Sleep + gym in the morning + no motivation = GUILT

mwimwi

Good morning to you all!!

Once again, I planned to wake up at 5:30 so I could be at the gym when it opens, training for my daily 45 min circuit and then going to work...

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut! As usual, I end up waking up without my alarm clock at 5 and feeling really tired, almost with heartache, so I kind of decide not to go and sleep until I have to get ready to go to work. Then, I feel really guilty and I'm not able to fall back into sleep, and I stay in my bed fighting with myself but not feeling fine enough to just wake up and go to the gym; and after, it's too late, I don't have enough time to go and train

It bugs me because I used to do it all the time before, and I felt energized for the day. Now I feel like crap and I'm losing my motivation... I go to bed really early so it's not because I lack of sleep. Usually, I go to the gym right after work so at least I've been during the day, but for a few weeks I will be really busy at night so I don't know if I will be able to train enough. I just go and have a walk during lunch time, but it's clearly not enough for me to reach my goals.

The gym is a 20 min walk from home (or 5 min with my car); my job is a 90 min bus ride; there are none near my workplace.

Any advice for waking up really motivated or losing that guilty feeling I hate so much?

Natty0506

Honestly? My single motivation is that my workout will be done for the day. I HATE working out. I really do. Sure, I feel good when it's done, but that's only because of the fact that I've accomplished something. I also tend to workout before my brain has totally woken up so I'm not fighting with myself. I get up, get out of bed, get my hubs off to work, and work out. For me, I just have to do it. No second guessing, no arguing with myself. Just get my *kitten* downstairs and do it.

SyntonicGarden

Can you either:

1) Workout after work anyway

2) Workout at home - Lots of folks on here do it

3) find a workout buddy / convince a friend to go to the gym with you in the morning? Being accountable to someone else might help...

quilteryoyo

Don't know how to tell you to wake up motivated, but can give you a suggestion as to how to make yourself get out of bed early enough to go to the gym, it that is what you really want to do. Put your alarm on a dresser, or something, that requires you to have to get out of bed to turn it off. Then, you'll be up and that may just be the push you need to go. I guess I'm saying you don't have to be super motivated in the morning. Just get up and force yourself to go and then you'll be glad you did.

Good luck with reaching all your goals. If you have been doing this in the past, I'm sure you can get back into the habit. It just may take a little while of forcing yourself. :flowerforyou:

pkw58

I am a morning person. That being said, lots of people are not. If you are having trouble with your sleep pattern to work out before work, just pack a bag and work out afterwards. Or cut your work out to 30 minutes. Or find way to walk at lunch.

I know people who run in the morning rather than go to the gym. They only do the circuit 3-4 nights over the 7 day week.

I think even good things become part of the "grind" and we have to change them up. I love my Wii Fit, but have to keep changing the routine all the time or it is boring.

Proud of you for seeking out a solution!

Nikki582

Here's some advice.
Do it.
Get out of bed, off your bum and do it. Do you want to change yourself? Really? Really really? Then you'd do it. No excuses, no "I'm too tired." just do it.
I wake up at 4.30 to go to the gym, do I want to? No. But I'm a morning person and I want to change. This morning I lay in bed lamenting, loathing that I had to be up that early, in the freezing cold.. the exercises I was to do weren't my favourite. And then in my head came "You only regret the workouts you don't do." And I said "Well I can do it on Wednesday." Nope, not good enough. I dragged my *kitten* out of bed so I wouldn't regret not doing the workout. And I did it, and I'm sore as anything this evening, but do I regret it? No. Would I regret it tonight if I lay in bed? Absolutely.

So get up, and go to the gym. There's no more advice than that. If you want to change, you'd make it happen.

Alternately, change the time you go, make something a bit more convenient for you.

xxrainxx

This always happens to me too but i dont have to get there until 7am and work at 9am i couldnt imagine having to get up at 5.30am so your a great woman when you do go :happy:

I know for me if i eat after 6/7 then i feel really tired in the morning but if i dont eat after 6/7 then im so hungry by the morning i just wake up and its so weird i didnt make it this morning cause i hurt my leg and being in work is just dragging no motivation but then if i did go id be like an enegiser bunny going around the place

So what i do is i set my alarm from 6.30 to go off every 5 mins so i get nice little comfy naps in between then once my 7am alarn goes off i have to get up but i know only too well how comfy your bed is in the morning but just think you will be set up for the day

xxx

thriftycupl

Do you give yourself any days off? Maybe if you had one or two days a week that you rested, you could look forward to those days and that would be motivating enough to get up on the days that you don't. I've gone through periods of time where it's hard to get up and get moving.

I'm not a huge fan of waking up early to get moving, but I keep pushing through. Try whatever means you have available -- buy a new workout DVD, go to the gym, buy new workout clothes, put that alarm on the other side of the room -- try it all and find what works for you. If you are tired, maybe you need a break or a new workout routine that you will look forward to.

samcorvus

Drugs. I wake up half an hour earlier than I need to. Drink a glass of water and down a drug cocktail that includes a stimulant, multivitamin, fiber supplement, and metabolic booster. Then lie back down to let them take effect. Half an hour later the drugs have kicked in and I'm pumped to go to the gym.

Or you can try a habit change. Start getting up at 0530. Not working out but rather just up. Do this for a couple weeks. Then start adding small exercise at home for another couple. Then start going to the gym. It takes about three weeks to develop a habit. So just getting up will help get you used to being active early.

75Juniper

Honestly? My single motivation is that my workout will be done for the day. I HATE working out. I really do. Sure, I feel good when it's done, but that's only because of the fact that I've accomplished something. I also tend to workout before my brain has totally woken up so I'm not fighting with myself. I get up, get out of bed, get my hubs off to work, and work out. For me, I just have to do it. No second guessing, no arguing with myself. Just get my *kitten* downstairs and do it.

Absolutely this. I get up at 4:30am. I work out at home, which helps. I choose my DVD the night before and lay out all of my clothes. I have literally stumbled downstairs half-asleep many mornings, but if you do it enough times, it becomes habit. In fact, even though I don't get to bed early enough during the week, I'm now unable to sleep in on the weekends because my body is so used to getting up early.

I used to work out in the evenings and couldn't be consistent because life gets in the way. This is the only way I've been able to stick with it, and it gives a new perspective to the day knowing it's done. It's similar to when you tackle the most unpleasant thing on your to do list right away. The day can only get better from there.

katy84o

I lack motivation for morning workouts to. But what I try to do is drink a big glass of water before bed, that way by 5:00 am I have to get up to go the bathroom, it's easier to just stay up then

rotill

I'd get a bike (and a very good lock) and ride to a bus-stop that's 30-45 minutes away, leave the bike and get the bus to work. Then repeat on the way home. It cuts down a little on the busride (depending on your route and bus, perhaps even a lot), and gives you a 60-90 minute easy extercize every day. I get my 40-50 minutes of light cardio every day from this, and when I use the bike to go shopping, I get quite a bit more.

Biking is great because you don't need to work yourself into a sweat, but you still get some activity, you don't need to change into special clothes or any particular outfit, you can ride in the clothes you use to get to work. Just remember good rain-gear for those days :-)

rkennedy54

If you can't be bothered going to the gym can you maybe get off the bus or train a stop or two earlier on your way to work (same in the evening) so you are walking at least 1/2 hour each way? (Works out about 200cal/hr if you walk fast). You will still need to do some strength training but maybe the gym twice a week (one morning) and once on the weekend after a sleep in.:yawn:

FitBunnyEm

Honestly? My single motivation is that my workout will be done for the day. I HATE working out. I really do. Sure, I feel good when it's done, but that's only because of the fact that I've accomplished something. I also tend to workout before my brain has totally woken up so I'm not fighting with myself. I get up, get out of bed, get my hubs off to work, and work out. For me, I just have to do it. No second guessing, no arguing with myself. Just get my *kitten* downstairs and do it.

love what this person has written here ^^ exactly, i just get my *kitten* moving i have no option and just do it...soon as im at the gym im fine...some days tired some days full of beans...eat something healhy and get a coffee..good luck