Getting your *kitten* out of bed in the morning

LeanButNotMean44

For me, it's all about the 5 p's: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. I meal prep over the weekend, lay out my workout clothes and work clothes the night before, have my pre-workout made the night before and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Workjng out in the AM is great - no crowds and nothing to derail your efforts (i.e. Working late, traffic jam, etc.). I get up at 4am and am at the gym about 10 mins before they open at 5am.

noclady1995

Like another poster said, you just have to do it, and you have to WANT to do it. Unfortunately there's no secret formula. Lol.

It was hard the first couple of weeks. I only set one alarm. It helps that I set out my workout clothes, and had my water, phone, etc. ready. I work out at home but I get ready like I'm going to the gym. If you have to, go to bed in your gym clothes. One less thing to worry about. I have to do the whole self-talk thing to tell myself there's no other time to do it and if I don't I'll REGRET it. It's happened enough times that I know how that regret feels, and that has become a big enough motivation for me now.

Once you have a routine down, it'll become part of your everyday schedule.

vjrozmia

I think if you get enough sleep, it's not so bad to wake up early to exercise. I know I need 8 hours of sleep to feel well rested, so I get to sleep by 9:30 in order to be up by 5:30 in the morning.

tjones0411

Rage_Phish wrote: »

i jsut do it. set alarm, get out of bed, go to gym

This. I get up at 4:30am Monday - Friday and even after 3 years, every single morning, I have to tell myself, "put your feet on the floor. Just stand up."

I'm not especially a morning person and I love to sleep as much as the next person. But I know that mornings are the only time I have - before the kids and husband wake up and I'm dragged in 10 different directions.

cnbbnc

It was hard for me to get into a routine at first but now I love it. In the evening I set my workout gear out, pack my gym bag, set up the coffee pot and a small snack, and have everything ready to throw my protein shake together (that's my breakfast for the car on the way to work).

I set my alarm for 4:30, get dressed, down my coffee/snack, make my shake, and get to the gym around 5:45. It's rough starting a new routine, but honestly now I feel screwed up on rest days when I'm home in the morning.

kshama2001

Another vote for having the alarm clock across the room and not using the snooze button. And going to bed at a time that gives you enough time to sleep before said alarm goes off.

saramickeydee

I'm still working on building this habit so I'm probably riding the gung-ho high at the moment, BUT I lay out my clothes and coffee and banana and peanut butter the night before. Sometimes I even put toothpaste on the brush. I set my phone alarm and put it across the room. I also try to get to bed early. ( I failed that tonight.)

dave_in_ni

I've been trying for years and never managed it. I have no problem getting up in the mornings at 6am and am usually awake before the alarm but don't have motivation to do anything in the morning, I just want to be left alone until 8-9am

girlinahat

like others have said, get everything sorted the night before, don't hit the snooze button.

by the time I am actually awake, the workout is halfway through and I'm a mile or so away from home. This morning the sun was out, I was under the Clifton Suspension bridge at 6.30 and only the blackbirds were around pulling up worms. THAT is enough to make me feel like the rest of the day will be glorious.

I only do activities where I don't have to talk to people though. That would be a step too far that early. Early mornings are private and for me to enjoy life.

lizzy_satellite

I have to get myself to bed by 11.30 pm or getting out of bed at 6.15 will not happen. Workout clothes and work clothes are laid out the night before I also have two different and equally annoying alarms that start going off at 6.

becomingvegannn

I set one alarm for 5am and get up when it goes off. That's it.

You're going to have to get up anyway - why not wake up 30, 45, or 60 mins earlier to do something that will help you meet your goals? I also find that I feel loads better on days I workout in the morning than on days I sleep in.

ScubaSteve1962

Renzi27 wrote: »

So tell me - how do you do it? I've come to the realization that the ONLY time I am able to exercise has to be in the morning before work - because afterwards there is dinner to be made, homework to be done and other things like soccer/baseball practice that the kids need to be at.

SO my question is this -- HOW do you morning exercisers do it? I know it's a "you just gotta do it" kind of thing but I need the specifics...do you set three alarms? Do you have a friend call you to wake you up? Do you go to bed at 7pm?

I'm just curious since I just cannot seem to get my *kitten* out of bed in the morning. TIA

I do it because I'm able to go to bed at a reasonable time. My latest time to be in bed is 9:45, I'm up at 3:45. I have everything ready to go before going to bed, so in the morning it's just taking care of the morning essentials. Most of the time I'm up before the alarm goes off.

flippy1234

How bad do you want it? That's the real question....

peaceout_aly

Bribe yourself. Remind yourself of that morning coffee you'll get after you hit the gym, or the delicious protein bar waiting at the finish line. Think of the free time you'll have after work to get stuff done. That's what keeps me going. Tonight and tomorrow are very weird days for me - I'm going to the gym after work, which I have grown to despise. All I can think about is how late I'll get home, how much there is to do around the house and how packed the gym is going to be. Once you are a true early riser it just becomes habit. I used to set two alarms, both with sayings like "Wake up, Fatty" "Only __ days until Croatia" that really gave me motivation to get out of bed. Also, set your lock screen to a fitspiration model or quote.

brb_2013

When I used to have to wake up at 4:30, I had several alarms and basically a "go or die" attitude

bviv89

I just got really specific with what I wanted and what is more important. Do I like seeing my waist get smaller? Yes. Do I like looking cute in that new dress? Yes. Is it going to hurt me to miss 30 minutes of sleep a few times per week? No way. Do I want to be able to be active with my kids and be around to meet their kids? Absolutely.

I also give myself a reward for making the good choices. 4 days of waking up early=buying coffee at my favorite stand after the 4th workout. Lose 30 pounds, get a Wonder Woman T-shirt from TJMaxx. That kind of thing. Make it worth it for yourself because YOU ARE WORTHY OF BEING HAPPY AND HEALTHY!!!

robininfl

I roll out of bed, put on the clothes and shoes and go. Yes it's just a "you have to do it" thing. And over time you start feeling better on days you worked out early, so it feeds off itself to some extent. It may not ever feel good while you are doing it, but will feel better to have done it.

wonko221

Train yourself to flip the lights on immediately, on your way to the alarm. Once i get hit by the bright lights, sleeping in goes out the window.

I haven't invested in one yet, but i'm intrigued by the LED light alarm clocks that will slowly start to brighten a few minutes before you wake up, and be fully bright as your alarm sounds. Supposed to be an easy transition into waking.

Finally, i'm thinking about a Jawbone to monitor my sleeping. One of its features is that you can set an alarm goal, and threshold, and it will look for opportune moments between REM cycles to wake you within that window. So if you tell it to wake you up no later than 6 a.m., and give it a 1/2hr threshold, it will monitor your sleep starting at 5:30 a.m., and whenever you enter into a sleep cycle that is gentle to awaken from it will start to buzz on your wrist. If this option works for me, it would be a great way to wake up earlier than my partner, who sleeps in later than me, and doesn't need my alarm clock ruining her dreams.

kandell

I think a big part of being able to get up in the morning is getting up at the right time. I have three alarms that go off in the morning; 5 am, 6 am, and 6:30am. Normally I don't get up until 6:30, but lately I've been getting up at 6. It's easier to get up if I'm getting up at the right point in my sleep cycle. I feel more awake, and once I'm out of bed I'm ready to go. Maybe play around with what time you're getting up and going to bed, and see if there's a better time than what you're currently doing?