It is a little after 5am on a wet and windy August morning.
The sun hasn’t woken up yet but over 70 people have and are looking down on the Dún Laoghaire baths in Dublin.
Despite the weather, they’re ready to start the day with a group yoga session.
From sunrise swims to morning pilates and 6am CrossFit, it seems exercise classes before the world wakes are popping up everywhere.
The Sport Ireland Irish Sports Monitor (ISM), a population-based survey of physical activity participation of people aged 15 and over, found just 49% of the population actively took part in sport in 2024.
The HSE encourages people to follow the guidelines of their “Every Move Counts” campaign launched last year which recommends at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week.
A busy morning at Happy Out Café in Dún Laoghaire
So, does the prevalence of these morning exercise classes indicate a shift in the right direction and if so, what’s the attraction of that early alarm?
In Dún Laoghaire, Shane Lennon, the lead instructor at ‘Show Up Dublin’, a group designed to help you show-up and move bright and early, is guiding the group Sunrise Yoga Session.
He said this year the morning sessions have seen a significant jump in attendance.
“Over the last three years, the first year it grew, the second year it kind of dipped a little bit, and then this year it’s really come on. So the first two sessions this year were quite busy, then the last three to four weeks, we had nearly 300 people here.”
On this particular morning the conditions were not ideal and yet dozens came.
Mr Lennon said it doesn’t matter why they’re there, what matters is they showed up.
“Some people are just here for the sunrise photo and great, that’s super. But then there’s a whole community of people that are just back here every single week.”
But it’s not just those who practice yoga and have the added bonus of watching the sunrise that are joining the “AM club”.
The ISM shows that gym classes were the most popular form of exercise in 2024.
Jack Fitzgerald, Head Coach with Primal Fitness in Naas, Co Kildare, said more of their clients are now choosing to do their early classes before their morning commute.
“Pre Covid I think it was a lot quieter in the morning and oftentimes, no one was showing up and maybe the coach would be heading home at 6am. But now, you’re never getting the morning off,” he said.
“Our classes are at 6am and we have two classes at six at the same time running side-by-side. Often, they’re both full or near full,” he added.
Jack Fitzgerald said the practicality of earlier classes appeals to many people
He said that their client demographic tends to be people aged 25 and over, so many will be in the gym before the kids go to school or before work.
He believes the practicality of a morning session is what is driving the increase.
“I think it’s definitely for practical reasons, like traffic being one, kids, school and also just the culture of the way the world is going that we’re all moving so fast and there’s so much on during the day.
“For a lot of people by 5pm or 6pm, the likelihood of you coming back out to go to a gym class is getting less and less through the day,” he said.
So it appears mornings are becoming more popular and there are some practical reasons for that growth but is that the only reason?
Professor Michael Molloy, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Wexford General Hospital and the former Dean of Sports and Exercise at the College of Surgeons, said practicality is a factor but it is also possible health concerns could be playing a role.
“Maybe someone has had a warning call about their own personal medical circumstance, or that they feel that they want to be healthier. Getting up early can mean you get access to the gym or swimming baths and there aren’t lots of other people around,” he added.
Professor Molloy added that these classes also offer more than that, though they create a community, which is beneficial to all ages.
“I think nowadays people are realising the benefits of being involved in groups and communities and it has other benefits too, you know, when you share a problem, you don’t feel as bad. You can talk to people,” he said.
Professor Molloy said that attending an early morning class regularly means people will be missed when they’re are not there.
“Often when you are in a group and you don’t turn up for a day, people will inevitably go to find out; are you OK? Is there something wrong? Do you need any help?”
‘Show Up’ sunrise yoga regulars say the morning exercise class has many benefits
He said that as people age these types of check-ins become all the more important.
So, practicality and community – two of the reasons more people may be choosing to be up before the morning lark.
But there are a number of reasons the ‘Show Up’ yoga group regulars say they have embraced early morning movement.
For Miriam, it has been a game changer.
Her motto is “win the morning, win the day”.
“Mentally it brings about clarity in the mind. You see the day through a whole new lens,” she said.
Meanwhile, Maurice admits he is not a morning person, never has been, but will get up at any hour for the ‘Show Up’ community.
“It’s refreshing and also the community that we’ve built is amazing. I’ve been here since literally day two, three years ago. I do it for the community, for the people, and then I do it for yoga as well.”
Stacey said that while she comes on her own, once she arrives, she has new friends all around.
“The alarm goes off at 4am and I don’t mind, you know, it’s kind of like going to the airport.
“You don’t really mind getting up at 4am if you’re going somewhere that you really enjoy. So, I came for yoga and now I stay for the people.”