Morning workout motivation

britchick_007

So i really want to start getting up earlier and doing 30 mins of cardio before work, this way I can go to gym on way home and do some weights.

I find it hard to get the energy to get up and work out. Any suggestions as to how to get the motivation or energy to get up and be able to do a workout?

Any help would be great!

Chocoloiza

I am the same sometimes! Lol. I think it helps if you sleep early at night like 9-10 pm so you get enough sleep for your workout the next day. I oftentimes set my alarms succesively with only one minute interval in between. By the third alarm I'm already up and about. I immediately drink a glass of water and splash my face with cold running water too! Consistency is key. Try your best to sleep at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each day. After a week or two of the same routine you'll find yourself waking up before your alarm and not being able to go back to sleep. Trust me your mind and body will be so used to the routine that you'll hardly let a day pass without working out in the morning. I was used to waking up early to exercise that even if I didn't get a wink of sleep the night before, I found myself getting ready for a run and with so much energy too! I guess you just have to enjoy every minute of it and always keep yourself motivated with your goals. Read some inspirational articles online too! And don't give up! Just stay positive and keep going. Because every time you wake up to exercise, you're one step closer to achieving your dreams!!

slovie64

Morning workouts are the best! I think you either have to be a morning person or just force yourself up and out the door. I walk almost every morning for 1.5 - 2 miles and then during my lunch hour for another 2 miles or so. Now I'm just hoping to see some results!

I think the morning workouts (for me) are crucial because as the months progress it gets too hot to do any sort of walking during lunch. Plus, it's nice to get it done first thing. Then if something comes up during the course of the day, you at least got your work out in.

cwolfman13

Set your alarm for about 15 minutes prior to when you want to start your workout. When your alarm goes off, get up...do not pass go, do not collect $200...do not touch the frackin' snooze button. If you have to, put your alarm clock in a place that requires you to physically get up to shut it off. Have a glass of water, stretch out, put your workout clothes on, etc. You'll be awake and fine within 10 minutes. The physical act of getting up is the hardest part and is over in about 30 seconds or less.

Pretty much, this is one of those things that you simply do or do not....and if you're relying solely on "motivation"...well, good luck with that one.

keic10688

When I was just starting out I would sleep with my workout clothes on and my shoes next to my bed. I also had my gym bag packed the night before and sitting by the door. That way all I had to do was get up and go out the door.

spzjlb

Really good points here. For MANY years, I would roll out of bed, work out at home, then leave the house for work. In recent years, I have had to get up much earlier because our schedule shifted with a different school. It has been harder.

My biggest issue is getting to bed on time, since I tend to be a night owl and work quite late. Chocoloiza's comment rings true and it is much easier to get up when I have had a good sleep.

Another big help for me: In addition to having the glass of water, like cwolfman13, I also take the time for a big coffee and a small bit of fruit pre-exercise.

Once you manage to exercise a few times in a row, you will notice how CRAPPY you feel on the day that you skip. That is the weird motivation that keeps me going. Not that the exercise is easy to do, but I know that I will feel horrible without it. Plus, you get to walk around feeling virtuous all day...

I don't know what your lifestyle is like, but I am 50 yrs old and very established in my career. I just tell everyone that I am arriving a little later to the office. It is great, because traffic is so much better. Also, I stay later, too, which I enjoy (and rush hour is over when I leave). Smoother travel to work is a huge bonus and I am less frazzled because I am not fighting the traffic all the way. This was an unexpected, positive side effect of the time that I take to work out in the morning.

jillmarie125

coffee. i hit the start button on my coffee maker right away. by the time my teeth are brushed and i am dressed, my coffee is ready. it takes a few weeks to get in a routine, but now i couldn't imagine working out at any other time.

sfbaumgarten

You really just have to force yourself to get out of bed. It'll become routine after a while. You could try going to bed earlier, moving your alarm across the room, sleeping in your workout clothes, etc.

I'm not the best morning person so I set 2 alarms. After the first alarm, I turn on the light and fumble with my phone for a few minutes... Check emails, weather, news, whatever. After the second alarm, it's workout time.

melly0405

I work out in the morning because it's the only way I can be sure that I won't have the entire day to talk my self out of working out! If 30 minutes seems too hard try starting out with 10 minutes; honestly the hardest part about an am workout is the first step. Most mornings I'm too delirious to even realize I'm working out but doing cardio in the morning gives me the energy i need to get through the day. Good luck!!

rmdaly

I agree with the coffee suggestions.

I have to do baby steps and I have been doing morning workouts for years. First, I tell myself to just get up and have a cup of coffee. Then I tell myself to get dressed. Then I tell myself that I only have to do a few minutes of the workout. Generally, once I start a workout, I will finish it. And then I feel proud of myself for completing it.

If I lie in bed and tell myself I will workout "later", then I try to plan when "later" will be. Sometimes, its just easier to get up an do it.

It sounds like you are working out at home. Working out at a gym first thing in the morning can be motivating. Many times it is the same people and if you keep going then you can chat and have some social time before heading to work. Its a great way to make friends and often it is what gets me out the door.

mbender719

keic10688 wrote: »

When I was just starting out I would sleep with my workout clothes on and my shoes next to my bed. I also had my gym bag packed the night before and sitting by the door. That way all I had to do was get up and go out the door.

Yes! This is key! My nightly routine has gotten longer but its worth it to have an easier morning. Gym clothes laid out, breakfast portioned, and work clothes ready to go for after I shower.

TheSatinPumpkin

routine and coffee works for me.

EmmieBaby

have your alarm be motivational music. gets you awake pumped and ready to go

lpendleton58

5+ hours of sleep (of course), yoga or some stretching before bed, staying hydrated the day before, and take pride in doing it. If you want to be consistent with it, you have to enjoy the process of doing it

JAllen32

I am the farthest from a morning person that you will find. I have been wanting to get up and workout early for years, but would just never do it. It made me absolutely miserable when I did. Then a friend asked me if I would start going with her to the gym at 6am. I wanted to run away, but instead, I agreed. We have been going first 3 mornings, and now 4 mornings a week for 2 months. It feels amazing. I am loving it. I feel so much better. My advice, get a buddy.

Mopar88

Having everything ready (lunch, work clothes, etc) ready the night before works for me. I get up, get dressed and out the door to the gym. Some days are harder than others for motivation but once I get exposed to the cold MI air, I'm plenty awake. The actual workout gets me pumped up for the day and puts me in a great mood without fail.

quiltermn

I drive almost 20 miles to my gym. If I don't do it right away in the morning, I don't do it. Am ia morning person, absolutely not I set an alarm for 5a.m. in the the bathroom so I have to get up and turn it off or get an elbow in the ribs from my hubby. My clothes are ready the night before so I grab a banana and a half serving of almonds and head out. I've met some great people at that time of the morning and they keep me accountable. One works out 7 days a week and does 2 hours of cardio, besides weights, a regimen her cardio doc said is delaying the heart valve replacement she will need eventually. I'm lucky enough to be retired, but my husband and friends think I'm crazy to get up at 5 and my friend says she sure won't be getting up at 5 to exercise when she 's retired. I'm not asking her to, but it works for me and that's when "my people" are there, they've become my friends. I need them.

awolf2011

I'm struggling with this right now too. Before I had my 4 boys, I would get up at 4:30 am, go to the gym for an hour, shower and dress for work there, and head out to work for the day. I would do this 4x per week, then go at least once on the weekend. Now, I have to work out at home because it just can't get worked into my schedule to drive 30 min away to go to a gym. It will get easier the older my kids get (my oldest is 10 and my youngest is 1). I have an eliptical and a treadmill in my basement, so it's not like I don't have the machines to do my cardio. Plus I have a step for some stepping. It's just getting past first base. Once you get past first base, you round to second, and then you don't stop there. Then, you pass third flying, and head straight to home. All the suggestions above are great and I'm gonna try to get my butt out of bed at least 2x a week and then add 1 more. Let's get er done!! lol

rileyes

Music! Put your earbuds on first thing. Go for 10 minutes. Then keep going. Or do a short intensive workout. There are apps for that, like "Pop Sugar"

rainbow198

Good sleep and prepping the night before. I lay out my clothes and have my workout all planned out. The next morning I wake up, I brush my teeth, wash my face, drink some water and put on my workout clothes and head to my home gym.

It's second nature now for me now. No caffeine or alarm clock needed. Feels great to have my workout in for the day so early.

pjcfrancis

Gotta get to bed early. Don't skimp on sleep. I love to walk in the early morning before work. It's still dark here until 7:30, but I'm looking forward to the longer days and walking in the early light. I usually get to bed by 9:30.

smalltown_princess

Wear your workout clothes to bed, that way you kinda shame yourself into working out