Getting up early to exercise... how do you do it?

Christimarie87

I work from home and changed my work schedule to be 9am-5pm where it was 11am-7pm. I want to start getting up early to work out in the mornings but I'm finding it really hard to even drag myself out of bed 2 hours earlier. It's only been 2 days of this new schedule and I've been resetting my alarm sort of like hitting the snooze button.

My question is this: Do you think it would be better to ease myself into the schedule change or just straight up force my *kitten* out of bed early and just do it?

Also, what are some of your personal favorite morning routines? Not just with working out but how do your mornings usually go before work?

TheVirgoddess

I hate mornings so much. There is absolutely no way I'd force myself to get up. I'd be a raging b*tch for hours.

I exercise at night. My girls are in bed by 8:30 and I workout for 30-45 minutes. Then it's husband time, reading, sleep. But I stay home and homeschool my kids, so I have the luxury of sleeping in 'till 9 most mornings.

If you're set on morning workouts, I'd ease into them. Wake up 30 mins earlier for a week, then an hour, etc. Baby steps

Oh and my workouts consist of yoga/stretching (20-30 mins) and then weight lifting (10-20 mins). So they are pretty low impact and probably not what you're looking for.

cookmtn

I have to get up at 6 am to take my daughter to school and some days I hate it. I drag myself up and tell myself I'll go back to bed when I get home, but I never do. Then I work out. After I do it awhile my body adjusts and I wake up at 6 whether (sp?) I want to or not. Have to make it a habit.

Christimarie87

Yeah, I like being home all day because I can literally just do whatever I want until 1 minute before I need to work but I've been setting my alarm for 745am and I've ended up sleeping or laying in bed until my "get the hell to work in 15 minutes" alarm goes off. Sometimes I wake up before that and I should really just get up then... buuuut I don't.

I used to run but that was when I wasn't working so I could do it whenever I wanted. I'm wondering if maybe walking up and down the stairs while I work would do anything really. I just talk on the phone a lot so I'm usually sitting in a chair screwing around on the computer. I honestly can't remember how I eased back into what I used to do before. It's sad lol

fobs13

I prefer evening excercise as too lazy in the morning plus getting kids to school and me to work takes all my energy I work 9-5:30.. I usually have my dinner at 5:45 when home from work then do my excercise at 8. Only change thus if going running which I would do directly after work. Works for me but my kids are 10 and 12 so let me at it.

SuckerPunch77

Up at 4.30am, work at 8, home by 6 and lots of time to prep a good, healthy meal and spend some q-time with the hubby. Maybe even another workout.

I was NEVER a morning person. Always worked out at night but forced myself to change about a year ago when my schedule started to become a little more unpredictable. It's so true: morning workouts = no excuses! It will almost always fit into my day.

I forced myself to just start doing it. yup. Changed my alarm from 7 am to 4.30 am. After about a week it was much easier. For me, the key was consistency. I am up around 5 am every day - even if I don't work out. It just makes it easier to get up! And I find that my non-workout 5 am mornings are very productive!

soldiergrl_101

I have tried getting up in the morning to workout now that I have a treadmill in my living room but I just cant get my *kitten* out of bed. The two days I did it, I felt great afterwards all day, wide awake and all that...Buts its the initial get myself out of the covers and on my feet that is the hard part

13bbird13

I'm usually up at 5 and fit in my walk (my current workout) before I punch in at 7. My cat is extremely helpful in this aspect of my day. She doesn't even take weekends off.

sarahharas5

I'm a morning exerciser as well. Up at 4:45a on work days. I do different DVD's usually. My two little boys and husband are still sleeping and then I can shower and help get everyone out the door and still be to work by 7.

I recently switched from 5am to 4:45am. I know it's only 15 minutes but waking up in the 4 o'clock hour seemed crazy. You just get used to it.

Also like others said then there are no excuses. You are done for the day! When I did evening exercise a lot of things would come up and I would have to skip.

Good luck with the change!

vamaena

I already have my alarm set for 4:50am so I can be at work on time for 7:30. There's no way I'm exercising before I go to work. I do it at night before bed.

jeffd247

I've never successfully gotten myself out of bed early to work out. Ever.

However the tips I've read for changing that habit:

- Get an alarm clock that runs away from you or forces some physical activity to shut it off (there's one that rolls away on wheels, another that is like a dumbell that you have to curl 15 times, etc.

- Lay out all of your workout clothes, gear (water, earbuds, shoes) the night before

- Drink a glass of water before bed (so you have to pee when you wake up)

lvchi1055

I love working out in the morning. Usually wake up at 5 for work at 8:30. One thing that really helps me, and it's not for everyone, is sleeping in my workout clothes. There are literally no excuses then. You just get up and go.

vamaena

jeffd247 wrote: »

I've never successfully gotten myself out of bed early to work out. Ever.

However the tips I've read for changing that habit:

- Get an alarm clock that runs away from you or forces some physical activity to shut it off (there's one that rolls away on wheels, another that is like a dumbell that you have to curl 15 times, etc.

- Lay out all of your workout clothes, gear (water, earbuds, shoes) the night before

- Drink a glass of water before bed (so you have to pee when you wake up)

I do the water thing and that's the only reason why I'm able to wake up as early as I do!

RGv2

IMHO, you just have to want it. If you want to make the change, you will....

losingrae

I worked from home for 3 years and would walk/run on my lunch. I would then shower on my last break, and when I logged off from work had my evenings free. It was fabulous. Six months ago, I lost my mind and accepted a position that has me back to commuting. I have been struggling the whole time to work in an exercise routine. I tried getting up before work to do it. That did not work well at all. I am not a morning person, nor is my spouse. I could get up and go for a run and feel pretty decent, but unfortunately, 8:00 came around and I was down for the count. It basically cut into my family time. I have accepted that my schedule does not work for morning workouts and am fitting it into the evening. Basically, do what you can to get it in.
While working from home, I did other things too, like set my outlook to go off every hour and jumped up and jogged in place for 5 mins, or some determined time.

kborton1122

I only get up an hour earlier. I literally roll out of bed, put my clothes on and walk out the door. I don't brush my hair or anything, I just go.

Keasteregg

jeffd247 wrote: »

I've never successfully gotten myself out of bed early to work out. Ever.

However the tips I've read for changing that habit:

- Get an alarm clock that runs away from you or forces some physical activity to shut it off (there's one that rolls away on wheels, another that is like a dumbell that you have to curl 15 times, etc.

- Lay out all of your workout clothes, gear (water, earbuds, shoes) the night before

- Drink a glass of water before bed (so you have to pee when you wake up)

Or sleep in your workout clothes, seems to help when I do my early Saturday morning group run!

MacMadame

I am not a morning person. But I joined a triathlon club that worked out 6 days a week early in the AM forcing me to get up as early as 4:30am some days and no later than 5:30 am on others. I had to adjust or see my money go down the drain by not attending the workouts I paid for.

This is what I found:

When I just was going to one workout a week, it was hell. Even 2 was kind of hell. 3 was still hard. But once I hit 4 workouts a week that I had to get up before 5:30am, everything clicked. I found myself even getting up early on mornings where I didn't have to. One Sunday I decided to "sleep in" and I couldn't stay in bed past 7:30am! I was a morning person!

However, to make this work, I had to really force myself to get up and go every day and I had to force myself to go to bed early. Going to bed early was as important as getting up early. If I just got up early, at some point, I'd break down and have to sleep and then the whole process would start over at ground zero.

In fact, I found that any break in the routine and I'd be right back where I started. It never became a lifetime thing.

All the other suggestions I saw and tried -- laying things out the night before, moving your alarm clock, sleeping in workout clothes, etc. -- weren't the make it or break it things. Sometime I prepare everything the night before, sometimes I do not, for example. The only things that made it work for me were to force myself to do it at least 4x a week and to force myself to go to bed earlier.

Christimarie87

I guess I'll make myself at least wake up to my first alarm at 745 tomorrow morning even if I only wake up to make coffee and eat breakfast then 'zombie' around the house for an hour. I think it's just a big change from waking up at 10something every morning and going to bed about 4am. I'll make sure to post here when I get out of bed tomorrow... you know... for accountability.

powerpigeon

Inch it back gradually. You won't suddenly be able to get up hours earlier. Take it back little by little in fifteen minute chunks and it'll feel much easier. Good luck!