Morning exercisers..how do you do it?

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Replies

  • lsilly15
    lsilly15 Posts: 137 Member
    today was my first day working out in the AM! I woke up at 4:30, rolled out of bed by 4:45. You just have to do it! Honestly, i felt GREAT after my workout and think about it, by 6am you are done for the day! (unless you get that extra boost at the end of the day) you can do it!
  • shellyt1
    shellyt1 Posts: 119
    It is easier on the days I have to work in the morning, and days off are killers like today. I just know how I feel getting it done and it is my time and I seem to proform better in the morning then if I do a run at night!
  • okkat1969
    okkat1969 Posts: 2 Member
    It sometimes helps me to tell myself the night before, "I get to ___________ tomorrow!" Fill in the blank with whatever exercise you're doing the next morning. For me it's usually running--I used to hate running, but this little ritual has been a part of enjoying it more than I ever thought possible. In three months (and this is getting to be almost a record for me), I've only skipped three morning exercises. Also, make sure to go to bed at a reasonable hour! And if you can sleep a little later on the weekends and still get your exercise in, do it!
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    I really need help with this. I set my alarm for 6:30 this morning. the alarm was in a different room. I got up, turned it off and went back to sleep.

    Sigh.
  • dorothytd
    dorothytd Posts: 1,138 Member
    After six years, it is still difficult some days. Even better than putting them next to the bed, WEAR your workout clothes TO bed. Less to do. Come up with something you tell yourself when the alarm goes off. I'm not proud of it, but mine is sometimes "DO YOU WANT TO GET HEAVY AGAIN?" (I save that for the really tough days.) I also try to remember that it feels great to start the day that way. UNLIKE today, when I am going to class at 6:30PM instead. But I did it for the same reasons - at the time my kids were 3 and 7. There was NO OTHER TIME. Do it for you! It is still difficult, yes. But much less difficult than it was. And the results are SO WORTH IT!! (The comment about fatigue is true, too.) GOOD LUCK!!!
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    I nag myself "get up get UP GET UP!"
    I remind myself that the exercise will do me more good than an extra hour of sleep.
    My husband has to leave for work very early, and he lets the cat in from the garage. Then the cat comes upstairs meowing loudly the whole way and jumps up on me. And if I still don't get up, he starts batting things off my bedside table or pushing the glass of water over.
  • PlusSizeGal
    PlusSizeGal Posts: 26 Member
    Well what I do is a 40 mins of yoga in the morning and stretching is a good way to start doing
    exercises. I really like yoga although some poses I can't do
    but I work with what I can do and keep along posture of the yoga movements
    as well of shadow boxing which I'm liking too.
    I have hypothyroidism so if anyone here wants to add me
    Support and motivation add me.
    Do stretches in bed its best
  • ziggyc
    ziggyc Posts: 191 Member
    I got an elliptical ($450) for myself along with a door pulley system for strength training, free weights, and exercise ball. Then I decorated a special room just for exercising. I keep my laptop in there and watch my favorite shows that my husband doesn't like while I exercise. It's easier to wake up when I get to go into my Zen Den, warm-up with stretches, get going on the elliptical and enjoy some trashy TV like Grey's Anatomy. I love my routine and after about 2 months of doing this every work-day I got to the point where if I don't exercise I feel awful. It's the first time in my life I've stayed with an exercise and weight-loss program for over a year and I think the hour of exercise in the morning makes all the difference.

    I want a Zen Den!
  • jozettesummers
    jozettesummers Posts: 7
    The only way i do it is to have someone else meet me there. that way i know i have to go or they will be waiting and i won't show. works for me, maybe it could even be someone you meet at the gym or something if you don't have a friend or family member willing to do it with you. having support is the only way i can do it!
  • rmhand
    rmhand Posts: 1,067 Member
    Just do it.
  • cajungirltx
    cajungirltx Posts: 147 Member
    I am going to try the exercise thing in the mornings starting next Monday beings the time changes. I only live about 2 minutes from the gym. My goal will be to start off 3 days a week and see how I do. I also have three kids and a husband that all need my attention in the evenings. :wink:
  • pwnderosa
    pwnderosa Posts: 280 Member
    I often sleep in my workout clothes when possible, as long as I have comfy ones clean, otherwise I put them by the bed so they are right there, I HATE wasting time running around getting ready to work out.

    I hate it but I always feel great when I do it. This morning, I had to tell myself "Get out of bed or no candy for you!", it worked though I cursed my way through my workout anyway...
  • KeepStitchin
    KeepStitchin Posts: 6
    I used to be that way. I psyche myself up the night before and envision working out the next morning and set out my clothes. I don't even allow myself to 'think' about it when I wake up, I just grab my clothes and get to it. Works really well for me!
  • mightyquen2003
    mightyquen2003 Posts: 1
    I work in an office all day so I am going to try walking 30 min at lunch.
  • marathon_mama
    marathon_mama Posts: 150 Member
    It's so strange to me that people think 6:30 is early. I am already at work by that time. I do go to bed by 10 though.
  • Mama_Jag
    Mama_Jag Posts: 474 Member
    I was asking the same question not too long ago. Have to force it for a little bit, but it should become second nature. It did for me. I often wake up before my 4:15 alarm.
  • ccarebear344
    ccarebear344 Posts: 11
    Sounds crazy but I sleep in my exercise clothes! If I'm already dressed I have no excuse.
  • SkettiGurl
    SkettiGurl Posts: 186 Member
    There is no trick, it's just down to how much you want to exercise. Yesterday I got up and ran 4km with the doggy, today, I got up turned off my alarm and crawled back to bed for another 45 minutes...Once you get into a routine it's not so bad but i got out of the routine in the summer and have struggled to get back into it...tomorrow I will get up and run (despite the rain!).
  • badgeratheart
    badgeratheart Posts: 91 Member
    I pretty much approach it the same as other posters. I have been a morning exerciser for over a decade. I take Saturday and Sunday off, so I get to "sleep in" until my kids get up at 6:30 which actually feels great after getting up at 4:45 all week. I have recently recruited 2 workout partners and that REALLY helps on those mornings that I want to snooze "just one more time."
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
    I could have written your post, word for word. It's not easy for me, I won't lie. You just have to DO it. Don't hit snooze. Sleep in the clothes you plan to work out in. Have your sneakers, socks, and iPod (or whatever else) ready to go in one spot. Remember that you WILL feel better once you get up. Good luck!
  • MNA76
    MNA76 Posts: 1,541
    I get up at 4:10 a.m. every Monday - Friday to go to the gym. It was hard at first, but I'm used to it now. It does help that I'm not a 'Snoozer', so as soon as my alarm goes off, I'm up. Some mornings it hard, but I always feel better after my work out.

    Also, if I don't work out first thing in the morning, I won't go. All I want to do after work is go home. Plus, the gym is much less busy when it opens.
  • Ta2dchic20
    Ta2dchic20 Posts: 376 Member
    For me the biggest motivator is that I know if I get up and do it in the morning, I won't have to do it after work (which I come up with excuses for, so it doesn't happen), so after a long day, I can relax, guilt free.
  • haydaze
    haydaze Posts: 2
    I'm a morning person and I know if I plan to exercise after work, it just won't happen. I get up at 4:00 a.m. M-F, take care of the horses, grab the protein shake I made the night before, and drive to the gym. I pack my bag the night before and put it in the car, so all I really need to do is get in and go. I've made friends with some of the other people at the gym and look forward to seeing them. I do an hour of cardio and then 20 to 30 minutes of strength training. On Saturdays, I sleep in a bit and then workout at the gym. I take Sundays off. AND, I track everything on MFP. It really helps me see trends. Just like everyone is saying, you just have to do it. You'll be so happy with yourself if you do.
  • dreilingda
    dreilingda Posts: 122 Member
    I just tell myself it's not a choice....it's just the way things have to be. So like Agent K advises, I don't even ask myself a question I don't really want to know the answer to...namely do I WANT to get out of bed and do this? Cause the answer is a given -- NO! But if I don't ask and just assume it's the way things are done and go along with it regardless of how I feel, then it just gets to be an automatic habit. Don't overthink it, just do it.

    This is great advice. Training your will power takes time no matter what time of day you exercise. You have to put together a plan and then tell yourself you have no choice but to do it. I love running but I have trouble getting excited about lifting weights so sometimes I just have to tell myself "I don't care if you're tired. You have no choice. Quit whining and just do it".

    It can also help to set some sort of a goal and start thinking about your workouts as a training plan (e.g. train for a 5k). Knowing that if you miss some training you might not hit your goal can be motivating.
  • BeSophisticate
    BeSophisticate Posts: 132
    I am going to try the exercise thing in the mornings starting next Monday beings the time changes. I only live about 2 minutes from the gym. My goal will be to start off 3 days a week and see how I do. I also have three kids and a husband that all need my attention in the evenings. :wink:

    This is a great idea.
  • garlic7girl
    garlic7girl Posts: 2,236 Member
    Honey I feel you! I think you guys have 'special super hero powers' bc I have done all the tricks: set two alarms, clothes and gym shoes on bed, alarm away from the bed, recite in my head all day...blah blah blah...I clean tighter to the bed then a tic on a dog! HA!
  • trinityrecgirl
    trinityrecgirl Posts: 84
    It was really hard at first, having to get up 4:45-5:00, but after a while, it has become routine. I also walk during breaks and lunch, but always have the thought....What if I don't have time to walk during the day, how bad would I feel not getting any exercise in?..That is one motivator. The other is looking at myself in the mirror, remembering how far I have come, and NEVER wanting to go back. This is the biggest motivator. Dig deep, and keep it up, it only gets better.
  • BeSophisticate
    BeSophisticate Posts: 132
    A ton of great ideas and advice here!

    I don't do AM workouts because morning workouts are (for me, at least) just less effective. I go to the gym after work and save my before work hours for writing. Getting up to do extra work before going to work was certainly a challenge. I had to do it gradually to avoid ending up comatose at work for a couple weeks.

    I suggest gradually adjusting your wake time earlier. If you adjust your alarm by 5 minutes every morning, you will be getting up an hour earlier in less than two weeks. This is exactly how I managed to add an extra two hours (for writing) to my morning.

    Of course, this doesn't work if you don't go to bed earlier. The bottom line is, no matter how motivated you are, if you don't get adequate sleep at least semi-regularly, sooner or later, you will crash and give up. If you want to get up earlier, you have to go to bed earlier, period.
  • Kany
    Kany Posts: 336
    Set your alarm far from your bed. You'll have to get up even if you want to turn it off or hit snooze. When you think about going back to bed, just tell yourself that you'll only get another 30 minutes or so of sleep before you have to get up again. That usually works for me.
  • Rinkydink84
    Rinkydink84 Posts: 22
    You honestly just have to do it. When someone else once said that on a post it aggravated me, but it really is the truth. The few times I have skipped my morning workout, I either A: don't do it (or) B: resent that I have to do it in the afternoon when I'm exhausted. I tried putting my alarm across the room and that just really made me angry at that clock. I'm not saying that I don't sleep until the last second possible, but I get up. I like being able to relax a bit before I start my day with a bath and actually sitting down to breakfast.

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