standing position stretches and twists naturally engage legs and often involve hip mobility for morning awakening - **Gain Mental Clarity** — These energizing morning movements create the perfect foundation for mental clarity by awakening your body with purposeful twists and stretches that boost circulation and oxygen flow, naturally replacing morning brain fog with sharp focus and vitality to power through your day. - **Engage My Core** — Pack includes twists which engage the core, sides, and lower back as required by the use case ## Frequently asked ### Why do I feel so groggy in the morning even after a full night of sleep? Sleep inertia. For the first 15 to 30 minutes after waking, the brain is still operating partially in sleep mode, with reduced prefrontal cortex activity and slower cognition. Movement accelerates the transition by raising heart rate, circulating blood, and reinforcing the cortisol awakening response. Light exposure helps too. Lying still in bed with your phone keeps you in the in-between state longer than necessary. ### Should I exercise first thing in the morning before eating? Gentle morning movement is safe and beneficial without food for most people. Hard training fasted is more controversial and depends on goals. This pack is explicitly low-intensity, so there's no fueling concern. If you have blood sugar issues, diabetes, or feel lightheaded when fasted, eat something small first. Otherwise the body has plenty of fuel from overnight liver glycogen for five minutes of slow stretching. ### What's the best morning routine for energy without coffee? Light exposure, movement, and hydration in that order beat coffee for raw alertness. Sunlight within 30 minutes of waking sets the circadian clock and suppresses residual melatonin. Movement activates the nervous system. Water rehydrates after a night of breathing out moisture. Coffee still works, but it works better layered on top of this sequence than used as the first input. ### Is it better to work out in the morning or later in the day? For hard training, later is slightly better for most people because strength and coordination peak in the afternoon. For mood, circadian health, and habit consistency, morning wins. This pack isn't a workout, it's a wake-up ritual, which is a category where morning is obviously the answer. Save the serious training for whenever you actually perform best. ### How long does it take to feel awake after this kind of morning movement? Most people feel the shift within two or three minutes and fully clear of sleep inertia by the end of the five-minute sequence. That's faster than coffee, which needs 20 to 30 minutes to hit peak plasma levels. Movement also doesn't come with the crash a few hours later. You can still drink coffee, but the wake-up work is already done. --- Wakeout — desk exercises that break the sit habit. iOS: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id1242116567 · Chrome: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/wakeout-new-tab-desk-exer/pgepchplpmblclpfgklclelgdiinoihb