Exercising in the morning....

TKHappy

Your day sounds like mine. I get up at 4:30 every morning before anyone else is up and workout. I even sleep in my workout clothes sometimes to motivate myself (yes, its not easy). I eat a light snack....banana, small bowl of oatmeal, toast with peanut butter, then Im out the door for my morning run or I hop on the eliptical, around 6am I whip up breakfast for the kids, walk the dog (doing walking lunges & it cools me off from my run) then for 45 min I lift weights and then Im getting ready by 7am and by 8 I'm out the door.

TKHappy

Here is how I handle the morning workout. I hit the gym on my way to work or use my commute to ride my bike.

1. Get ready for the next day the night before so less to do in the morning. Kids lunches, backpacks are ready to go, clothes laid out, etc..
2. go to bed early, sometimes i'm asleep before the kids
3. Wake at 4am and hop in a shower just to wake me up
4. grab some food, feed the dogs, and get my gear on.
5. Out the door by 5. My kids are old enough to get themselves off to school.

I do the same things

Blanche76

I'm in the same situation, I hate to get up early but this is the only time I can get my workout in. I wake up at 5am drink my 5 hour energy drink (only half), then I start working out. It is hard the first week, but once you get started it isn't as bad, but there are days when I don't feel like getting out of bed, I just tell myself I can do it. Good luck, you can do it!

CynthiaCollin

Thanks everyone!

I am going to have a go at it tomorrow morning.

I will try to bed in bed for 10am. I will wake up at 6a.m (so at least I will have 8hrs of sleep). I will do The Shred in my pyjamas so all I will have to do is go downstairs....drink 16 oz of water and stretch at the same time....and then do it !!! And then I will go from there....

:happy:

Tmdesir

I am in a very similar situation I have 2 small children (4 & 6) I work full time and my husband works the evenings. My only time to work out is in the am. I am usually up and at the gym by 4:30 – 4:45 to be home by 6:10 start the day. I know at first it was extremely hard but now it’s just part of my routine and my day doesn’t feel right without it. Lol I try to be in bed by 9pm:) Good Luck!

FoxxC

“I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I’m doing.” ~Marsha Doble

I don't have as much responsibility as you do however, for me I can't get anything done in the evenings. Anything important to me gets done in the mornings. You get used to it. Some mornings are harder than others but until your body gets into that routine just go with it.

mmsilvia

I just switched my workouts from evenings to mornings. Well except for today (lol). I wake up at 4:55am so I can complete my workout and have breakfast (my few mins to me) before getting in the shower. After I shower I wake up hubby, and my son. Get my son ready & feed him breakfast. We are out the door by 6:30am. It's tough but, you will fall into routine.

I am in bed by 10pm everynight. After I wake up I wash my face & have a glass of water. I have my workout clothes all layed out. Once you start your workout you will feel engerized and that feeling will last all day.

I switched for the same reason as you...I want to enjoy these nice evenings with my son & hubby outside playing or walking. Good luck & feel free to add me as a friend

nnylee

Omg, you people who wake up at 4,5am are amazing. That's real dedication right there. I have trouble getting myself up at 10:30am sometimes!!!!

jennasuer

I wouldnt drink that much water before your workout. Because once you start jumping around its going to slosh around in your belly and might even want to come up because there is so much plus you might have to go to the bathroom in the middle of your workout. Just take a few sips before and when needed during your workout.

tialynn1

I had the same problem. I am not a morning person either. Since January, I have been getting up early enough to work out before work. I have noticed now, I always have to get up early enough to at least get a 20 minute exercise in before my day starts. I have also come to realize that I am a lot more awake and alert by the time I get to work. Before, I would get to work and be half asleep until about 9:00. Some days, I am in a fog when I first start doing the exercise, but quickly wake up. I like doing my Zumba Rush DVD, it is 23 minutes long and really wakes you up. I did do the 30 day shred before. But, I like the Zumba more.

WendySue75

I am an "ok" morning person... I do not like coffee or tea, and I think that has saved me from the " I can't function without a cup of coffee in me" lifestyle.
I start by getting my teen daughter awake 'n in the shower, then my 11 year old daughter follows her... so I have 1 hour & 20 minutes from the time i get the 1st one up to when their bus comes & I head out out to work right after the bus. So, really I'm awake, and the time is there, and I just feel like the more I do in the morning, the less I HAVE to do throughout the day (which makes me want to do more, 'cause I'm stubborn & if I don't have to, I might actually do it all on my own I wake up pretty alert & ready to go most mornings... I def have been making myself go to bed earlier though which has helped a TON with not being as tired in the a.m. :bigsmile:

MrsLVF

I am a busy mother of two who holds down a full time job, takes care of her home and her hubby.....so time is something I don`t have much of. I was thinking of starting to exercise in the morning before the kids wake up and I have to get them ready and off to school and my butt off to work... But my issue is....How do people who exercise in the morning do it??? I wake up and it takes me awhile to shake off the sleepy feeling I have....let only do the Shred.

Right now I am jogging on my lunch.... but I really want to do the 30 Day Shred to tone up before I head off for vacation with my hubby in April and get in shape for summer. I have done the Shred before but usually in the evenings. But with the weather improving I want to spend quality time with my kids outside.

My question is....How do you do your exercise in the morning? How do you get your body to perk and and be exercise ready? Any advice?

I was thinking perhaps waking up at 6am (I usually wake up at 7) take 10-15mins....drink 16 oz of water and stretch? Maybe that will get my body going?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I wake up @ 4:30 eat a small protein bar, drink 20oz water, get dressed & @ about 4:50 I'm ready to work out. I'm doing 30 min on the elliptical, but I've done the shred in that way too. Now I do strength training 4 days a week in the afternoon.

PS: i found that drinking coffee made me dehydrated & it was harder to work out. So no coffee.

carolinafelix

I've been working out in the morning for the past 2 weeks. The first few days are not easy but if you can do it for a week, then your body gets used to it and you just do it. I am lazy by nature and I am surprised that I am actually waking up at 5AM every day!!! Don't give up, if you don't wake up tomorrow morning, don't take it as a failure, try again the next day.

WendySue75

I am an "ok" morning person... I do not like coffee or tea, and I think that has saved me from the " I can't function without a cup of coffee in me" lifestyle.
I start by getting my teen daughter awake 'n in the shower, then my 11 year old daughter follows her... so I have 1 hour & 20 minutes from the time i get the 1st one up to when their bus comes & I head out out to work right after the bus. So, really I'm awake, and the time is there, and I just feel like the more I do in the morning, the less I HAVE to do throughout the day (which makes me want to do more, 'cause I'm stubborn & if I don't have to, I might actually do it all on my own I wake up pretty alert & ready to go most mornings... I def have been making myself go to bed earlier though which has helped a TON with not being as tired in the a.m. :bigsmile:

Oh... And my morning workout is the 30 Day Shred ( it!!!) .... and I have thyroid med, so I can't eat for an hour after taking that anyway.... so another reason to fill the time with a good sweat, swearin' jk, and then shower & start my day!!

kel7298

I workout in the morning Mon-Fri. My schedule looks like this:

1. Up at 6:00 am
2. Coffee till 6:25 am
3. Get my workout gear on (HRM, workout clothes, etc)
4. Workout from 6:30 to 7:20 am (yes I am still sleepyish, but once I do the warm up I am ready to go)
5. Shower & dressed by 7:55 am
6. Down a handful of vitamins followed by a protein drink or other food source
7. Out the door by 8:00 am

All times are approximate...lol

snlperdue93

I too am a busy Mom. I am not working at the moment, but I am a full time college student and if I don't work out in the mornings then I end up forgetting about it until it is too late.

I get up around 6:30, get the kids dressed and ready, take them to school and I am back home by about 7:30. I normally take about 30 minutes once I get home to just have some me time....4 kids is quite crazy in the mornings so if I don't take the me time, then I go nuts. By 8:00 I am loading JMBR into my DVD player and getting my workout on. It normally takes me until about 9 to actually finish my workout (getting all my stuff out and putting it all back up) before I can hit the shower. By 9:30 I am showered and ready to hit the books. I spend the next several hours doing school work (especially now during the two weeks of finals I am in) and at 4 my kids get home on the bus. I normally take a break and do something active with them for about 30 minutes, and then we all hit the books till dinner when my Taxi service normally kicks in and I spend the rest of the evening running them to sporting events or heading to my evening classes.

If you work full time, I suggest that you allow yourself 15 to 30 minutes to wake up and let your body become alert before you workout. I know if I personally try to get up and go straight to a workout (which is normally how my Saturday mornings go with all 4 kids home) then I end up pulling something or not putting enough effort into my workouts.

You can do it! Good luck!

EMus29

Honestly its not easy most days to drag my butt out of bed at 5:00 am, however I'm a mom of 3 school age children, work full-time and part-time. At the end of the day there is just no energy left for working out. I tried but always had an excuse. I was tired of all the excuses, the way I looked and felt. Early mornings are a habit now (after 5 months) and I look forward to my morning workouts.
I'm not feeling guilty for making time for my self because my husband and 3 kids are all sleeping. I start my day with a glass (8oz) of warm lemon water (that shocks my system to wake), get ready for the gym, then do my stretching at home before I go to the gym.
By the time its 5:30am I'm at the gym, awake and ready to start my workout. Part of my motivation now is that I am really seeing results in my muscle tone. It keeps me going back for more.

MMarvelous

I saw this article today and thought I would share it.

7 Steps To Become Morning Exerciser http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/7-steps-become-morning-exerciser

shodaimetruth

Here is the best recommendation that has gotten me out of bed and to the gym.

1. set your alarm to when you need to be up.
2. set that alarm tone to be the most terifiying or frustrating sound you can find.
3. set the alarm in a location that requires movement from your bed
4. you're awake.

with step two you wake up in such a panic and fear that your heart starts to race and that helps remove the sleep from my body. the 3rd step then forces me to walk and turn it off, not hit dismiss or snooze. Wakes me up everyday and shaves a few days off my life. a fair trade in my opinion.

Cindym82

I enjoy mornings better than evenings to work out cause come 4pm I'm exhausted. Everyone is different. I look at it as I can spend my afternoon enjoying myself if I just get up an hour earlier and kick my butt in the morning plus with 30ds its only 20mins