Tips For Morning Workouts????

So...I am wanting to start working out in the mornings before work. Whether it be an unexpected invite to dinner somewhere, a horrible headache from work, an unexpected dinner to run, or just being too tired...i always seem to have a "good excuse" to skip my workout in the evenings. Im hoping that if I start working out before work, it will just become part of my normal getting-ready-for-the-day routine. Any tips on helping make this happen?
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Replies

  • i have 1/2 can of Rockstar 0 calories/...... and hit the pavement running, with my 2 dogs a good 45-60 mins run give you a great morning burn..
  • JennyNotSoSkinny
    JennyNotSoSkinny Posts: 93 Member
    Just try it once!!!! On the day you do it, look at all that you accomplish in the evening that would have otherwise been spent working out!! I love getting out early and getting it done because it's out of the way and the rest of the day (after work) is for me. And it does seem to put me in a better mood during the day as well.
  • Asil02
    Asil02 Posts: 261
    I used to call it my "Mourning Workout" but not any more. I have come to where I enjoy now. It was hard at first but now I look forward to it. Doing my workout in the morning means I have my workout done and anything else during the day is just bonus! After a few weeks it's become habit. Good luck with it!
  • charlena48
    charlena48 Posts: 192 Member
    Mine is exactly what you said "part of getting ready for the day". I have been doing that for a few months now. It's out of the way first thing and if I can't work out for some reason, I miss it.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
    Any tips on helping make this happen?

    Change your alarm to an hour earlier and when it goes off, haul your butt outa bed. :flowerforyou:
  • CanGirl40
    CanGirl40 Posts: 379 Member
    I started going to the gym by 5:30am 3 times a week for the same reasons as you, and I hated it for at least a couple of months. But I kept at it because I LOVED that I would walk out of that gym at 7am and feel like I could take on the world! Now, I actually look forward to my gym mornings. I love that it's dark when I leave and most people aren't even awake. I love that when I'm walking OUT of the gym there are people just walking in and I. am. done.

    The only downside is having to be in bed by 9:30 pm so my evenings are kinda shortened.

    But stick with it for at least a month and you just might love it! :)
  • TMF1123
    TMF1123 Posts: 71 Member
    Since joining mfp i've been getting up and jogging before work - the best part is i have tons of energy, the polution is lower, traffic is lighter and i see the difference in performance between 5:00 am and 6:00 pm. get yourself a cool tool/toy to help motivate you -- i use nike+ running (free ap). Jump in and do it, you are so worth it.
  • dnfaith
    dnfaith Posts: 13
    I failed this morning. lol. I set my alarm for 5:15 and ended up resetting it after it went off. I always feel weak and stiff in the mornings. Im so frustrated with myself! grrrr
  • I failed this morning. lol. I set my alarm for 5:15 and ended up resetting it after it went off. I always feel weak and stiff in the mornings. Im so frustrated with myself! grrrr

    Let yourself slip sometimes but remember that you could take the nastiest b'tard in the world and he wouldn't beat you up as hard as you do yourself.

    Weak and stiff soon disappears when you get going. Make it the same as having to breathe...if you don't do it, you'll die:)
  • McBully4
    McBully4 Posts: 1,270 Member
    Its simple get up and go, I'm at the gym when It opens every day at 5am. If I miss my morning workout my whole day feels wrong.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    For me, if I hit snooze it's all over. When my alarm goes off at 4:00 am I have to put my feet on the floor as soon as possible. That's the hardest part.

    I started doing early morning workouts last year as I wanted to be able to spend time with my family in the evenings. When I started out I was getting up at 5:00 and doing very simple 30 minute videos and stuff so the workout wasn't really intense but I was making the habit of getting up early and getting active. After a while I had moved on to doing longer videos so I moved my wake up time to 4:30 and just kept easing it back until it's where it is now. Now I do some early morning workouts and some afternoon workouts.
  • recriger
    recriger Posts: 245 Member
    I know your pain. I have a rather long commute to work every day, so I have to get up (out of the bed) by 4:30 so I have time to stretch before and shower after. It sucks real bad at first just to be up that early. Now I like being up and getting the exercise in but my body is still angry with me so I have to stretch a lot. It gets easier every day, so soon it should be great.

    Since we have a 3 year old there isn't anything after 9:00 except TV anyhow, so we aren't missing anything going to bed earlier.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    Its simple get up and go, I'm at the gym when It opens every day at 5am. If I miss my morning workout my whole day feels wrong.

    This is it basically.

    Just do it. Do it enough and it will feel bad not to do it.
  • MorganLeighRN
    MorganLeighRN Posts: 411 Member
    Put your alarm clock across the room so you have to get out of bed in order to turn it off. Once you are up get dressed and get going. Your body will adjust but it'll take some time. Go to bed an hour or two earlier to make up for getting up earlier.
  • Mad4282
    Mad4282 Posts: 171 Member
    Just do it! If you are someone who needs something in their stomach before a workout, make sure you give yourself enough time to eat a little something and digest before you workout. Before you know it, you will be waking up before your alarm goes off :) Good luck!
  • racbergs
    racbergs Posts: 72
    You just have to do it! Move your alarm clock to the far side of the room, and keep your workout stuff right next to it. That way you're already out of bed and have all your stuff ready to go :). For me, once I have my sneakers on and my hair tied up that's it, there's no turning back, now I HAVE to workout.
  • Vansy
    Vansy Posts: 419 Member
    I've found for me that when I have this feeling of "I HAVE TO DO THIS" I tend to be less apt to reset the alarm and sleep-in or to skip workouts. For instance, when I'm doing Insanity or Asylum I won't miss a work-out of the entire program. This morning I was up at 4:15 and took one of the dogs for a 25-minute speed walk to start my day off on the right foot even though I was dead-tired and wanted to sleep for another 45 minutes.
    Make exercise something you HAVE to get done each day and you'll find the motivation/energy to get through it -- just like the fact that you HAVE to go to work everyday, and you HAVE to brush your teeth, breath, eat, drink water, etc. ---- not making it a chore, just making it a necessity instead of something you want to do. The difference in mentality towards exercise may help you acheive your goal of getting up to do the exercise.
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Morning exercise is great. It revs your endorphins up and your metabolism and the best thing is then you are finished for the day. I'm an early riser so it works out great for me, but some people just force themselves to get up earlier. Go to bed earlier and you will wake up earlier. It may take a while for your inner clock to adapt.
  • I love to work-out in the morning! I always have more energy to get going! And it gives me the energy to make it through the day..so much sometimes that I will go for another work-out later in the afternoon! Good luck and try it..what do you have to lose, but weight!
  • cyndispot
    cyndispot Posts: 135
    What isn't there an app for.....I Can't Wake Up. So with this thing you can set it so that to stop it you have to get up and go scan a barcode. (Just don't put the barcode next to your bed.) Then once you are out of bed, put on your shoes and clothes (which of course you laid out the night before) and hit it. It will get easier, at least I hope so - I just switched to mornings and just having it done before night was the motivation to move me to am.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    I love the kick start that a morning workout gives to my day! I've just started doing the 30 day shred, and I try to get it done before breakfast. This has a lot of advantages:

    1. It's done in the house, so I can work out in an old T shirt and a pair of baggy shirts, even in bare feet.
    2. No excuse just cos its raining.
    3. Dont have to drive to the gym or anything, so it's a real time saver
    4. The workout is only 20 minutes long - maybe 27 including warmup and cool down. So by getting up even as little as 15 minutes earlier than normal, I can get this done and still make it to work on time.
  • Sinisi2012
    Sinisi2012 Posts: 333 Member
    Its simple get up and go, I'm at the gym when It opens every day at 5am. If I miss my morning workout my whole day feels wrong.

    This^^ I have been doing it for the last 4 months 6-7x a week, it was hard at first but now I love it, it makes me feel so much more energized throughout the day. I don't even need an alarm to wake up anymore, my body just naturally wakes up at 4:30 now (but I still go to bed at 11-11:30 so I've gotta work on that lol) .

    You can do it if you put your mind to it! Good luck :D
  • dkoroschetz
    dkoroschetz Posts: 67 Member
    I failed this morning. lol. I set my alarm for 5:15 and ended up resetting it after it went off. I always feel weak and stiff in the mornings. Im so frustrated with myself! grrrr

    My back is always so stiff in the mornings, that's the hard part for me! I would love to work out in the mornings. Hope you are able get into it!!
  • emrod83
    emrod83 Posts: 29 Member
    I failed this morning. lol. I set my alarm for 5:15 and ended up resetting it after it went off. I always feel weak and stiff in the mornings. Im so frustrated with myself! grrrr

    I feel your pain! It's hard to get motivated that early in the morning but I, like you continue to fail after work so I knew early mornings was my only option. I leave everything I need to work out the night before: my clothes, shoes, socks...everything. That way there is no excuses to get dressed. To get me going I put the alarm on the other side of the room so it forces me to get out of bed. At that point the only thing you have to do is just do it! I don’t go to the gym..I go for a run, do workout videos like Zuba or Insanity or do some high intensity workout with various Xbox-Kenect. Even if you start off with walking around the block.....it's something to start with that you can build on. After a few weeks it gets easier to get up, I promise! Once you start getting ready for work you will feel so good that your workout for the day is complete! =) Good Luck!
  • hbm616
    hbm616 Posts: 377 Member
    If you have to wake up earlier than usual to fit in a workout then be sure to go to bed a little earlier too! If I don't get at least 6 hrs of sleep the night before then I'm not going to wake up feeling ready to hit the gym or go for a run. That being said, a little coffee in the morning is a great motivator haha
  • TRUDIVA88
    TRUDIVA88 Posts: 37 Member
    I just started morning excercises and I love them so far. I get up at 4:30 and go ahead and get it in! My evenings feel so much more longer :-) I definitely feel like i have more time. And you are right, I dont have an excuse that early, my brain is barely functioning :laugh:
  • allirep
    allirep Posts: 26
    i hear you - most mornings i would donate a kidney for 15 more minutes of sleep. you may not be going to bed early enough. if you are genuinely tired, forcing yourself to get up and exercise is only going to make you more tired and very hungry.

    if you absolutely cannot get up in the mornings - don't take that as a failure. don't beat yourself up about it. find another way to get some real exercise in. there are plenty of workouts and plans that involve staggering exercises here and there (here is one: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/10/angry-birds-workout-plan/).

    that being said - there are always excuses for skipping exercise no matter how flexible your plan is. if you want to get up in the morning to exercise hard bore - i agree with the earlier posts - go to bed earlier.
  • jennadiane_
    jennadiane_ Posts: 36 Member
    I won't lie, it's hard getting up even earlier to work out. But once you do it a few times, just try doing an evening workout. It sucks. I used to do my workouts in the evenings, after the kids got in bed and I hated every minute of it. Most of my workout routines never lasted. But depending on my schedule, I either work out first thing, or early afternoon... it's great and gives you that boost you need for the day or to keep you going for the day.

    I wouldn't try for 4A workouts right away (unless you have to be to work at 6A). But start with baby steps, and get a half hour workout in. Then once it gets easier, set that alarm for a little earlier and and a little earlier. I need wake up time. I need time just to register what day it is, and to get my eyes to stay open. Alarm was set for 630 this morning, was up and working out at 7, done by 8 and now enjoying my bowl of cereal.
  • rychma
    rychma Posts: 47 Member
    So...I am wanting to start working out in the mornings before work. Whether it be an unexpected invite to dinner somewhere, a horrible headache from work, an unexpected dinner to run, or just being too tired...i always seem to have a "good excuse" to skip my workout in the evenings. Im hoping that if I start working out before work, it will just become part of my normal getting-ready-for-the-day routine. Any tips on helping make this happen?

    I used to workout at night but for the same reasons as you, I needed to start doing it in the mornings. I also have kids so I felt like I was cutting into the few hours I had with them! It was tough in the beginning but now I am just used to it. My alarm is set for 4:22, which allows me time to hit the snooze, check out FB, grab a couple sips of coffee and be in my running clothes, etc by 5:00 am. I don't run on Monday or Friday mornings and my body knows that. It would take a bulldozer to get me out of bed at 4:22 on those days!
  • ChristyRunStarr
    ChristyRunStarr Posts: 1,600 Member
    Do you have an iphone or smartphone? I have my morning workouts programmed into my google calendar so I feel like I have to do it cause it's there...at least that's how I started getting my butt out of bed. Now, my body is so used to waking up at 4:45am I don't even need an alarm lol