morning workout

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chelsey728
chelsey728 Posts: 138 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all!! I really want to start working out in the morning, but just can't seem to get myself going in the morning. Every time I try, I just end up sleeping until I have to get up for work. Any advice on starting a morning workout? Does it get easier to wake up? THANKS ALL!

Replies

  • laurenlei
    laurenlei Posts: 96
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    Im the same... i tried once, i got up 15 minutes earlier and did 10mins on the stepper - hardly worth it!!! Haven't done anything since! Struggle waking up for work, let alone even earlier to work out :(
  • KirstyLea3
    KirstyLea3 Posts: 10
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    I really love my morning workouts...but then i am generally a morning person anyway, it still took some getting used to to get up earlier and actually work out.
    I don't use curtains in my bedroom so the daylight tends to wake me up early and then its easier to get up straight away. Once you get into it, early mornings will get easier...its just getting your body used to getting up, although i do find now i have to go to bed much earlier too, obviously. lol
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    1) Many doctors informally recommend that you spend a few days or a week just waking up early before starting an exercise regimin (get your body into the groove so to speak)

    2) I also have had sucess by sleeping in my gym clothes- its the stupidest thing, but knowing I don't have to change when I get up makes it soo much easier to get out of bed.
  • Rhiani
    Rhiani Posts: 9
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    I am not a morning person at all, but I know if I don't work out in the morning I certainly won't do it after a full day of work. I won't tell you it gets easier to get up in the morning, but if you can force yourself to do it for at least 7 days it will become a habit and then you start to notice that the day is actually more difficult to get through when you miss your morning workout which reinforces the habit.
  • spankywife
    spankywife Posts: 40 Member
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    This might sound strange but I have to prep myself the night before if I want to get up early to exercise. I take a few moments before I fall asleep to think about why I want to get up at 5:30 am. I ask myself how important is it to me to get up that early? Because if I don't think it's important it's not going to happen.

    It did get easier. I look at early morning exercise as "me time" and have really come to enjoy it.
  • deeharley
    deeharley Posts: 1,208 Member
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    What time to you go to bed? You know the saying - "Early to bed, early to rise, makes it easier to exercise." Or something like that. :)
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Psych yourself up for it! Set your alarm in the morning for 10-15 minutes prior to when you want to be UP for the work out. Tell yourself what time you need to be out the door for your work out and give yourself 10 or so minutes to get your work out clothes on, water bottle filled, sneakers on, etc. It's all about timing.

    It was hard for me when I first started...and I was running. But I fell in love with how my body felt afterwards. I would be freshly showered before work, calves were sore and felt GREAT in my heels, and I loved how my metabolism was revved the rest of the day and it just made me want to eat healthy all day.

    I don't have the same job or schedule now so I don't have to wake up as early to work out but I still work out in the mornings or early afternoons and love it. It sets the tone for my day.
  • Mike523
    Mike523 Posts: 393 Member
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    1. Lay out your workout clothes and sneakers the night before so they're ready for you in the morning.
    2. Go to bed early. (One of the most important steps!!!)
    3. Set your alarm clock.
    4. When your alarm clock goes off, DRAG YOURSELF OUT OF BED!!!
    5. Drink 1 - 2 cups of water.
    6. Have a small snack if you need one.
    7. Do your workout.
    8. Feel great for the rest of the day.

    It's simple really...

    Once your body gets used to this routine, it will get much easier. It may be tough for the first week or 2, but you will get used to it.
  • kpaulsen
    kpaulsen Posts: 25
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    My husband has been waking up at 5 to go to the gym before work (his office has a gym attached...best thing ever). I usually go into work 2 hours after him, so I would just sleep. But this January I started waking up with him to go to the gym before work. It is hard for someone who is not an early riser to get in the swing of things, but after awhile it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. A few things:
    a) MUCH easier to be motivated to get up if there is someone you are going with and/or meeting at the gym, even if you don't do your workouts together. I watch Seinfeld every morning on the cardio machines and it makes me laugh and gets me some good mojo for the day
    b) on days when I would rather sleep an extra 20 minutes, I will tell my husband to beat it and then after I've snoozed, I go downstairs and do a 35-40 minute workout from Netflix (they have a ton of fitness DVDs available. some are cheesy, but some are ok)
    c) some days I say "screw it" and make sure I take the dog on an extra-long walk in the evenings when I get back from work.

    It works for some people to be super-regimented about waking up every morning for the gym or a workout, but it works better for me to make it to the gym 3 days a week and then vary my workout routine to keep things going.

    Best of luck!
  • mamareese
    mamareese Posts: 1,573 Member
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    I used to have a lot of trouble. It's getting easier. And even though I still hate the sound of that alarm...with my clothes already out, my work out gear packed and a granola bar and jug of water ready...it's easier to just get up and go. I feel a lot better when I can log those calories burned in first thing in the AM.
  • chelsey728
    chelsey728 Posts: 138 Member
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    thank you all for the advice!!! I'm going to try it tomorrow - wish me luck :-)
  • SaraEWrig
    SaraEWrig Posts: 88 Member
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    This might sound strange but I have to prep myself the night before if I want to get up early to exercise. I take a few moments before I fall asleep to think about why I want to get up at 5:30 am. I ask myself how important is it to me to get up that early? Because if I don't think it's important it's not going to happen.

    It did get easier. I look at early morning exercise as "me time" and have really come to enjoy it.

    This is what I'd suggest too. I have to give myself a pep talk before I go to sleep, and often when my alarm goes off.
  • ITTYbitty04
    ITTYbitty04 Posts: 75 Member
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    It was hard for me when I first started.... But I fell in love with how my body felt afterwards. I would be freshly showered before work, calves were sore .............. and I loved how my metabolism was revved the rest of the day and it just made me want to eat healthy all day. It sets the tone for my day.
    I totally agree! It would help keep me focused on eating right all day because I didn't want to risk eating bad and wasting all the hard work I'd done that morning. I have kind of stacked off the last week, but need to start getting back up because i can see that i'm not as focused on eating the righ things as I was when I got up and exercised!

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