Get your butt out of bed.

MFPMol · June 2014

Getting up at the crack of dawn when the rest of your household is fast asleep is one of the hardest things to do. Regardless of how good you know you will feel afterwards, I still find it hard to pry myself out of bed before the sun.

Here are my top 25 tips to wake up early to work out--I hope they help motivate some of you like they have for me

1. Go to bed early.
2. Set your alarm clock in another room so you have to get up to turn it off.
3. Meet a friend.
4. Find an accountability partner online.
5. Drink a full bottle of water as soon as you wake up.
6. Listen to your favorite upbeat music as you get ready.
7. Sleep in your workout clothes.
8. Tell your friends and family that you are going to do it.
9. Eat something light in the morning.
10. Turn your brain on autopilot. Don't think about it, just do it.
11. Remind yourself how bad-*kitten* you are for getting up when everyone else is sleeping.
12. Be thankful for the "me" time in the quiet morning hours.
13. Think about how happy you will be when you are done exercising for the day.
14. Remember that doing it first thing in the morning leaves less chance of getting too busy later in the day.
15. Do it for the endorphins. Start your day out feeling great.
16. Ignore any negative thoughts and keep moving forward.
17. Make it routine. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. Fight through those first few weeks while you are building the habit.
18. Plan your workouts the night before. Write it down.
19. Pretend the snooze button doesn't exist. Nine extra minutes never made anyone feel more rested.
20. Make a commitment to yourself and follow through.
21. Do something active in the mornings that you consider really fun!
22. Remember that no matter how tired you feel when you get out of bed, 99% of the time you will feel better once you get to the gym. 100% of the time, when it is over, you'll be glad you did it.
23. That feeling you get after completing a morning workout is better than the feeling you get from sleeping an extra hour.
24. Plan ahead. Be prepared to roll out of bed and out the door with not much prep to be done in the morning.
25. Make it non-negotiable, like going to work or your brushing your teeth.

jen7eleven · June 2014

Thank you for this! I was doing fairly well with early morning workouts, but eventually fell off the wagon. Just plain laziness. I'm ready to get back into the habit, and your list is totally motivating me. Thanks again!

MFPMol · June 2014

Good! You're welcome!

4legsRbetterthan2 · June 2014

12. Be thankful for the "me" time in the quiet morning hours.

I just recently found out how amazingly quiet 5am runs are, and I love it!
Also feels so great to look at my fitbit and have already reached my daily goal before I even went to work this morning

adstott · June 2014

6. Listen to your favorite upbeat music as you get ready.

I wouldn't be able to work out without #6 it's 6am and I'm listening to ACDC I call that a good morning!

jennhase · June 2014

thank you sooo much for posting this!! I go during lunch and mainly b/c i just say " I know i'm not going to get out of the bed any earlier..." but you're right i feel no better with the extra sleep or any more rested. sleeping in workout clothes is perfect!

Kenazwa · June 2014

Thank you for this. I'm trying to establish an early-morning workout habit, too.

CassieR6 · June 2014

Thank you so much for this!! I need this! My only time to workout is 5am during the week. I did good for about a month but now for 2 months I set my alarm, it goes off, I turn it off and go back to sleep. Sometimes I even go as far as getting dressed to workout (I workout at home) but I take so long that I then don't have time to workout before work. So this will help me I am sure to get back in my routine. I may have to print this!! :happy:

:flowerforyou:

MFPMol · June 2014

Print away! I think sleeping in my workout clothes is huge because I hate trying to fumble around it the morning looking for my stuff and trying not to wake my husband up.

delazouche · June 2014

Great motivation- thanks! I feel so much better if I get up and exercise just for 30 minutes....I just really need to work on #1!

mrbigpots · June 2014

i like number 2 and 6...

mrbigpots · June 2014

might have to hint this one to my wife..lol..

mrbigpots · June 2014

Print away! I think sleeping in my workout clothes is huge because I hate trying to fumble around it the morning looking for my stuff and trying not to wake my husband up.

might have to hint this one to my wife..lol..

CassieR6 · June 2014

Print away! I think sleeping in my workout clothes is huge because I hate trying to fumble around it the morning looking for my stuff and trying not to wake my husband up.

Exactly! He hears my alarm and starts to get at me to get outta bed and I am like ugggghhh I don't wanna!!! haha

GameGirl777 · June 2014

2. Set your alarm clock in another room so you have to get up to turn it off.
7. Sleep in your workout clothes.

Thank you for this! I am going to use these. You provided an excellent NO EXCUSES list :happy:

Unknown · June 2014

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fivethreeone · June 2014

I go to the gym at 4 am.

Here are my tips:

1. Coffee.

bcattoes · June 2014

I think some of these are good ideas for morning workouts. When my children were young and early mornings was the only time I had to workout, I used to use some of these tricks. I still hated every single morning workout. Every. Single. One.

But now that my schedule is more flexible, I workout later in the day. I am not a morning person.

civilizedworm · June 2014

Morning workouts for me are not that much of an issue, I can only sleep 5 maybe 6 a night which means if I go to bed at 11pm, I am up at 5am. I have lots of time to kill those weekend mornings. (My other 3 workouts are in the afternoons when I arrive in the office at 630am.)

I've established a routine to get me to the gym by 6am. 1) Wake; 2) Turn on TV; 3) Get out of bed. 4) Make Bed; 5) Splash cold water on face; 6) Foam roll & stretch; 7) Drink a cup of water; 8) Pre-workout shake; 9) Dress;10) Leave; 11) Chew minted gum.

laban1ca · June 2014

This is a great list! Love it

scubakat67 · June 2014

Thank you for the motivation! I have just today started getting up early to run in the morning. It's gotten too hot to run at lunch, so the only other option is to get up early and run at 5:30! No excuses.

Go_Mizzou99 · June 2014

Work in the construction industry. We start work at 7:00 AM. Allowing for driving time and such...I am awake at 5:00 waiting for the alarm to go off in 15 minutes. Even on weekends...when I don't have to get up. Because of my chosen profession, I am cursed with EARLY RISER SYNDROME. There is no cure. I have tried staying up late, exercise, sex, warm milk, wine, beer, bourbon, vodka, whiskey, tequila, jagermeister, gin, moonshine, etc....with no joy.

_Waffle_ · June 2014

Getting up at the crack of dawn when the rest of your household is fast asleep is one of the hardest things to do. Regardless of how good you know you will feel afterwards, I still find it hard to pry myself out of bed before the sun.

Here are my top 25 tips to wake up early to work out--I hope they help motivate some of you like they have for me

I love getting up the crack of dawn even when it's so hard. I agree it always feels great afterwards and you're so happy you did it.

What helps me is setting all my stuff out the night before. Shoes, socks, shorts, shirt, and a protein shake are sitting there waiting on me when the alarm goes off.

Myndmelt · June 2014

I've been thinking about trying to go to the gym in the morning. However I am not a morning person at all, and usually I am tired all damn day long. I have problems getting to the gym after work because I'm dead tired. Even though I have an IT desk job.