Making myself get up early to exercise

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  • Krista916
    Krista916 Posts: 258
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    I'm up at 4:30 am Monday-Friday to work out. I run 3 days and lift 2. Sometimes I'll do a walk or lift an extra day as well. I have been doing this for so long it's just second nature for me. It really does start coming easy the more you do it. You just have to get up and make it happen.

    I do go to be relatively early compared to most people my age, but it's not that big of a deal to me to go to bed early. I'd rather go to bed at 9 and get my work out in the next day then go to bed at 11 and sleep in and feel guilty.

    For real, once you get use to getting up that early it's not hard.
  • Jmchao
    Jmchao Posts: 27 Member
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    I, too, cannot get out of bed no matter how many pep talks I give myself before bed. I've even set my alarm for 4:00 am hoping that I'd hit the snooze enough times to wake up enough to get out of bed by 5:00. Alarm went to another part of room. Went to bed with workout clothes on so all I had to do was roll and go. Nope..I am just not a morning person. I never have been, either. My mom shared with me, just recently, that she signed me up for afternoon kindergarten because I was always so hard to wake in the mornings. She' d spend all morning waking me up and getting me ready for school! (I'm now 36!! So it's been a few years ;))

    So, I've come to appreciate working out at night. I have 2 kids, work part time, and go to school. What I do is go out after they go to bed. I leave hubby home with them, let him know the route I will be taking and how long I plan to be out for (I'm a safety-first geek), etc. Then i take off. I find I am so much more relaxed and enjoy it so much more. In the mornings, I'm too busy running around getting ready for work, getting girls ready for school, planning day, plotting attack on errands, etc. I'm so rushed that I feel as if I am rushing my workout and not enjoying it; it feels like another chore in an already busy morning! At night, nothing's waiting for me; laundry can wait till morning, dishwasher already running, girls showered and in bed with clothes picked out for morning, no phone calls, no trips to store/bank/etc. needing to be done. It's just me and the road, and the peaceful sounds and smells of a cool night.
  • eclong
    eclong Posts: 12 Member
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    It gets SO much easier. I started waking up at 5:45 to work out a week and a half ago and now I don't even need an alarm. Just be consistent!
  • xayles
    xayles Posts: 32 Member
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    When I need to get up for work at 4.30 in the morning I set the alarm on my phone and then I place that far enough from my bed that I have to get out of it.
  • xayles
    xayles Posts: 32 Member
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    When I need to get up for work at 4.30 in the morning I set the alarm on my phone and then I place that far enough from my bed that I have to get out of it. Good luck!
  • jivitasa
    jivitasa Posts: 150 Member
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    Have EVERYTHING ready the night before. Clothes picked out, gym bag, lunch packed. Do NOT push snooze! Just get out of bed before you have any time to think and wash your face. Get dressed, and I like to listen to my ipod as I get everything together out the door. I brew coffee the night before for a quick iced coffee as well, and out the door. I am up at 5 and out the door by 5:30...

    It's not always easy, but that is why I literally don't think about it until I'm out the door. It's like, what if I had to be at work? This is my job, I have no choice. I don't think of it as an option. And once I'm done and on my way to work I feel amazing, accomplished, and ready to take on the day. I wouldn't have it any other way.
  • RickiD530
    RickiD530 Posts: 15
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    I get up between 2:30 and 3:00 a.m. every morning to fit it in. Night time is too crazy. There is never enough time for a workout. My little tricks that help me are that I set my clock 20 minutes fast and set my alam clock for 30 min before i actually need to get up. It is never "easy" to get out of bed, especially really early to do a sweaty workout, but after awhile you just get into a groove and you are on a kind of auto-pilot. Plus I feel really guilty that I didn't just get up and get it done. There will always be days when you just can't force yourself to get out of bed but most days you really can. Good luck!
  • emma19797
    emma19797 Posts: 18
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    I work out around 7 a.m in the weekends and in the afternoon of evening during the week...but i somehow feel better when i work out it the morning..i am more lively throughout the day
  • pinkpatron
    pinkpatron Posts: 154
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    I'm up at 4, bike to the gym by 5AM M-F

    Ive gone in the afternoon before and its just an entirely different vibe. Idk, cant do the afternoon lol the earlier the better.
  • HannahJDiaz25
    HannahJDiaz25 Posts: 329 Member
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    I set the alarm VERY loud and put it in the hallway. Then you HAVE to get up to turn off that awful sound. For me just rolling out is half the battle. Once I'm standing up I'm usually good to go. :happy:
  • 5ftnFun
    5ftnFun Posts: 948 Member
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    Is seven hours per night enough sleep for you long-term?

    I was thinking the same thing. I need my 8 hours to function. I prefer 9 when I can get it, but that's rare. When my son was little and I was working full time, I only worked out a couple times during the week, and was active or played on the weekends when I had more time. I know we women want to be supermom, but sometimes somethin's gotta give.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
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    Gah, this is me as well. I have a hard time getting to the gym by the time I get out of work. My brain feels tired and has done everything it an to talk me out of it. If I could convince myself to wake up in the AM and do this, I would get it done before I had a chance to whine to myself about it. I just have the worst time getting up.
  • Jerrypeoples
    Jerrypeoples Posts: 1,541 Member
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    as others have said. place your alarm clock on the other side of the room (or that app that was mentioned is genius)

    after a while you start waking up before the alarm goes off....
  • Jacole18
    Jacole18 Posts: 716 Member
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    It never gets easy, but it does get easier after a week or so. your body will adjust to the schedule. i'm up at 3am doing my workout, and that's early lol. move your alarm so you have to get up to turn it off, and set out your workout clothes the night before next to you so when you get up, put your clothes on and go! good luck!! :)
  • TheHorribleBlob
    TheHorribleBlob Posts: 84 Member
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    I wish they made a mattress that could send an electric shock through my body when the alarm goes off, throwing me out of the bed!

    LOL. I would just land on the floor and go back to sleep.

    Try setting your alarm clock a bit earlier (like 10 minutes or so) every few days to ease into your new sleep schedule. Your body's probably too used to your current sleeping habits. It should make the transition a little easier. That's what worked for me, anyway. :)
  • cbrobers
    cbrobers Posts: 2 Member
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    My senior year of high school, I had a two week period where I had to work out in the morning. I'd wake up get it done and I'd feel great. Just keep yourself hydrated and be sure to eat right. Oatmeal and fruit are good for the morning. The thing is, you just have to get up and go, once you start moving, it's over before you know it! Another thing is, morning workouts mean you get it out of the way and you're getting your metabolism going at the start of the day. Some scientists/doctors recommend morning instead of working out a night, but honestly, times usually aren't much of a difference if a person has the same diet and routine as you, but at a different time of the day... ANYWAYS, the point is, once you get up and go, you'll be able to keep going. It's just the fact that you have to wake up and push yourself.
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
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    I agree with everyone else, put the alarm clock somewhere you can't reach it. If you really want the results that bad enough, you'll get up. Also try to make someone else accountable for you getting up. Last night I told my hubby, "Okay I'm getting up at 5:45 to workout tomorrow before work, don't let me go back to bed" and even though he was very groggy this morning and rolled the opposite way when I got up, he mumbled "Do not get back in this bed." haha :) So having that little extra push helps.
  • sarahsedai
    sarahsedai Posts: 273 Member
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    I used to be the same way (and I'll admit the snooze buttons still gets smacked repeatedly some days) but I've learned that it's getting out of bed that's the worst part. If I can get my feet on the floor and my butt up and moving, once I start my workout my energy levels skyrocket. Never thought I was a morning person.
  • worldsbestauntie
    worldsbestauntie Posts: 280 Member
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    I have three alarm clocks. My regular one, what I set on my phone and my cat. I kept hitting snooze on the frist two and third one one never went off! (Very strange for him NOT to wake me to fed!) I fell back to sleep and when I woke up I realized I had less then an hour to get out the door for work! Yikes!!! (Ended up being late, but since I still was hear before the others at the office, I don't think it matters!) I am trying to make myself workout in the morning. So far, I think I need more sleep! (Though I was bed a little after 11 last night)
  • morkiemama
    morkiemama Posts: 897 Member
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    I was always an afternoon/night exerciser, but decided I wanted to switch to before work for various reasons. I now get up at 4am to workout, but in the beginning it was very hard (and still occasionally can be).

    I will share what worked for me.

    1.) Having everything set out and ready to go. No thinking required. My workout clothes and things are all laid out, my work clothes are all set, my lunch all packed, etc.

    2.) Put your alarm out of reach. This way, you actually have to get up to shut it off.

    2.) No shower the night before. I hate being dirty (it drives me nuts) and I cannot show up to work looking greasy. Thus, I have to get up early to shower anyway, so I mine as well get up that extra 30-60 minutes to workout and then shower. (This is really what convinced me some days when I wanted to roll over.)

    I hope you find what works for you! <3

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