Morning Gym Tips for a Total Sleepyhead
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@girlinahat I've really gotta conquer the 'snooze' thing. I am a horrible snoozer. I think I'm going to have to try the alarm clock across the room thing (which will also prevent me looking at my phone before bed). I'm with you on not wanting a class, but maybe if I schedule out my workouts rather than just showing up to the gym, it will help. Thanks!1
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Can you go to bed earlier? Get a few alarms to make you get out of bed?
If you relegate gym time solely to the morning and refuse to let yourself go at night, you might be more motivated to get out of bed on time. Try building your day around your gym time.0 -
You know, for me - it's just a habit that has developed, it's a total routine. When I get home from work, I unpack my gym bag, then pack it again with everything I need for the next day and then - PUT IT IN MY CAR. That way when I wake up - everything is already out there and it gives me one less excuse not to go
I also make it a habit (now) of getting into bed between 830-9. When my alarm goes off at 5, it's not quite as rough You can do it! It will just take some time for it to become a habit. 3 -
trigden1991 wrote: »If you have missed flights because you "can't" get up, trying to persuade yourself to go to the gym is not going to happen.
This x1000. It will be easier to force yourself to make time in the evening than it will to force yourself to go to the gym in the morning.7 -
I wouldn't.
Look, I'm pragmatic. I am not a morning person and I'm old enough now to know that will never change. So there's no point in me making some lofty resolution that I know I won't maintain.
If you want change to stick you need to be realistic with yourself. And if that means admitting that you really just aren't into the morning thing, that's perfectly okay. Just make a commitment to something you have a better chance of actually doing.
I agree with this. There is nothing wrong with not being a morning person, just as there is nothing wrong with being a night owl. You have to find something that works for you. If you have missed flights because you can't wake up then I think you are going to set yourself up for failure by trying to force something that is outside your natural rhythm.
I think it is possible to transform from a night owl to a morning person but it takes a lot of work. Meaning there is no "magic wake up early fairy dust".
Start small.
Start with getting up at the exact same time every day, even weekends. Once you can do that consistently for a couple of weeks, then move your alarm 30 minutes earlier. Rinse and repeat until you can consistently get yourself up THEN start working out.
Or you can do what my night owl friend did and ask her boss for later work hours and get her workout in at 8am. She covers a shift that her boss needed covering and hasn't been late for work anymore.2 -
I'm NOT a morning person, but have started getting up at 5:30 am to workout. If I don't, it doesn't get done.
Here are my best tips:
Do NOT hit snooze. Just don't. As hard as it is, just. get. up. It will get better once you get moving.
I wear to bed what I work out in, minus shoes and socks. If you can't do that, have everything laid out and ready. Don't forget your earbuds, towel, hair tie, etc. It makes it SO much easier, especially when you're tired and still zombie-like.
I have the coffee pot all ready to go, so when I get up I just hit the button. I have to have a half cup and a few "wake up" minutes beforehand.
You will be SO happy afterward that you've done your workout for the day and you're evening is free for whatever else.
Edited to add a couple more obvious things; don't go to bed too late, don't overdrink the night before.2 -
I was never really a morning person but have gradually turned into one. I haven't used an alarm clock in many years. What really set it in stone was getting up at 4:30 AM to walk. My walks then turned into runs and after two weeks it started feeling good. It also helps to get to bed early so you don't get sleep deprived. Me, I like being in bed at 9:30 PM and often get some lazy boy sleep prior to that. Before my morning runs I suffered terrible bouts of insomnia but now I sleep like a baby....until 3:30 that is. It won't take hold until you get that workout high going.0
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If you've been late to work and missed flights you need to revamp your morning routine anyways.
What has helped me a great deal is getting to bed at a reasonable hour. I go to sleep at night so that I can always get at least eight hours of sleep, but no more than nine. More sleep makes me tired and less sleep makes me tired and not want to get up.
I set one alarm. Not two, not three, not four. This is so I know in the back of my mind if I don't get up I will be late. I set it about 10 minutes earlier than I actually need to get up so I can hit the snooze button once and still get up in time. This works for me because I will use that ten minutes to come to terms with the fact I am actually awake, it is morning, and life must now go on. When I first started though I would plug my phone in across the room so I had to actually get up to turn off my alarm. Worked wonders.
Once I get up, I do not lay back down. I immediately turn on my bedroom light and go about getting ready for the day. Sometimes I pack my gym bag at night, sometimes in the morning. It really doesn't affect me either way because I give myself thirty minutes in the morning to get ready which is more than enough time for me.
It was difficult maybe the first week. It's routine now.
ETA: In the winter, I keep it warm in my house so I don't have to combat the feeling of leaving my warm bed. It's warm in my house so I don't really feel a difference in temperature until I hit the door.1 -
Bottom line, you just need to hold yourself accountable. Either you get up or don't. I learned this the hard way and I know how guilty I feel when I don't. Having a buddy helps, but in the end, it's how bad do you want it.1
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Tacklewasher wrote: »Get dogs. Damn things won't let you sleep in. Mine were whining before 5 this morning.
Haha! So true!!!0 -
Don't try to wake up extra early, just wake up and do ten push-up right then, or a 30second plank... most likely by the time you get done with that you'll be willing to throw in an extra move etc without changing your routine at all. If you do that every morning you will begin to enjoy and expect it and that's when you will be able to convince yourself to start a tad bit earlier.
If you only change your wake up by 5 minutes every so often your body will not notice as much and you are far more likely to be successful over all. A thirty second plank in the morning is better than a missed afternoon workout due to unexpected issues, mental exhaustion or just being plain lazy right?! In any case you can always do more later if you didn't feel it was enough!
Good luck, it's definitely doable! Just little tiny steps 2 -
I am most definitely not a morning person, but I was in the same situation as you about 2-3 years ago where I wasn't getting workouts in later in the day. I had a dear friend who was already a morning gym person text me to ensure I was awake each day for a few weeks until it was a habit. I don't like to disappoint people, so I was always already up by the time she texted. 2-3 years later, still lifting in the morning, created a new habit. Still not a morning person.2
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@butterfli7o I've seen the 'sleep in your workout clothes' thing before. Do you wear restrictive clothes to work out? I have to wear like a heavy duty sports bra and also wear leggings to avoid chaffing. I've always worried about this being super uncomfortable or (sorry gross tmi) causing infections. Have you found good workarounds or options? Thanks for the idea!0
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I really should have not exaggerated my whole flight missing thing (it was one flight after a wild night out) - it really set people off. I was just trying to stress my not being a morning person.4
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@WickAndArtoo I like this suggestion - similar to the person who suggested doing something enjoyable when waking up a little early. I think I'll try these two over the next couple weeks to ease into 2017. Thank you!0
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@AgentFlex you're the second person to suggest this - I definitely think I'm going to ask my work friend to at least shoot me a text. If nothing else, it's accountability. Thanks!0
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@AgentFlex you're the second person to suggest this - I definitely think I'm going to ask my work friend to at least shoot me a text. If nothing else, it's accountability. Thanks!
It really works. I am so thankful for her and still bring it up!0 -
I am a morning person and had to switch for years to evening workouts due to kids schedules so went back to mornings about 18 months ago. And I mean morning...i am usually at the gym between 4:30 and 4:45am. For me, I set my alarm and allow myself one snooze. I need an hour before I leave to have some coffee, do some chores, feed the dog etc, and I do lay my clothes out the night before. I also shower at the gym for work so I pack a bag with toiletries and work clothes. And i look at it like its my job...I just have to go...no excuses. I have goals and without going to the gym and running my plan, I will not be able to perform at my next race. For me its a mindset of I'm an athlete in training versus I go to the gym to get fit or lose weight. I mean thats part of it too but the accountability I have to the events I've registered for and my training partner make me get up and go. I hope some of these tips may help you.0
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for me personally, being a horrible morning person means that not only can i not get out of bed easily but also that i have no energy in the morning hours at all. even if i manage to haul myself out of bed (which i have to do to get the kids off to school and take care of a toddler), my body is sluggish (until i have a couple coffees under my belt) around 10:30ish, so a workout would be that much more difficult. that being said, if i decided to do it, i would. if you are truly motivated and want something badly enough then you just do it. (when i was a teenager, getting me up for school was ww3 but tell me we're going skiing and we're leaving at 6, you better believe my butt was in that car.)
all these tips, especially the one where you go to sleep early are useful but at the end of the day, if you want it badly enough, you will make it happen.0 -
*kitten* the snooze button, it's the devil on earth. Nothing good happens when you hit that thing.4
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@Packerjohn you're so right - i've gotta figure out a good way to ditch it0
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I really should have not exaggerated my whole flight missing thing (it was one flight after a wild night out) - it really set people off. I was just trying to stress my not being a morning person.
It didn't "set people off"...the way you said it basically made it sound like you couldn't even get up for a flight and people are taking that at face value...obviously, if one can't even get up for a flight to somewhere awesome, forcing exercise in the AM would be an issue.
There are a lot of people who've been there and done that and have the t-shirt and they were just commenting that given the information you provided, it might not be the best thing...all of this is about consistency and sustainability and people are just wanting to help you avoid pitfalls is all...
Since your comments were exaggerated I'll just say as others have said...start getting up a little earlier and a little earlier...set the alarm clock somewhere that you can't just hit snooze so that you have to get up. See how it goes and how you feel and if your training suffers or not and adjust as necessary.0 -
Go to bed much earlier. Accept that if you get up at 5 to work out, you should be in bed/asleep by 9 PMish. And speaking as someone who had a downstairs neighbor that got up unwillingly at 4:30 AM every day, if you have to set a loud alarm to exercise, DO NOT do that. I had to break my lease because it was that or homicide. Damn woman had a siren loud alarm, would hit the snooze, repeat 2 or 3 times per morning.
Alternately, accept that morning exercise is not likely and change your habits to exercise right after work. Say no to invitations and family dinners if they're commonly interfering in working out. Or exercise on weekends. You don't mention multiple jobs/kids so presumably you have 2 entire days that are mostly free of major time commitments. Put in longer workouts on those 2 days.1 -
I actually DID become a morning workout person!! Mostly because I run and lift outside and it became unbearably hot last summer. Biggest change -- I started eating dinner earlier (by 7) and I'm in bed by 9:30 asleep by 10!! Now I wake up naturally at 5:45 and I'm running or lifting by 6.
That being said, if I had to get properly dressed and drive to the gym, there's no way I'd do it. Having a home gym has been key for me. Even if I just use my yoga mat and bodyweight exercises.0 -
Good morning routines begin with good evening routines. Begin the night before. Lay everything out - food, coffee, clothes, music, shoes, etc, and get to bed on time. Committing to meeting someone or signing up for an early class helps. And remind yourself that it's not a question, it's not optional - just get up and go. After a few weeks, if you've been faithful (and getting enough sleep), it will begin to feel a little better - not good, but better.1
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I totally don't see this working. You can't even get up for something as important as a flight there's no way in h*ll you're getting up for the gym. No shame in that - I'm not getting up for it either. Find a way to work it into your evening routine. I have mine scheduled in the evenings on my calendar on my phone with reminders set to remind me to go. Occasionally I can talk myself out of going in the evening, but in the morning it would probably be 90% of the time!0
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May I also suggest a pre workout drink? I was like you and would use any excuse to not get up in the morning. I would go back to sleep if it was raining. Raining!! I've been getting up at 4:30am to get to the gym by 5 for two years now. One of the things that helped me was knowing that once I got the pre workout in me I really wasn't going to be tired any more and I was going to have a great workout and be D.O.N.E. for the day. They're not for everybody, though. Oh, also, I started a workout routine that I loved! I didn't want to miss it and that was huge. Do you like working out or do you just do it because you feel you have to? It took me a whole year before I was able to just get up and go without trying to make any excuses or using any self-talk to get up and go. Really, it comes down to self-motivation.0
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I was also that person who could never make it work on time. These days, I actually prefer my training sessions at 5:30 a.m. and even take Saturday morning 6:30 a.m. classes! My old bosses would be like who are you??
I basically don't give myself the option whether to go or not. I take group fitness classes so I sign up for classes that will charge a fee if I don't show. I schedule with my trainer early too. I have never once been late or missed a session. I lay out all the clothes the night before. And things I like, that make me feel good to put on. And car keys, water bottle, sneakers, everything.
When my alarm goes off, I just jump up. "Feet to the floor, just gotta do it" is what goes through my head. Get up before I have time to think about it and change my mind. And it takes the willpower out of it. It's just a given. Required. Like making my bed or taking a shower. Not negotiable.
And over time, I have come to LOVE these early morning, quiet moments while most of the world is still asleep. No traffic, sometimes even seeing the moon when I leave, the sun rising over the bridge on my way home. Workout done and over before 7am or 8am or whatever the time is. It feels so good and I feel so alive. I feel energized and accomplished and in a good mindset to take one whatever the day brings. And it allows me to always get my workout in before the craziness of the day starts taking over.
I go to bed early, sleep better. I never thought I would become a morning person, but it has helped my life in a lot of ways.1 -
I find it much easier to make it part of your morning routine, and I prefer doing it at home. I workout in my underwear. I have collected many dvds over the years, plus there are countless videos on youtube. Get up, workout, then do everything else. No matter what, at least you've gotten your workout done! I admit that at the beginning it was tough. I was probably half asleep for the beginning, but awake and energized by the end. It helps get you moving for the rest of your day with a sense of accomplishment.0
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Have goals big enough that missing workouts isn't an option. Sure, if I'm sick or whatever I take time off. But week in week out, I manage to make it happen.
My preferred schedule would be wake up at 11, go to bed somewhere around 3. But I wake up at 5:30 most days to make everything happen.1
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