All you morning gym-goers...

im not a morning person either it kills me just getting up at 7am lol, i have done it in the past and it did get easier as it just became routine same as now when i work out in the evenings, after a day of being at uni all day id not be in the mood to workout but i just set a time 6pm everyday which is the time i workout it was hard at first but i made myself do it and again it just became a part of my routine now. Id definatley sleep with your workout clothes on and as soon as that alarm goes up get straight up i found once im up im alright its just the transistion from being woken up and getting my butt out of bed i find the hardest!! So placeyour alarm clock across the room so you have to get up reguardless to turn it off!! And while your still half asleep keep reminding yourself how good your gonna feel after youve done your workout and made the effort to get up earlier!! Good luck hun

I've REALLY been trying to get in the habit of doing this at least twice a week when I have to work full days so this thread is definitely a bump for ideas to help....

Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room, and put your workout clothes on top of it?

Try hiding your alarm,and put it on the most annoying ring ever. When it goes off,then you'll have no choice but to get up and try to find it. By that point since you're already up,that may make it easier to get dressed and head to the gym

This is awesome! :laugh:
I will definitely be trying this tomorrow morning!

Gotta do the math for your body.Count the numbers of hours you need to wake up without an alarm and feel well rested. This will vary. But it can be average. Check out a study done by cornell University on sleep. Three o'clock is probably the best time to work out but not always possible. Try splitting your workouts into half part in the morning and part in the late afternoon.

I don't go that early I aim for 930-10................I do have to say though and early bed time makes it easier.

Yes it get's easier, howeve I am more a moring person anyway, so it was never too difficult for me. But on Tues/Thurs I meet my PT at 5AM when the gym opens, but I have to be up by 3:45 ish to dresss, use the bathroom, and then warmup for 30 mins on the treadmill so that I am not 'cold' when I get there. Since this is twice a week, the fact is I usually just get up now even on the other days by 4am so that I am still at the gym by 5am or 5:15am to do my cardio. After 3 mths of this it's pretty much a habit, and I do have to be in bed around 9pm or so.. but that's ok!!

I'm a *night* person. I hate getting up early. Hell, I hate getting up on time, let alone early.

What I've found is working for me lately is not going to the gym, but doing a workout video in the a.m. at home. It takes less time than the gym, no commuting time between work and home, and I shower in my *own* shower.

When I work out early, I feel great the rest of the day, don't feel guilt for skipping the gym, get time on my patio, with coffee, watering my plants and watching the hummingbirds. I get to do things I don't get to do when I run to work, and come home when it's already dark out. It starts getting to be a pattern, then it's way easier! Then you start liking it.

OH Edit: use your body clock to help. Go here to learn when you can get your correct sleep cycles. Seriously. Work WITH your body.

http://sleepyti.me/

Yes it does get easier...your body adapts to waking up fast. It will help alot if you go to bed ealier and make sure to get a solid 8 hours of sleep

Also, if you actually get out of bed and start moving around then you will find it much easier to go

Pack gym bag the night before. Make a list. Seriously. It's 4:30 in the morning and my brain doesn't fire. I have forgotten my work pants at home. Being late to work is not an option for me, so it wasn't fun.
Pack work bag the night before.
Pack lunch;/food the night before. Make a list and check it off. That way you have the hummus to go with your carrots and vice versa. Yup, I've forgotten snacks and made bad choices.
Set your coffee timer (this is my most important step) the night before.
Get out of bed to hit the alarm, and keep going to your morning routine and get into your work out clothes
If you can get a friend to meet you, it's much easier. When said friend goes away and you ditch, the boys at the gym will get on you about it. Don't ask me how I know this. :blushing:

I find I'm more productive, have more energy, sleep better, and am definitely in a better mood if I exercise. My car pilots itself home after work and after 12 hours, I just don't have any energy.

It's hard, but it gets easier. Soon you too will not be able to sleep past 6 am!

Lots of great advice in here! The only thing I can contribute to this is start small - do it two or three days out of the week at first. That way you get to "sleep in" on the days you don't. After a bit, your body will start wanting to wake up earlier on the days you sleep later, just because it has become accustomed to that earlier time frame. Good luck!

I can only do it on Tuesday/Thursday because I take my son to school before work on Mon/Wed/Fri and my gym is kind of far and I'm not going to drive all the way to the gym in the morning, workout, then drive all the way back home to get my son... on Tuesdays and Thursdays I can just go to the gym and go to work from there. I'll have to go one time on the weekend I guess. I think I'll wake up early tomorrow and on the other days as well and go for a walk or something to try and get myself used to it more. In the meantime I will cancel my gym membership (I will have access to it for at least a month afterwards when I cancel it) and then when I can't go there anymore, I'll get a membership at one of the expensive gyms right next to my house so I can go in the mornings on the days that I take my son to school too.

Maybe you can go to the gym weekends,Tue and Thursday and do something at home the other days?

^^^ this or maybe you could invest in a good workout dvd their a alot of good ones around saves on an expenisve gym membership, plus no need for a babysitter and you can fit it in around your day to day schedule, i usually work out at home iusing my treadmill and my kettlebells which i follow a dvd routine, i have two girls so i find it so much easier this way and im not having to pay for a gym membership saves me alot of money

I have two points:
1. The kids care at my gym is only open from 0800 to 1230 on the weekdays and I work afternoons so that's the time I can do it.
2. If you absolutely can't get going in the morning consider trying a pre-workout. Some of them are really strong and might scare you off but not all of them are. Some days they help me get there but mostly it's number 1.

I have the luxury of time to go home to shower after the workout.

I prefer to eat after my workout, going to the gym right after breakfast usually just ends up in a stomach ache for me.

Easy, Just put your gym gear on and see how you feel once you are dressed.

That is how I usually get started. "I'm JUST going to put on my gym clothes...." I do...and then what? I automatically take the next step.

The only thing you regret is not working out. I have never heard anyone say that they regret that they got up early and worked out. Lol.