Trying to become a morning exerciser
Jthanmyfitnesspal
Posts: 3,522 Member
I'm not a morning person in that I've never woken up quickly. Some days I feel sleepy until noon! But, in summer, there are so many advantages to rising early. It's cooler and often sunny and beautiful. So, I'm working on the formula:
- lay out all the gear at night
- get to bed early
- get up early (5:30 would be perfect but 6 is my habit)
- as soon as the alarm sounds, I reach for my Bluetooth headphones (I have the bone conduction kind) and start up some music
- drink a glass of water
- get out of the house promptly and start the warm-ups
- keep the run reasonably short, despite temptation
- keep moving as I return to the house such that I reach work on schedule
There are some things that are out of my control, like allergies and digestion issues. Both have sidelined me at times. You just got to roll with it, man!
- lay out all the gear at night
- get to bed early
- get up early (5:30 would be perfect but 6 is my habit)
- as soon as the alarm sounds, I reach for my Bluetooth headphones (I have the bone conduction kind) and start up some music
- drink a glass of water
- get out of the house promptly and start the warm-ups
- keep the run reasonably short, despite temptation
- keep moving as I return to the house such that I reach work on schedule
There are some things that are out of my control, like allergies and digestion issues. Both have sidelined me at times. You just got to roll with it, man!
6
Replies
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Consistency helps.
When I used to do my long runs in the morning, I'd be up at 4AM.
I loved it. Nobody was around so it was quiet. I had my coffee and something light to eat if needed, peruse pinterest while I finish my cup of coffee, then I went for my run.
By the time you get back and showered, you head to work and...everything's all done already-workout complete.
The nice thing is that I had more energy...I feel like I get more done on days I'm up early...The downside is that you get tired/sleepy earlier, so I'd go to bed around 8-9pm.7 -
I am a "natural" morning person - so I have a bit of a leg up. That being said, I have worked out in the mornings since college (I am 64 y/o now). The above poster is absolutely correct. It gets easier the more you do it. And you feel much more energized during the day. The downside??? An early bedtime. But I think it's worth it. I like getting the workout out of the way for the day, then I don't have to think about it....4
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The hardest part is getting to bed early. I'm still not sure it's even possible. I've been experimenting with stopping eating earlier, in the hopes that my bedtime rush of energy is caused by dinner, and it seems to help a bit (or at least I'm not bouncing off the walls when it's time to go to bed), but 9:00 is still a difficult bedtime for this night owl, even without naps. I don't think I've ever managed to get to sleep earlier than 11, which makes 5:30 a difficult time to wake up.
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It definitely takes time and intentional habit-building, at least it did for me, and it's something I have to pretty actively work towards. OP laid out some good practices, I try to do a lot of the same and like to think about it as removing obstacles and/or creating the path of least resistance. If you're a serial snooze-hitter, there's an alarm app called "Alarmy" that works really well. You can choose your "mission" whether it's a few math problems, take a picture of something that forces you out of bed (reddit user suggested taking a picture of your toilet), etc. Mindset-wise it's helped me to get away from an "every workout has to be complete and perfect to be worthwhile" approach. Some days I don't get out of bed on time and/or don't get to the basement gym on time but I still do what I can to get the most out of the time I have, rather than "I won't have a full hour to lift so why bother?". I also keep track of how much time I do workout and if I notice it starts to creep too low on a consistent basis I'll try to figure out if there's something else in my routine I can tweak to improve and rededicate some effort to getting to bed/up on time.0
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When I was in my late 40’s to early 50’s, I was at the gym 6:00 am sharp Monday through Friday and had daily “beastly” workouts that always concluded with some serious treadmill running. I loved it and it set my pace for the rest of the day
Fast forward to now at age 64, I’m still a morning person but not with my workouts. Often, I crawl out of bed gimping like an old rodeo cowboy who has been bucked off the rodeo bull once too many times.
My body now needs more time to wake up and get ready for the rigors of a good workout. I seem to do best noon’ish and since I prefer to train fasted, that training time zone works best for me.
I’m sure I could adjust to early morning workouts again but I don’t have the “ganas” to do so.
Wondering what it’ll be like in my 70’s if, God willing, I’m still on the challenging fitness training pony.2 -
Honestly like others have said, you just have to keep doing it. While I'm a morning person, I'm not a "wake up at 4:15am" type of morning person naturally. Then rowing happened. At some point I also realized that I would need to try to get to bed at 9:30pm which was also immensely helpful.
It's going to suck for a while, but it gets better. There are also some days when I just let myself not go to rowing because I've slept really poorly. I figure no one really wants me there on say, 3 and a half hours of sleep (and frankly I shouldn't be driving on that amount of sleep).2 -
I'm not a morning person. Going hiking with some friends tomorrow. One of them would like to be on the trail at 2 am to be up high when the sun rises. I almost uninvited him. We agreed on 7 am and a compromise.
So I guess my advice is have a friend that's both a morning person and a dictator.7 -
2AM is not morning...3
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I go to bed at 1am, wake up at 7-8 and row 30 mins @ day around 8-9. This wks for me but I could never to to the gym that early.
Haven't been to my gym in over a yr. Have a free membership as a Silver Sneakers member paid by my medical insurer but when I did go it was never earlier than 11-1.0 -
I get up at 4:40am to get to the gym by 5:10am Tuesday- Friday. I give myself an extra hour Saturday and Sunday. I’ve found if I let myself sleep-in too much and stay up a lot later on the weekends it makes it harder so try and keep your schedule as routine as possible. I agree with others that it does get easier. I’ve been doing it for 3 years now and even though some days are easier than others I can’t imagine not going to the gym in the morning. If I don’t get up and go for some reason, I feel tired and just can’t focus all day. I’m caffeine sensitive so my workouts give me the energy I need. If going to bed earlier is hard, start your bed time routine earlier. Screen time will make it harder to get to sleep so try reading.1
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It definitely takes time and intentional habit-building, at least it did for me, and it's something I have to pretty actively work towards. OP laid out some good practices, I try to do a lot of the same and like to think about it as removing obstacles and/or creating the path of least resistance. If you're a serial snooze-hitter, there's an alarm app called "Alarmy" that works really well. You can choose your "mission" whether it's a few math problems, take a picture of something that forces you out of bed (reddit user suggested taking a picture of your toilet), etc. Mindset-wise it's helped me to get away from an "every workout has to be complete and perfect to be worthwhile" approach. Some days I don't get out of bed on time and/or don't get to the basement gym on time but I still do what I can to get the most out of the time I have, rather than "I won't have a full hour to lift so why bother?". I also keep track of how much time I do workout and if I notice it starts to creep too low on a consistent basis I'll try to figure out if there's something else in my routine I can tweak to improve and rededicate some effort to getting to bed/up on time.
To expand on my earlier post relating to "It definitely takes time", I started really trying to switch to morning in March of 2017 after it became clear my post-work workouts were becoming a point of mild contention between my wife and I as my workout time stretched beyond an hour and dinners kept getting later and later. Only recently I feel like habit has fully taken over. For instance last night I was at least in bed by 9:30-45 and able to wake up naturally at 4:55 before my alarm went off at 5. The cats have gotten into the routine too and come pester me if I snooze more than once.0 -
When I was forced to shift my rhytm (due to a morning class) I read up on how to shift the rhythm. The trick was to set the alarm 5-15minutes earlier everyday, including weekends. Not caring about the sleep time. I did 5min intervals.
As you get up earlier, you will naturally start to become tired earlier. If you shift too quickly and just start to get up early without the transition, the body, brain, and biological clock so to speak, won't keep up, and stay in your old rhythm.
I used to be a person who found anything before 10-11 to be too early. Now I can't sleep past 6:30. Usually I wake up around 5:30-5:45 without alarm. I don't eat past 7, and I'm trying to wind down between 7-9. Reading, watching TV, no physical activity. It's important for the body to get time to kick in the night/sleep mode healing stage.
Even if you're not, make sure to still be in bed, so you at least theoretically can get your 8h. then if you keep reading, watching netflix, that's another story. But be in bed 8h before you plan to get up. Don't have too loud sound on if you listen to audio book or watch Netflix. It's good if you have to struggle to hear as it helps falling asleep.3 -
If you eat before exercising, then add a small snack to your plan and eat it ASAP when you get up. It'll have 10 or 15 minutes to digest while you're getting dressed.
If you run fasted, then carry on
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I was never a morning person. I could sleep until the p.m. given the opportunity. But I knew if i didn't work out in the morning it'd be really easy to find a reason to skip it. So i did the same thing - became a morning person. The first couple weeks sucked, but i stuck with it. Now, I get up at 5:30 every day, usually a couple minutes before my alarm goes off. When i "sleep in" on the weekends, i'm still up at 6:30. I love it and wish i'd started sooner - i wasted so much time lollygagging in bed. Now, i'm more productive before breakfast than i used to be all day.
I read a quote once that stuck with me and helped me get through the first transitional weeks: "if it's important, you'll find a way. if it's not important, you'll find an excuse."3 -
I was always an afternoon (lunchtime) exerciser until my son was born. Schedule changes forced me to become a morning exerciser. It was rough in the beginning but now I prefer it. Sets the tone for the day and any other training I get in is icing on the cake...1
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OP - only speedbump in your program might be bathroom time, especially for a runner. I need to give myself 30 minutes before heading out the door in order to make sure that whatever might want to exit my body while I'm out on a run has a chance to do so...
Outside of that working out first thing is awesome. It's super quiet and relaxing, the temperature is cooler (and the weather actually seems more reliable in the morning), and you quickly build a camaraderie with the other early morning regulars.4 -
OP - only speedbump in your program might be bathroom time, especially for a runner. I need to give myself 30 minutes before heading out the door in order to make sure that whatever might want to exit my body while I'm out on a run has a chance to do so...
I so agree with all of this. Getting to be more of an issue as I age.0 -
I've found that it helps to break up the new routine into 2 separate stages and perfect one before moving onto the other.
To me, certainly to begin with, getting up earlier than normal is a task in itself. You lay awake at night worrying about getting enough sleep which keeps you awake etc etc...
In the past I found that for the first few days of the routine it helps to just concentrate on the getting up early bit. So get up and instead of going for a run just have a coffee or whatever, relax and generally make getting up early no big deal.
When you've done this a few times you stop worrying about getting up, your sleep patterns have adjusted and it's not such a culture shock to be up and about.0 -
I struggle with the energy aspect. I can force myself to get up 2 hours early and go to the gym but it lacks the depth and power of my post-work workouts. Even with the help of some pre-workout or coffee, it feels a lot like going through the motions. I don't enjoy the workout like I do when I'm fully cognizant.1
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I go to bed at 1am, wake up at 7-8 and row 30 mins @ day around 8-9. This wks for me but I could never to to the gym that early.
Haven't been to my gym in over a yr. Have a free membership as a Silver Sneakers member paid by my medical insurer but when I did go it was never earlier than 11-1.
I had to chuckle at this because I go to bed at 9:30ish, wake up at 4:15, and am back on the dock (rowing on the water) by 7 at the latest on weekdays from the spring through mid-late fall. It took some getting used to but when the option is rowing or not rowing....0 -
It's so hard to start it, but once you get into the swing of things, it gets better. I just love the feeling of getting it out of the way...it gives you a feeling of accomplishment. I gotta have coffee though. I usually eat a half a protein bar, too, because I'm hungry in the AM.1
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I find my motivation comes from knowing the comedy that's awaits me. Me and the mastiff X have an understanding. I understand that he thinks 5.30am is too early, he understands that I don't care, he understands that he's extremely heavy, I understand that I'm pretty strong. He loves it once he's up, but getting that dog off the sofa is a workout in itself! Puts a grin on my face every time... which, come to think of it, is probably why he still does it.
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I'm not a natural morning person, but I've been doing my rides this summer in the AM. My wife's alarm goes of at 5:15...she's pretty good about getting up right away and gearing up and hitting the road...me, not so much. I usually lay in bed until around 5:30 and then get up. We have two young kids at home, so she heads out first around 5:40...I start gearing up at 5:30 and get my morning coffee and go out on the patio to shake off the cobwebs...I need about 30 minutes and a couple cups of coffee.
I'm usually out the door around 6:10 and we have a short period or crossover where the kids are home alone sleeping. I've been keeping my rides to 10 miles which takes me about 35 minutes and I do my longer rides on the weekends.
It's just way too hot here to ride in the afternoon/evening...plus it's easier to shrug it off until tomorrow after a long day of work. Getting it done in the morning has the added bonus of just getting it done and going about my day.0 -
I'm too a natural morning person but some days are still hard. I get up by 3:45am to meet my running partner by 5:00am. The in between time is spent walking the dog, unloading the dishwasher, packing a lunch bag, having coffee and the necessary bodily functions. I do sleep a bit later on weekends but our long runs usually start by 6:00 so not much later. Coffee is a MUST.0
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Over time, getting up early to go workout will get easier. After you're used to it, one of the perks on non-workout days is you're up long before everyone else in your household so you can enjoy your coffee, tea, or whatever, in silence and ease into the day. I'm NOT a morning person but I love the quiet on Sundays when I wake up an hour ahead of the chaos.
Bonus tip*** when the tie comes for the Daylight Savings time change and when it "falls back", instead of sleeping in an extra hour, get up and go workout. You can always nap later to catch up, but you can use it as a jump start getting up a bit earlier.
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