Early morning workout people....

ginnym1981

This has probably been asked but how the heck do you do it?

How long until you felt GOOD about getting up to workout? (when did it become a habit?)

What do you eat/drink beforehand? (I tend to get light headed when I eat nothing before a workout)

What time do you go to bed in order to have an easy wake up? (if this exists haha)

I'm going to practice getting up tomorrow and Sunday at 4:45am because next week I'm challenging myself to get to the 5:30am workouts at my local gym (M-F)
They differ each day which I like and will consist of (not in this order) 1 Boot Camp, 2 cycling days, a Power Sculpt class (weights I think?) and a body pump class....so a great variety for overall fitness.

Then in the pm I plan on alternating an easy run (on weights days) or yoga/pilates(on the cycling days)

I'm in decent shape, it's just forming the habit that's hard for me and the weakness I feel in the mornings.....
(FYI I wake up around 6-6:30 am now during the week)


Any pointers?

Section117_Zolos

I'm a morning person anyway, so it's not to hard for me to get up that early to exercise.

Plus, with two small children and working full time, it's really the only time I can fit it in!

kimmerroze

If you figure it out let me know.... I have to get up at 6:10 in the mornings, an that kills me. lol let alone 45-60 minutes earlier. lol

dmoses

I've always been a morning person, too, so this wasn't a big stretch for me. I work out at home, so I get up at 4:30, drink a smoothy/shake, and am on my elliptical by 5. I tried eating just a little something - banana and some PB - but that made me sick. I have to stick with the liquids! It only took me a few days to get used to getting up a little earlier. I LOVE the way I feel afterwards, knowing I've done good for myself so early in the day. If I get another workout in, that's a bonus. Otherwise, I know I have it done for the day!

Good luck!

DancinSMartiPants

I'm already a morning person, so I can't help you with waking up.

I usually only drink water before my workout, unless it's a "long" run (for me that's 4 or more miles) in which case I drink 4 oz of apple juice (the good stuff... unfiltered and not from concentrate).

MayhemModels

I personally like to do my cardio while fasting but if you get dizzy maybe have a half cup of oats before hand, I eats egg whites and veggies about 15 minutes after cardio. I just got used to doing my cardio early in the morning and strength train in the afternoon

Leigh_b

I HATE getting up early to work out... but it's the only time I have so I make myself get out of bed.

Every night, when I turn on my alarm (for 5:15) I deliberately promise myself I will not push the snooze alarm more than once...

Then, when it goes off that second time, I actually stand up to turn it off which is how I make myself get out of bed.

It has never gotten easy for me. It is a struggle every day. Going to bed ealier makes it slightly easier... but only slightly.

I don't eat before I workout - I think I"m sometimes still 1/2 asleep when I step onto the treadmill so I have no advice for you there.

fbmandy55

I have been thinking about this as well. I only get to see my son for a couple hours a day when I get home from work so I hate to take time in the evening to workout. My only issue is that I am naseous in the AM and I have terrible back pain for about 30 mins in the morning from my bed..

sculptandtone

I'm a night owl. I often work until 9, 10 or even later at night. Previously, if I didn't get a evening or during the day workout in, it didn't get done because I can't sleep if i work out at night. BUT, to complete the 30 Day Shred and a half hour or so of extra cardio, I had to get up at 6 or 630. I have decided to start a second round of 30 Day Shred and then either Ripped in 30 or No More Trouble Zones after that. I'm waking up at 6 or 630 every day, having a couple cups of coffee while I read the news and then working out. When there's a schedule that MUST be completed, it seems to help. I am also experimenting with empty stomach workouts (which i'm still not sold on...). 2 months ago, i would have called you crazy if you told me I'd be up at 6 to work out. Maybe it really IS about changing lifestyles.

cafeaulait

I am NOT a morning person at all, so I understand completey. But for the past month I have been getting to personal training by 5AM twice a week and to my gym to work out a few other days by 6 AM. I set both my alarm clock and the alarm on my cell phone (15 mintues apart), in case I shut one off and fall back to sleep. I also have a "work out buddy" who will sometimes call in the morning to encourage me to get my butt up!! I do find it necessary to go to sleep by like 10 pm to be able to function by 5 AM, and acutally I would like to get to bed even a little bit earlier. The biggest thing though, is that once you get into this routine, it will come easier and easier to you. GOOD LUCK!

yoghurtand

I don't think I will EVER feel good about it. I have to set my alarm for 30mins early so that I have time to psyche myself up for getting dressed. Make sure that you realise that the alarm going off is getting up time. Procrastinating out of bed is not ideal but fine, but in a bed is a no-no.

I never eat beforehand, so I can't help there. Drinking beforehand gives me a stitch, so I avoid that too. Just make sure you had a decent meal and drink the night before. I make sure that I have a solid 8 hours of sleep - anything less and I just want to die.

I'm awful with habits - just keep forcing yourself to do it and maybe one day it'll click!

rmsrws

I use to think that I didn't have time in the a.m. to get my butt up and around and work out.

I go to bed about 10 ish. I get up about 5 ish, use the bathroom weigh myself, throw on what ever grab my water bottle and just do it!

It feels good knowing I have a decent workout in the a.m. before my day begins. I work 9 hours days 6 days a week. I am a also a mom. I think the key is you want to want it, and no excuses.

The first few mornings I felt foolish, thinking I am nuts I could be sleeping!!!.....But then I soon realized how much better I felt. It gave a great boost to my mornings!!!

Best wishes!

ginnym1981

Seems like liquids may be the way to go! I like room temp water so maybe I'll just set a bottled water next to my bed to drink right when I wake up, then maybe a small smoothie with milk and fruit. Thanks!

I'm just worried about that boot camp and sculpting class....I can just seem myself having to do burpees and such (fast up and down movements) and feeling like I'm going to upchuck my water or whatever else I eat...I'm also anemic so I tend to black out/feel dizzy if I'm not hydrated or have an empty tummy.

Queen_Mom

I have been getting up at 4:15am on week days to work out for the past three months. Some days are easier than others. It really depends on what time I get to bed the night before, I try to be in bed by 9:00 pm at the latest but prefer 8:00-8:30. I will say that I find I have more energy now than before. It is starting to become routine because I find myself waking up before the alarm goes off and earlier on the weekends or days that I don't work. Not at 4:15 but earlier than before. I have also found I like working out better in the morning. As for eating, I usually stick with a slice of whole grain toast and a little peanut butter or almond butter. I am not a morning person and it killed me the first few weeks but I slowly and I mean really slowly, adapted.

ckncj

It is so hard to pull yourself out of bed, but morning workouts are the best. You capitalize on the best time to burn fat. Food fuels the body, so if you get up and work out, what is your body burning? FAT! Wait maybe 45 minutes before eating, so that you can continue to burn fat. Your hormone levels are at their highest in the mornings, so all around - it's the best time to work out and get results.

AND - once you get it out of the way, you leave no room for excuses later in the day when time can easily escape you!

Goal4Good

I get up at 5:00am each day and walk the golf course with my husband. I do this because its really the only time he has to exercise and that's before work. After he leaves, then I hit the pavement or the gym for a harder workout for myself. Its this way for me......if it doesn't happen in the mornings.......it doesn't happen at all! Therefore, I guess I have become a morning person.
Now I'm sleepy in the mornings but I knock back 1 cup of black coffee and get out there and go. I've been doing it so long that if I don't, the day feels all wrong.

I don't think I could ever exercise at night. Because I get up so early, and exercise so hard, I'm ready to crawl in the bed at 8:00 half the time!

There is one perk to getting up early and going to bed early. I'm a night time snacker. If I stay up, I'm gonna EAT!

ginnym1981

Thanks everyone!
Even if you aren't able to post suggestions-I'm gaining motivation listening to the reasons WHY you do it and how you feel afterwards!

ltf304

How long until you felt GOOD about getting up to workout? (when did it become a habit?) -It didn't take me long to get used to. I was making excuses in the afternoon so I needed to get it done in the morning and get it over with. I changed one single thing. I went to bed earlier so I could get up earlier. I am not a morning person and I still am not a morning person, but I get up and do it and have not missed a workout (other then vacation or taking a week off) in about 8 months.

What do you eat/drink beforehand? (I tend to get light headed when I eat nothing before a workout) I eat a bowl of oatmeal with a tbsp of pb and fruit mixed in.

What time do you go to bed in order to have an easy wake up? (if this exists haha)- It depends on what time I am planning to get up the next day. Usually I go to bed about 9:45 and get up about 6:15. If I have to get up earlier then I will go to bed earlier. I aim for 8 hours of sleep a night and that is usually what I get.

Are you going to be doing double workouts? I wouldn't recommend that....you will get burned out REALLY fast. I work out in the morning and watch what I eat, there is no reason to workout more then once in a day unless you are doing a short amount each time, which it sounds like you aren't. You can get things done in an hour or less, 5 days a week and get in great shape, but the diet is going to have to be important also.

Morning workouts changed my life and I will never go back. Who wants to work out after working a full work day? I sure don't! Good luck!

JujiBean

Up at 5:30. Black coffee (with Splenda) with the husband until we leave for the gym around 7:00am

1 hour at the gym. Run errands on the way home (groceries, gas, bank, etc.)

Home around 9:00am. That's when I have a couple more coffees and breakfast.

Works for me.

(Crash early, around 10:00pm, but it's worth it.)

Mike523

I've NEVER been a morning person, at any point in my life (I'm 41). But earlier this year I forced myself to start getting up at 5:45am to workout. I was waking up at 7:00 prior to the change, and staying up until 1am or even later. It was HARD to get up in the beginning. I had to force myself out of bed. I used methods like putting the alarm clock across the room, setting the timer on the coffee pot, laying out my workout clothes and HRM the night before, etc. I would be yawning through the workouts on some days...

But over the course of about a month or two, my body started getting used to it. I started going to bed earlier which helped a lot. Over the past several months, my workouts have gotten longer, and I've had to adjust my wake up time from 5:45 to 5:30, and now to 5:15. Bedtime is now about 10pm on weeknights. But it's like second nature to me now to get out of bed at 5:15. I even wake up a few minutes before the alarm sometimes.

The routine now is wake at 5:15, immediately eat a banana, drink 16oz of water, sip a cup of coffee, use the rest room, and then workout starting between 5:45 and 6:00.

nowic

I am not a morning person either!! In fact I love to stay up late. However, mornings is when I can fit in my workout.
Honestly the only reason I keep getting up in the morning is accountability. I have 2 friends who are my workout buddies. I have never had this before, and I got to say it has made a HUGE impact. The days I hurt or was just so tired from staying up too late I know that they are counting on me to be there. I look forward to seeing them, and knowing your friends are "hurting" with you helps So for the past 2 weeks I have gone to the gym 5 days a week. Before I had this accountability it was maybe 1 day a week.

deut32_47

I do my workout first thing in the morning, sometimes a little later if my daughter wakes up as early as I do. For me, it was difficult to get up early, but after several months I found that my body will not sleep any longer than eight hours. So, I make sure that I am giving myself that eight hours of sleep every night. If I am unable to do that I find my workouts are much harder.

As for the eating part... try eating a bit of protein. The dizziness could be your body's way of saying it is low and needs an energy boost. I have learned to enjoy egg whites, they are really low in calories (16 cal. avg. depending on size) and you can eat several of them. You might try eating one right afterwards as well.

I am not a doctor, so this is just what I find that works for me. Hope this helps. If not, you might try talking to your doctor and seek his/her advice.

ltf304

Also, if your workouts are fairly intense I would recommend eating beforehand. I didn't used to eat before my workouts and did that for a while. I found myself exhausted the rest of the day and starving. At least eat some yogurt and fruit and get something in your stomach. I have never been nauseaus or had side stitches from eating beforehand. Everybody is different, but food is fuel and you need it.

ginnym1981

"Are you going to be doing double workouts?"

I am but this will be temporary....the only reason I'm wanting to do this for awhile (about 2-3 weeks) is to get myself used to an early am workout and having a CLASS to attend will keep me from hitting snooze (I hope)
I have to get in some runs (prob 3 a week, 2 short/easy, 1 long) because I am running the Hood to Coast relay Aug 26th.
The pilates and yoga are light enough workouts (20-45 mins) that I don't really considered difficult and just do them to supplement my running.

Once I've adapted (somewhat) I can trade in a few of those classes for running in the am instead.

photorific

This has probably been asked but how the heck do you do it?
>>>I have no idea - it's more of a compulsion than a desire at this point, really.

How long until you felt GOOD about getting up to workout? (when did it become a habit?)
>>>I don't feel good getting up to workout, but I know I feel GREAT after my workout. It took about 2-3 weeks of doing it consistently, then about a week or two of not, to make me realized that I kind of missed it.

What do you eat/drink beforehand? (I tend to get light headed when I eat nothing before a workout)
>>>Nothing. It makes me sick to eat or drink anything (even water) before a workout. This is why I have to do them first thing in the morning...

What time do you go to bed in order to have an easy wake up? (if this exists haha)
>>>Ideally 9pm means I'm up (on my own) at 6am. Realistically - I've got 3 kids (teenagers) - this NEVER happens. I'm usually in bed between 10 and 11, and can muster my way out of bed at 6/6:30. (Good luck with 4:45! :noway:)

SavCal71

This has probably been asked but how the heck do you do it? -- You just do it. Make it a priority and a habit.

How long until you felt GOOD about getting up to workout? (when did it become a habit?) -- it didn't start feeling good until I was doing it EVERY weekday. 2-3x a week doesn't work - the sleeping later days in between are just too nice. 5x a week and it's much easier.

What do you eat/drink beforehand? (I tend to get light headed when I eat nothing before a workout) -- nothing for a normal, every day early workout (5:30am). Something like a fiber one bar or toast and pb if I'm doing a longer run (6+ miles).

What time do you go to bed in order to have an easy wake up? (if this exists haha) -- I don't go to bed until 10:30-11 most nights and my alarm goes off at 5:10. Most of the time that's a fairly easy wakeup.

Any pointers? -- lay out your clothes ahead of time. make it a habit. don't hit the snooze button.

Anngetsfit

I have been working out at our local fitness center at 5:00 AM M-F for the past 3 1/2 years (since it opened). I have only missed a handful of days. When people ask me how I continue to do it I tell them it is not an option not to come. I have gotten as little as 3 hrs of sleep and still gotten up and gone in.

ginnym1981

Wow you guys are so motivating!!
I just posted on FB my plans in hopes to find a fellow partner (this will help tremendously!) so I'm crossing my fingers and next week is MY week!! (I'm gonna make it my b1tch!!! hahahaha)

140150

1. How long until you felt GOOD about getting up to workout?

i think it took about three days. today is just my sixth or seventh day of exercising ( and having an account on myfitnesspal ), and i feel absolutely awful about not exercising today because of * ahem * girly problems.

2. What do you eat/drink beforehand?

i just drink water but if i did eat, i would probably eat one or two scrambled eggs.

3. What time do you go to bed in order to have an easy wake up?

i wake up between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM, sometimes 10:00 AM, and i go to sleep between 11:00 PM and 12:00 AM, sometimes 1:00 PM. i used to wake up between 1:00 PM and 2:00 PM and go to sleep between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM so it's definitely possible to change your sleeping schedule, ahaha!

27strange

I am in general terms a morning person, so that helps. I get up at 5am to workout. But all I have to do is let the dogs outside for their morning business and then go down to the basement, put on my workout clothes, and start moving. If I had to get up and get ready and drive to the gym it would be more difficult for me.

I don't eat anything before my morning workout. It makes me feel yuck to eat that early and then to work out right away. I am more one of those people that have to follow the pool rule... ya know that "wait 30 minutes after eating before swimming" rule we heard as kids. Yeah, that applies to me and workouts. I workout for 30-45 minutes in the morning, drink a bottle of water, take a shower, then prepare a breakfast before heading to work. I then generally do a different workout routine each evening.

sarah829522

I'm NOT a morning person (er I wasn't) and I still don't enjoy it but the alarm goes off at 4:45. I drive to the gym there get there before 6 get in my workout and feel AMAZING after! I have to get ready there at the gym and head to work.

After work there's kids and family and dinner and it just wasn't happening with small kids my nights are spoken for. Doing this for myself and having me time in the morning while my wonderful husband does the morning routine is the only way it works for our family.

Here's my tip:

When you want to sleep in when you just don't feel like it when you have cramps when it's raining -- DO IT ANYWAY. GET UP ANYWAY. WORKOUT ANYWAY. You will make yourself proud.

How long until you felt GOOD about getting up to workout? (when did it become a habit?) They say two months well I've been working out since October and can say that some days I pop right out of bed and some days are a struggle. On those days I remind myself I will feel better after I workout.

What do you eat/drink beforehand? Nothing. Tho my trainer has said I could do a protein shake before if I wanted.

What time do you go to bed in order to have an easy wake up? This was the hardest transition for me because before the AM workouts I would watch the DVR shows at night go to bed at 12 or 1 and get to work by 8-9. I was addicted to TV and I decided I wanted to be addicted to healthy things so I try to go to bed between 9-10 now which means going to sleep between 10-11.