How to wake up and get to the gym?!

zissisbrisbane

Hi all,

So I am seeking some of your wisdom on how to motivate oneself to get out of bed early and get to the gym?

Due to my schedule I am up at 5am and at the gym by 5.15/5.20am. And I was doing this very well until a recent holiday! Now I am back and with the days getting shorter and colder (in Australia) I am finding it very difficult to get going in the morning, and have opted for the warmth of bed and an extra hour sleep a few times!

Does anyone have any amazing tricks to get on top of this?

fearlessleader104

How about going later on in the day?

3dogsrunning

I didn't make it an option. It's in my head the night before, I'm getting up and going. Everything is ready to go, alarm is set. When the alarm goes off, I get up and move. I don't think about it. If I give myself the choice, I'm going to choose my warm bed everytime.

zissisbrisbane

I get home at about 6-6.30pm and I know myself well enough to understand that going to the gym after that and getting home everyday after 8pm isn't going to work.

I do enjoy the feeling of working out before work... but sometimes it is difficult to remember when the alarm goes off.

urloved33

I work out in the early morning too but I make my rest days tues and thurs and work out heavily on the weekend...those two days to recover and rest are my "treat" so when the next day comes that i go to the gym...I have had time to miss it.

BigLifter10

I despise having to train around a lot of people and the way the gym is set up, it feels like a rat maze to me, so that in itself is my reason to get in there and git r' dun! Otherwise, I just get irritable.

CrzyMan33

Do you take a pre workout drink? If so set that little guy by you when you sleep and when you get up to hit the snooze button, take a drink... You'll be up in no time!

AllanMisner

Imagine the commitment you made to your significant other. If you told them you’d be there for them at 5:20am each day, would you? Now, make a commitment to your health. Assuming you care about yourself even remotely close to how you would a SO, you’ll be there for yourself.

“Motivation" and "will power" are words we like to use instead of commitment. We use them because there seems to be less shame associated with break downs. You break a commitment, it means something. Commit!

eisterunicorn

I'm in the Air Force. I get up at 4 every morning to go do my own workout at the gym, bring my uniform and all to shower and get ready in the locker room. There have been days where I've had to do it in the afternoon instead, because of how badly I slept and knew I needed extra sleep. (I am an Arabic linguist...I need to be awake and alert all day..) But a motivating factor is how much I love just getting home after work, taking a shower and changing into comfy clothes. I'd rather knock my workout out early so I can have this relax time in the evenings. Everybody's different. You have to tell yourself you will work out at 5 am, and then follow your own orders. Go to bed early. Make it a habit and your body will get used to it. It's so rewarding.

ETA: I don't always go to the gym. I enjoy getting up to do Fitness Blender workouts at home too.

JoRocka

Go to bed earlier- and make sure you're all packed up and ready to go- don't give yourself any excuses and then just do it.

eisterunicorn

AllanMisner wrote: »

Imagine the commitment you made to your significant other. If you told them you’d be there for them at 5:20am each day, would you? Now, make a commitment to your health. Assuming you care about yourself even remotely close to how you would a SO, you’ll be there for yourself.

“Motivation" and "will power" are words we like to use instead of commitment. We use them because there seems to be less shame associated with break downs. You break a commitment, it means something. Commit!

I really like this reasoning. So very true.

Talan79

AllanMisner wrote: »

“Motivation" and "will power" are words we like to use instead of commitment. We use them because there seems to be less shame associated with break downs. You break a commitment, it means something. Commit!

I'm not a morning person and I trained myself until I was able to do it on a regular. I had mornings of laying there saying five more minutes, time would pass and I was tempted not to go because my workout was cut short due to the inability of physically getting out of bed.
Now, I go to bed by 10:30pm the latest, alarm set for 5:30am. The consistent bed time and zero alcohol at night is what has really helped me. And I'm really motivated to change my body. Its not just about being small anymore. I have other body goals that motivate me.

mz_getskinny

I just had to suck it up and do it!!! Like literally force myself to become a morning person! Having everything laid out and ready to go really helps me. No joke, it took me a couple weeks to make a habit out of it...because I LOVE SLEEP!

Mr_Knight

Go to sleep earlier.

enterdanger

I am not a morning person. When tasked with choosing to get up early or stay up late I prefer to go late at night. When my kids are in bed at 9pm I head over. I get up around 6am already. Not getting up earlier.

esjones12

Just gotta force yourself and once the routine kicks in, you'll be fine. I used to do that twice a week and LOVED it. Then some things changed (like starting work earlier) and I stopped. Now the thought of doing it gets shot down lol.

jennifer_417

Not really. You just gotta want it bad enough. (This probably sounds harsher than I mean for it to.)

Ideabaker

Mr_Knight wrote: »

Go to sleep earlier.

^^ This! I'm not ashamed to say that I go to bed by 9:00 p.m. most nights. Easy peasy to get up for my early morning workouts.

p.s. I'm in NZ and find going to bed earlier a lot easier in autumn/winter because it gets dark so early anyway.

Kimberly_Harper

I'm taking notes, here. I am not a morning person no matter what season it is but it would be nice to start my day earlier and have the whole rest of the day to not think about working out or going to the gym. So, would going to bed in your workout clothes be a bad thing? lmao

AllanMisner

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

So, would going to bed in your workout clothes be a bad thing? lmao

As long as they weren’t the ones you wore during your workout the day before (unwashed), then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Kimberly_Harper

AllanMisner wrote: »

Kimberly_Harper wrote: »

So, would going to bed in your workout clothes be a bad thing? lmao

As long as they weren’t the ones you wore during your workout the day before (unwashed), then it shouldn’t be a problem.

Haha yes, good point.

Koldnomore

Up at 5am every day, hour bus ride, 2.5km walk then to the gym for 6:45. I get everything ready the night before. Pack my lunch and have it ready in the fridge. Pull all my gym gear in the backpack and anything else I need by the door - when it's all ready to go it's just a pain to unpack everything. Also, I HAVE to go to the gym because I don't leave myself enough time to shower and get ready at home before my ride arrives so no gym = no shower, no makeup, ponytail hair etc.. Leave yourself no other choice.

Velum_cado

I get up at 5am, leave the house by 5:30, commute an hour, and am in the gym from 6:30 - 8. For me, it helps to have little treats I can look forward to. Like, I have expensive, awesome shower gel which I only let myself use at the gym. I also have these mint chocolate protein bars which I LOVE, but I only get one if I've been to the gym. It also helps that the traffic is much lighter at 5:30.

Generally, once my feet hit the floor, I'm fine. It's just that initial push to get myself up.

Capt_Apollo

zissisbrisbane wrote: »

Hi all,

So I am seeking some of your wisdom on how to motivate oneself to get out of bed early and get to the gym?

Due to my schedule I am up at 5am and at the gym by 5.15/5.20am. And I was doing this very well until a recent holiday! Now I am back and with the days getting shorter and colder (in Australia) I am finding it very difficult to get going in the morning, and have opted for the warmth of bed and an extra hour sleep a few times!

Does anyone have any amazing tricks to get on top of this?

winter is tough. my motivation for early morning workouts waned significantly during the winter here in the northern hemisphere.

you just have to do it. it sucks, it's cold, but honestly, now looking at the fact that i dropped 20 pounds in the four winter months, i'm really glad that i stuck with it.

zissisbrisbane

Good tips, thanks to all!
I've been getting to bed a bit earlier, and I've been every day thus far this week.

Getting started again is the hard part for me. Once I'm in the routine I feel so much better.

FitForce8

1. Wake up
2.Find hot girl to harass you until you get to gym
3. Gym
4. die