Advice on Getting Up for AM Workouts?!?
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You do know you don't need to work out to lose weight, right? Frankly, sleep is much more important than exercise for weight loss. If the timing just isn't working for you focus on the diet aspect of it for awhile. When you're ready to make fitness a priority you'll find the time to fit it in to your day.cheekyraspberry wrote: »martinmcneely1 wrote: »It takes great motivation to do early morning workouts, I have a busy lifestyle and find myself in the gym at 4:30am. You've got to want to do it early, if you set out your training gear the evening before your more likely to get up. Give yourself achievable targets, even if it's as simple as 'x' amount of time in the gym or even 'x' of treadmill or lifting etc. Targets are a good insensible.
Why do you want to train am? If you don't mind me asking? There is a saying that goes ' I don't have time to train, I make time'.
My job often keeps me busy in the evenings with networking events or meetings. My evening schedule is often just too unpredictable to work it in regularly. Also, I have a dog. In the warmer months, I was taking him for a run with me, but now it's just too cold. I feel bad leaving him all day and all evening!
I know that the best way to work in regular exercise is to do it in the AM, but just having a rough time with it so far.
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I hit snooze and work out at lunch or after work
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I read an article somewhere, and it first it seemed very silly, but I think it's accurate. A lot of getting up in the morning is muscle memory. Your brain isn't fully engaged yet. So practice your muscle memory. Move your alarm clock across the room. One evening, when you are in your pajamas and all ready for bed, try setting the alarm for 1-2 minutes from that point in time, and lie down. Get up and turn off your alarm clock. Set it again, lie back down, and try it again. Whatever you would normally do after you turn off your clock (go to the bathroom), pretend to do that. It will become like clockwork - I get up, I press this button here, and then I go to the bathroom.
I know it sounds very weird, but it really has helped me. The practicing kinda retrained my brain. Every now and then, I start having problems getting up in the AM, so I have 're-rehearse'.0 -
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You do know you don't need to work out to lose weight, right? Frankly, sleep is much more important than exercise for weight loss. If the timing just isn't working for you focus on the diet aspect of it for awhile. When you're ready to make fitness a priority you'll find the time to fit it in to your day.
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I know, but I have fallen off the wagon as far as exercise and I always feel better when I am regularly getting exercise in.
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cheekyraspberry wrote: »You do know you don't need to work out to lose weight, right? Frankly, sleep is much more important than exercise for weight loss. If the timing just isn't working for you focus on the diet aspect of it for awhile. When you're ready to make fitness a priority you'll find the time to fit it in to your day.
Then there's your motivation.I know, but I have fallen off the wagon as far as exercise and I always feel better when I am regularly getting exercise in.
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I am getting old.. My crazy sleep swing gets my butt up 5:00 a.m. rather I want it or not..0
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I had to buy an actual alarm clock and set it across the room (I would just push snooze on my phone and go back to sleep)
I'm naughty and will still get up and turn off the alarm and go back to bed!
Getting enough sleep is crucial. If I've gotten enough sleep, I'll find myself waking up about 15 minutes before my alarm even. If not, there's no dragging me out of bed.
Program the coffeemaker before going to bed, set out your gear, and go! I will get up, get my cup of coffee and then sip it while I slowly get dressed (a process when you're running in 20 degrees)—that helps me clear up any brain fog. I also find that brushing my teeth first thing or drinking a glass of water immediately upon waking helps refresh me and gives me a little wake-up jolt!
I'm normally an evening gym/runner-type, so one of my New Year's goals was to shoot for running at least two mornings a week. Runner's World made the good point that just two mornings per week is easier to stomach when you know you have five other mornings to snooze.
loratliff - I'm the same way -- I will just turn off the alarm! Those are some good suggestions though -- thanks!
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My workouts are in the morning because I am a morning person. If your energy peak is at noon or in the evening, do them then.0
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It helps to practice the 5 p's: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
Basically, I get everything ready the night before - lay out my gym clothes, my work clothes, and anything else I need to get ready for the next day (i.e. hair dryer, flat iron, towel), so that all I need to do it roll out of bed, eat a quick breakfast and go. After my wo, it is back home to quickly shower, hair, makeup, etc. and catch my bus to the train station and the train to get to the office. After doing it for awhile, it becomes a habit and you start to REALLY enjoy/value having your evenings free.
I do laundry and meal prep on the weekend so that I am not scrambling around during the week. I bring most of my food for the week with me on Mondays so I have less to carry the other mornings.
Wow, that was probably TMI. Sorry.
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LeanButNotMean44 wrote: »It helps to practice the 5 p's: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.
Basically, I get everything ready the night before - lay out my gym clothes, my work clothes, and anything else I need to get ready for the next day (i.e. hair dryer, flat iron, towel), so that all I need to do it roll out of bed, eat a quick breakfast and go. After my wo, it is back home to quickly shower, hair, makeup, etc. and catch my bus to the train station and the train to get to the office. After doing it for awhile, it becomes a habit and you start to REALLY enjoy/value having your evenings free.
I do laundry and meal prep on the weekend so that I am not scrambling around during the week. I bring most of my food for the week with me on Mondays so I have less to carry the other mornings.
Wow, that was probably TMI. Sorry.
Not at all. That's helpful! I think a big part of my problem is just not preparing ahead of time.0 -
Good point. My gym bag is prepped and ready to go at the front door.0
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I love to sleep and no matter how much I get I always want more. But I want to achieve my goal more than I want sleep so I set my alarm for 4:30 every morning. When the alarm goes off, the battle starts - "Ugh, do I have to? Yes! Get up! If you don't do it now, it won't get done at all." And that is enough. The reality is that this is the only time I have TO MYSELF to workout. Everyone else is sleeping. I know something will inevitably come up after work to sabotage early evening workouts. It just never fails. I know that if I don't workout, I will feel lethargic during the day and ultimately I cannot meet my goal if I don't workout. Once I'm up and moving, I'm great. Wide awake and ready to tackle anything. The secret is winning the fight while you're still lying in bed. After that, it's super easy. Good luck, friend!0
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It *sucks*. It's honestly my biggest hurdle to making health gains. My alarm goes off, and I lay there thinking about how great my bed is, but then I remind myself that I'll regret it if I don't go, and I'm awake anyway and I won't sleep as well if I try to go back, so I might as well.
It also helps to fantasize about how much more I can eat through the day if I just get my butt up. Food is a great motivator for me. I'm basically a dog.0 -
I love to sleep but I have to work out in the morning, as my schedule doesn't allow me to work out at night. I have found if I wait until later in the day its tougher to work out or I talk myself out of it. So I have to FORCE myself to get out of bed. The first thing I say to myself when the alarm goes off is 'you are not going to make any changes for the better if you don't get up an move'.. the other thing I've done is move my alarm clock across the room so I physically have to get out of bed to turn it off, once I'm up, its a bit easier. I always set out my workout clothes near my alarm, so I have no excuses. I've even heard people will sleep in their work out gear so they just have to brush their teeth/hair and are out the door. It sux getting up so early in the morning, half the time I'm through a good portion of my work out and realize that I'm awake and moving, and by then I'm already feeling so much better and ready to start my day. If you want it you can do it. :-)0
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I used to cardio-kickboxing religiously 6 days a week, for about 10 years. Class began at 5, it took me 5 minutes to rinse my face, brush my teeth, put my hair in a pony tail. It took me another 15 min to get to the studio. I had it timed to the second! I'd sometimes sleep in the workout pants I was going to wear, and hastily throw on a sports bra and t-shirt as I ran out the door. I'd also leave everything laid out and ready for shower/work preparations, so I wasn't beating myself up about being late. It wasn't easy and I ultimately stopped....which is how I ended up overweight again! But if I could go back and re-do the time I quit, I'd have gotten better organized and kept at it!0
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F1tnessCh1ck wrote: »I started doing challenges and I would be accountable in fitness groups. If I didn't do my workout in the morning, I would be exhausted and not be able to complete it after work - I'm like a walking zombie after work. So, I started getting up at 6 for 30 day shred and 21 day fix, then 5:30 for Insanity and now I'm up at 5:50 every morning for Insanity Max 30. Just find accountability somewhere - somewhere you don't want to be seen failing and you'll be motivated to show up, lace up and get it done!
Maybe this is why I can't do it. I have to get up at 5:45 just to get to work on time. I'd have to get up at 4:15 or 4:30 if I wanted to go to the gym.
Lol, I'm at the gym by 4:30 M-Th.
My mantra has always been..no tricks and no gimmicks to getting up early. Either you want it or you don't
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It *sucks*. It's honestly my biggest hurdle to making health gains. My alarm goes off, and I lay there thinking about how great my bed is, but then I remind myself that I'll regret it if I don't go, and I'm awake anyway and I won't sleep as well if I try to go back, so I might as well.
It also helps to fantasize about how much more I can eat through the day if I just get my butt up. Food is a great motivator for me. I'm basically a dog.
That may be the best comment yet -- "I'm basically a dog."
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I've started just the last few weeks. I am trying to start by replacing just one of my workouts a week with an AM workout rather than a PM. It's worked so far. This week I've gotten my butt out of bed twice and worked out in the morning at 5:30. I also sleep in my workout clothes.0
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Being a mom of two and also having a husband that likes to work out. The only time I can do anything is in the mornings. I think for me my motivation was if I worked out in the mornings then I was able to spend more time with my kids. My hubby finds it easier for him to work out on lunch. So you just have to find your motiviation and what you want to do.0
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When I use to do morning workouts (5 a.m at the Y) before work and life forced me to become a lunchtime/afternoon workout person, I just liked knowing I would have the gym to myself, I could quickly get through workouts, and by the time I was finished most of the world had barely had their first cup of coffee. It's a good feeling to shower, eat breakfast and realize you've already accomplished more today than most will all day.0
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