Early morning working out - Need motivation
Replies
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Fitness Magazine just posted this quote today: "Exercise in the morning...before your brain figures out what you're doing."0
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It does get easier. On the harder mornings, I think to myself:
"A tired workout is better than no workout."
"I always regret when I don't do this first thing in the morning."
"Breakfast always tastes better after a run."0 -
I'm up at 4 am three times a week to get ready and to the gym by 4:30am. I alternate those days with 5am wake ups for runs/cardio/yoga. I have a three year old. And with a lot of help from my husband we have developed a routine during the week. We are well oiled machines. We get home from work, cook, eat, play, bath time for my little monkey, and i am in bed no later than 8:30pm.
Once you develop the habit it becomes easier. Good luck!0 -
What I do is;
Before going to bed the night before, I put all my workout gear, filled water bottle and Ipod charging on my beside table. That way, when I wake up, I see everything and I'm more encouraged to do something that morning.
I understand how you've got no time. I go to school and come back tired. So mornings are the only time when I have no excuse for not working out0 -
We should start an early morning group.
I keep starting and then stopping my early-morning routine. I just end up saying "screw it" and turning my alarm off. Yet I know I have no time in the evenings.
I need to start getting back up at 5:15. At least a couple days a week.
I definitely agree with being in bed by ten, and already having workout clothes on.
I need motivation too!!! I had a good lifting routine going for a while, then slacked. :sad:
have set it up. good call.
one thing that helps, and is basically a reiteration of what everybody else is saying:
plan ahead: workout clothes ready. organized for next day (briefcase packed, lunch planned if not made). workout is organized (have idea of what you want to do).
start out easier. work a sweat without drama. get used to it. you'll get there!
yay!0 -
Make it a Habit.
Cue. Routine. Reward.0 -
I am a snooze addict.. and only recently was able to break the habit by trying out different alarm clocks on my smart phone.
The one I am using currently is called "Morning Routine" .. and it has an option to turn off alarm's via bar code scan. So I created two bar codes one by my night stand and one in my basement next to my weight bench. The first alarm goes off at 5am and I have to scan the bar code next to my bed.. then 15 minutes later the next alarm goes off which requires the bar code in the basement to be scanned..
It's the only alarm clock I found that consistently gets me out of been on the first alarm..0 -
KICK OUT THE JAMS!!!! AM workout crew
made a page for us.
log workouts. share playlists. celebrate your successes. cheer each other on.
title inspired by the song by the MC 5
cheers0 -
As others have said, preparation is KEY. My alarm goes off around 4:05am so that I can get dressed, have my pre-workout meal and get to the gym by 5-ish. I get EVERYTHING ready the night before - workout clothes, pre-workout drink, post-workout protein shake, work clothes, etc. I am on a very tight schedule in the morning because I have to catch a train into work. I have found that with my night before preparation, I can get ready for work in about 30-35 minutes.
I have been doing it this way for 3.5 years, and I love the routine and starting my day off by working out. Plus, there aren't that many nutjobs that voluntarily get up early to workout, so I almost never have to wait for any equipment at the gym! Just suck it up long enough for it to become a habit and you will be glad you did!
ETA: I am usually in bed by 8:30pm! Just call me "Grandma"! LOL0 -
I set my alarm for 5:30 every morning and snooze it while I wake up slowly until around 6:00. I sleep in my workout clothes so that as soon as my feet hit the floor i'm going downstairs to my workout chamber before I have time to realize i'm too tired.
I've been going to bed around 9:00pm.
I'm also a single mother of 2 5 year old twin boys, work full-time and go to University (online). So I probably go to bed earlier than most would, but it works for me right now.0 -
Sorry I am just catching up on everyone's responses! Everyone has great great ideas, most of which I have used before. My biggest issue is getting to bed early enough. I am definitely tired enough to go to bed by 9:30 but I feel compelled to do a load of laundry, catch up on emails, or just visit with my husband. I have a 3 year old and a 10 month old and work FT. Excuses, excuses, I know.
Right now I am up at 5:45 to shower and get ready before I get the kids up at 6:30, dressed and ready to go to daycare. Then off to work til 6. From 6 to 9 PM it's dinner, baths, bedtime. And repeat.
Its definitely a juggling act that I have clearly not perfected but this is the only missing piece! Thanks to everyone for their support and suggestions though - I am definitely feeling like I CAN DO THIS!0 -
I start at 4am, just get out there and do it
when you are done, you feel perfect.0 -
I was in this routine about 14 years ago. I lost a lot of weight and my routine was awesome. Now 14 years later I would try anything to get back in the early morning work out session. I am reading each suggestion one by one and hope I can find the one or two ideas that will work. It's funny what used to come to me so easily is now so dang hard. Age, hormones, job, stress may play a role who knows but I've got to find what works..Wish me luck :drinker:0
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I'm a 5am-er too. Some nights, when it's later than 11 and I know I'm going to struggle to get up, I sleep in my workout clothes. I put my sneakers right next to my alarm and just get up and get to it. I don't have to think about what to wear, or where I kicked my shoes off. It's the only way I can do it.0
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Sorry I am just catching up on everyone's responses! Everyone has great great ideas, most of which I have used before. My biggest issue is getting to bed early enough. I am definitely tired enough to go to bed by 9:30 but I feel compelled to do a load of laundry, catch up on emails, or just visit with my husband. I have a 3 year old and a 10 month old and work FT. Excuses, excuses, I know.
Right now I am up at 5:45 to shower and get ready before I get the kids up at 6:30, dressed and ready to go to daycare. Then off to work til 6. From 6 to 9 PM it's dinner, baths, bedtime. And repeat.
Its definitely a juggling act that I have clearly not perfected but this is the only missing piece! Thanks to everyone for their support and suggestions though - I am definitely feeling like I CAN DO THIS!
Of course we can do it. You starting Monday?0 -
Sorry I am just catching up on everyone's responses! Everyone has great great ideas, most of which I have used before. My biggest issue is getting to bed early enough. I am definitely tired enough to go to bed by 9:30 but I feel compelled to do a load of laundry, catch up on emails, or just visit with my husband. I have a 3 year old and a 10 month old and work FT. Excuses, excuses, I know.
Right now I am up at 5:45 to shower and get ready before I get the kids up at 6:30, dressed and ready to go to daycare. Then off to work til 6. From 6 to 9 PM it's dinner, baths, bedtime. And repeat.
Its definitely a juggling act that I have clearly not perfected but this is the only missing piece! Thanks to everyone for their support and suggestions though - I am definitely feeling like I CAN DO THIS!
Of course we can do it. You starting Monday?
I will be travelling for work on Monday, so Tuesday will be my first 5 AM day!!! Planning to get myself on the treadmill over the weekend too. Keep me posted!0 -
I get up at 5 to make it to my gym by 6, for class at 6:15. My gym is about a 20 minute commute (on the way to work).
Sleep is really important to me and I don't have kids, so I'm usually in bed watching tv or reading by 8:30, lights out 10 at the latest.0 -
I get up M-F to work out 5-5:30ish. Drinking cold water helps me in the morning! However, there are days where my body tells me no, therefore, i make myself go as soon as I get off work! But with kids i can see where the struggle is! Think about the bikini! lol
edit: Something else that helps me to get up is that my gym has certain classes at 5:30 am that i'm starting to get into. It's kinda like my job to get there on time so i'm not THAT girl that disrupts. Maybe if your gym offered classes that "made" you have to be there at a certain would also help at least until you had a routine going!0 -
When work got really hectic I had to start working out in the morning or I'd end up doing it at 8pm and that was affecting my sleep. Monday-Friday I get up at 4:30ish, mix up some BCAA powder in water and drink it while I'm setting up my mat & weights for my workout. On Saturday I sleep in a bit and eat breakfast first before I work out. I'm currently doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution ... It's only 30 minutes but it definitely gets my blood pumping and it feels sooooo good to know that my workout is done and anything else I do that day is bonus.
I suck at going to bed early and much of the time I can't sleep when I do. On those mornings when I absolutely don't want to drag myself out of bed I have to admit that my motivation is that if I don't get up I'll have to restrict myself to 1200 calories! I love food too much for that so it gets me moving. :happy:0 -
I dont know what the odds are of finding an accountabillibuddy like mine but I used to have a co worker who would call me until I woke up and got out of bed. He would then text me after to see how it was. Maybe find a pal with the same interest of working out early.. and see if you can try that?0
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My biggest issue is getting to bed early enough. I am definitely tired enough to go to bed by 9:30 but I feel compelled to do a load of laundry, catch up on emails, or just visit with my husband.
This is going to sound crazy, but I will sometimes set an alarm to remind me to go to bed. Nothing loud or jarring, just a quiet chime on my phone. Like a previous post said, treat it like a regular appointment. My husband is so used to this routine now that he'll often ask why I'm not in bed yet. He also is a motivation to get up in the morning because I know it disturbs his sleep if I hit snooze several times the next morning!
The other thing that helped me get back into a morning exercise routine after having my kids was to ease into it. So I went for a week of getting up 15 minutes earlier than usual, then I just kept subtracting 15 minutes each week until I got to the time I wanted to get up for my workout. I'm starting a longer workout in the next week or two, so I'm starting to ease myself into an earlier wake-up this week and next.
Good luck!0 -
It is much easier for me to get up in the morning if I have signed up for a fitness class - I know that the teacher is up and waiting for me, so away I go. Just a plan to go to the YMCA at 5:30 a.m. has not proven to be as successful for me, but I'm working on it.
I also set out my workout clothes the night before and fill my water bottle. I get up, get dressed and head out the door with very little noise or drama (the dogs don't even get out of their beds if all goes as planned). Then I'm home about the same time the kids' alarm goes off and can help out with morning stuff while I make my smoothie and pack my lunch, and then when they head to the bus, I hit the shower and am out the door in about ten minutes.
All goes according to plan IF I get to bed by 9p - I need my sleep. And every time I do it, I remind myself how good it feels to have exercise start my day - I really do love that feeling.
Going to look for the AM working group now!0 -
I just do it. I roll out of my bed and do it. I notice I am sleeping early now. I work 1st shift. So I wake up around 5-7 and work out for 30 minutes. When i get home from work I spend mommy time with my kids until they are asleep and then I go do some strength training with dumbbells0
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My husband does this. He works two different shifs, 6 am to 4 pm or 4 pm to 2 am. When he works the second shift he goes to sleep around 3 am, I get up at 5:15 am and he wakes up at 6 am talks to me while I get ready for work and we both leave at 6:45 am - me to go to work and he goes to the gym. He takes a nap later. You have to really want that workout!! You can do it! :flowerforyou:0
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Maybe this is odd since it is supposed to be about weight loss but I use food as my motivator. I absolutely love Quest protein bars. The only time I allow myself to eat them (cuz they are so expensive) is my snack before my early morning work outs. Knowing I get to eat a Quest bar gets me out of bed.0
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My alarm is set for 4:20 and another one for 4:40am. It used to royally suck getting up that early to be at the gym by 5-5:15am, but once I got into the habit of it, it is awesome! I find I get a better work out in first thing in the morning than if I wait until after work. It helps when you're meeting someone there too.0
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I wake up at 4-4:15 to work out Monday through Friday, as I have to leave for work by 6 AM. I have been doing this for about a month, and I have to say it feels great. So many days I just want to turn off the alarm for another hour, but I know once I am into the workout, my energy will change. By the time I am in the shower I feel so energized and ready to start the day! Getting out of bed and downstairs is the hardest part, but I set out my clothes so they are ready to go. For me, I know that if I sleep in and skip the workout, there will not be time to complete it later in the day, and I will feel unaccomplished all day.
I work full time and I am going to graduate school in the evenings until about 7 PM. I prepare all my meals on the weekends, so when I leave for work I take lunch, dinner, and 2-3 snacks with me. By the time I get home from school at 7, I am exhausted. I barely have time to change clothes, clean up the house a bit, possibly prepare a night time snack... then it is lights out! I am so tired by the end of the day that going to sleep early has never been a problem. Sometimes I find myself falling asleep on the couch as early as 7:30. (So sad, I am only 26 but I feel like an old lady!!)
Now my situation is a little different, I don't have kids and I am not married yet... so it is definitely easier for me to control my own schedule. But where there is a will, there is a way.. and you will see the earlier you wake up, the earlier you will want to go to sleep!0 -
Join an online accountability partner group: to give and receive support, encouragement, ideas, and accountability.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/712737632116923/0 -
Great question, I bought a Polar Watch that helps calculate my calorie burn so I get up looking forward to using it and putting the calories into myfitnesspal. I set the watch to the time I need to wake up to remind me to go. I have my workout clothes on for bed so I can just roll out of bed, use the restroom, brush my teeth, comb my hair and go. I found that after a while I started naturally getting up early for the work out. Once I started going I was in the groove. If I ever stopped for a week I found myself sluggish to get up and go but once I got back in the groove again I was wide awake and ready to go. I can not stress enough to find a class you LOVE not just like. Team motivation really helps and something to be accountable for other than yourself. I also found a work out partner a few days a week in the same boat as me. One that is reliable is a must otherwise its a bust. Good luck, you can do it to coming from a former slug like me!0
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I take a 6am workout class three mornings a week. I try to go to bed at 10 and get up at 4:45-5am. Unfortunately most of the time I don't get to bed that early. I force myself to get up either way because I know I will feel so much better if I work out before work.0
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