Tips on getting out of bed to work out!!!

Sewinator
Sewinator Posts: 10 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I am coming back to the workout world after being out for almost 10 years. I used to wake up every morning at 5am and go for a run. Now, 50 pounds heavier and 10 years older I can't seem to drag my lazy butt out of bed!
I lay out my clothes the night before, set up my bag for the gym, even fill my water bottle, and once that alarm goes off in the morning I just keep hitting snooze until I don't have enough time to make it to the gym.
However, on the days I do make it I feel so great all day. While I am there it is so rejuvinating.
Any tips/pointers on ways to motivate myself to get out of the bed? I live alone and it is so easy to just make an excuse to sleep another hour.
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Replies

  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    Decide to do it and just do it. There's no magic, no motivation pill. You just have to quit hitting snooze and get out of bed and do whatever it is you planned to do.

    Or you can go ahead and keep making excuses for why everyone's advice won't work for you. It's all up to you.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Decide to do it and just do it. There's no magic, no motivation pill.

    This times a million. Either you're going to go or you're not going to go. Decide now for yourself. Decide now. Decide.
  • ddavies919
    ddavies919 Posts: 1,005 Member
    I've been getting up at 4am to workout and I still struggle from time to time.

    I always lay out my workout clothes the night before so I know they're just waiting for me. And on those mornings when I'm laying in bed, debating (and by that time, I'm already awake anyway), I think of how I'll be one day closer to my goal. I think of my goals, what I want to look like, etc and that usually does it for me.

    But like they said, there's no magic in it, just tell yourself how much better you'll feel once you do, get up and do it! You can!
  • cristeberga
    cristeberga Posts: 251 Member
    Bumping to read later ...
  • Cyclink
    Cyclink Posts: 517 Member
    Go to bed early enough that you can get 7 to 8 hours of sleep. If you're well rested, you'll have no problem getting up.

    After several days (or weeks) of going to bed early and getting up on time, your body will be so used to getting up that you will find you can't sleep any longer and you may as well get up and get your workout in!
  • mk_hammer
    mk_hammer Posts: 105
    Why don't you try working out later on in the day?

    I've tried the morning workout thing .... not for me. I was miserable waking up before 5 AM to work out. So, I go to the gym after work (around 6 or 6:30 PM). It works much better for me!
  • nklunk
    nklunk Posts: 149 Member
    With my new schedule I have to get up at 4am to get a morning workout in. So I set my alarm about 15min fast so I think I'm sleeping in a little and I also put my alarm clock on the dresser to where I have to get up to turn it off so that way I'm up and have no excuses. I also do the lay my clothes out the night before. You have to want to do it before you will actually do it!!!
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    If you don't have the self discipline to get it done on your own, I cant imagine strangers on the internet can help you. There's no secret. Just do it. Decide and take action.
  • PollyWolly98
    PollyWolly98 Posts: 112
    The first time I worked out in the morning, I felt the same way. But when the time changed, I didn't have another option unless I wanted to run after dark. I just get my clothes out and stuff ready to go before I go to bed. I don't hit snooze and just go. The first few times it was a bit of an adjustment, but now it's pretty easy (unless it's really cold outside or windy). I mainly wanted to say that having an accountability partner helps out, also. Just having someone that knows I should be running on Tues, Thurs and Sat and that will ask how it went has really helped me out a lot. I also enjoy having a training goal that might be affected by my not getting up and running (like preparing for a race). It's tough, but you can do it!
  • Cindy873
    Cindy873 Posts: 1,165
    If it's too difficult to get up so early, ease into it. Get up 15 minutes early the first day and do a short workout. A few days later, bump it back another 15, and so on until you reach the time you need to get up for a full workout.
  • TNH76
    TNH76 Posts: 47 Member
    I struggle to get up in the mornings to workout in the winter months as well. I pack my gym bag the night before. My alarm clock is across the room so it forces me out of bed to stop the noise. I also use a Verilux Rise and Shine Alarm clock which starts to gradually lighten the room so I am not trying to wake up in a pitch black room (it is extremely hard for me to wake up when it is still dark outside). Lastly, I will intentionally drink one or two cups of water or herbal tea at night before bed. Therefore, when my alarm goes off I have to go to the bathroom so urgently (I know TMI), that I cannot hit the snooze button and I am forced out of bed.
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    I just get up and go. After Coffee. That's #1.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    I just get up and go. After Coffee. That's #1.

    Coffee makes me go #1.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    1. Set everything you'll need out the night before
    2. Go to bed early enough that you get enough sleep. If this means skipping your fav show, ballgame, or playing on social media...you have to decide what you want more.
    3. Set alarm
    4. Sleep
    5. Get up and get after it, and after an hour the hardest part of your day is over.
  • lkweber21
    lkweber21 Posts: 27 Member
    I can relate to this. I set my alarm every morning for 5 am and have been doing this for months! I have yet to get up and go to the gym at 5 am. I used to be able to do this but now I just can't make myself. I have been going to the gym after work and this is working for me but I still set my alarm at 5am :) It feels so much nicer to have my workout done in the morning but I just can't make myself do it.
  • MyOwnSunshine
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
    Treat it like a job -- you may not want to get up and go to work, but you do it anyway. Make it not optional -- unless you've decided the night before that you won't do it, there is no reason to not get up when the alarm rings.

    Like the ads say, "Just do it." It really is that simple.
  • greenpointmoni
    greenpointmoni Posts: 69
    Why don't you try working out later on in the day?

    I've tried the morning workout thing .... not for me. I was miserable waking up before 5 AM to work out. So, I go to the gym after work (around 6 or 6:30 PM). It works much better for me!
    I second this. I kept saying I would get up in the morning to workout and never did, for months, it was keeping me from reaching my goals. So then I just said screw it and started working out after work. I have less evening time to do 'me' stuff, but it's worth it.
  • mmddwechanged
    mmddwechanged Posts: 1,687 Member
    you are doing much better than me because you make it sometimes. I'm actually going to copy you: lay everything out the night before, and get up and run some of the time. Who knows, maybe some of the time will become most of the time!
  • FluffyDogsRule
    FluffyDogsRule Posts: 366 Member
    i'm a 4:30 getter-upper. :) DO NOT HIT SNOOZE!!!!!!!!!!!!! just get RIGHT UP. it sucks...but i've never once regretted it! just GET RIGHT UP!!!!
  • sarahrichards81
    sarahrichards81 Posts: 79
    I had this problem too - I'd lay my workout clothes out, water bottle filled, alarm across the room. The trouble was every time my alarm went off I'd snooze 'just once'. That just once turned into twice, then three times etc and before I knew it I'd run out of workout time. Then my wonderful fiance came up with an ingenious solution which works every time. Instead of setting one alarm set 5 alarms each to go off after each other and set your snooze time for 5 minutes. This essentially means that until you actually get up and turn them all off they go off every minute. Once you've gone to the effort of turning them all off you're awake and just get on with your workout.

    It works best on my iPhone because then you can set multiple alarms on one device.

    Stick with it - it'll only take a couple of weeks to get back into the routine and then after that you'll have no problem
  • firstnamekaren
    firstnamekaren Posts: 274 Member
    I sleep in my gym clothes and pack my gym bag the night before. I set it up so the only thing I have to do is brush my teeth and go. I put my shoes, HRM and towel on my gym bag and put it right by the door.
  • crazybookworm
    crazybookworm Posts: 779 Member
    These are some tips that help me.

    Place your alarm clock somewhere in your room where you have to get out of bed to turn it off. Once up, I'm less likely to hit snooze.

    Just do it! When your in that sleepy state it's easier to just say forget it. But just kick those legs over that bed and get up. Like you said, you feel great once you do it, so just do it :)

    Make a mini goal to get up early and workout atleast twice a week, once you achieve that goal and get into that routine, you be able to adjust to doing it more or even every morning!

    I hope this helps!

    Good luck!
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    I have found that it's easier for me to get up and out if I wear my workout clothes to bed the night before.
  • rachaelps
    rachaelps Posts: 38 Member
    Tape a blown up picture of yourself at your most unfit or fattest to the ceiling, get one of those clocks that projects the time to the ceiling-- have it project onto the picture--- whammo-- your up.

    HAHA this is awesome. Must try.
  • kaji13
    kaji13 Posts: 172 Member
    Here's what I do:

    If I anticipate feeling particularly lazy in the morning, I will even go so far as to wear my workout clothes to bed so all I have to do is brush my teeth and go!

    I'll set my alarm 1/2 before I actually need to get up so that I can snooze 4-5 times but still have enough time to go to the gym.

    I've gotten pretty good at drinking juuuuust enough water that I'll have to pee really bad when I wake up, but won't wake up because of it before my alarm.

    That stuff seems to work pretty well for me!
  • 4jamaica
    4jamaica Posts: 69 Member
    I find that classes help motivate me to get to the gym in the morning. You see the same people repeatedly, not to mention the instructor, and if you miss classes someone notices! ! The classes also give me people I can commiserate with (regarding soreness, the early morning, etc).

    Also, I find that classes require less thinking-- I don't have to decide whether to do stairs or treadmill or weights. I have different classes on different days and I just do what the instructor tells me to do to the best of myability. To be honest, I typically am halfway done with the class before I fully wake up.
  • smruggles
    smruggles Posts: 20 Member
    Then my wonderful fiance came up with an ingenious solution which works every time. Instead of setting one alarm set 5 alarms each to go off after each other and set your snooze time for 5 minutes. This essentially means that until you actually get up and turn them all off they go off every minute. Once you've gone to the effort of turning them all off you're awake and just get on with your workout.

    It works best on my iPhone because then you can set multiple alarms on one device.

    This is a BRILLIANT idea!! I set my alarms on my phone just now so I'm all ready in the morning. I'm also finding that PAYING for the YMCA membership really makes me want to go more. Otherwise I'm just throwing away the money and STILL gaining weight!
  • dorianaldyn
    dorianaldyn Posts: 611 Member
    I have found that it's easier for me to get up and out if I wear my workout clothes to bed the night before.

    This! You'll feel too dang guilty to take them off in the morning if you DON'T workout. On the rare occassion I save my workout for after the kids go to bed, I change into my workout clothes as soon as I get home. Wearing the clothes forces me to exercise because I know I'll just feel so down if I take them off without ever exercising in them.

    As for me, I wake up daily at 4:20. As long as you get enough sleep, waking up early is no problem. Morning workouts are just so much better for me.
  • schaskes
    schaskes Posts: 103 Member
    What about doing some exercise from/at home? That would allow you to get up a little later and still exercise. Once you've established a habit and adjusted your sleep patterns, you can always get up early enough to get to the gym...I get out of bed at 5:15 to work out several times a week, but I try not to do it two mornings in a row, which also helps.
  • Sewinator
    Sewinator Posts: 10 Member
    I think I will try the idea of setting my alarm 1/2 hour before I actually need to get up so that I can snooze 4-5 times but still have enough time to go to the gym! That one will probably work for me! I just need an extra 15 minutes lying in bed to make my brain wake up! I also figured out that I wasn't getting 8 hours sleep so I need to get to bed earlier.
    I suffer from Peripheral Neuropathy, which is similar to MS and not getting enough rest causes me to be in a lot of pain. It has become a crutch for me over the last 10 years and it's time to put it in it's place !!! (I take a lot of pain medication which makes me a little slower than I used to be... maybe it makes it harder for me to wake up, I don't know, but I'm just going to go to bed earlier!)
    Thank (most of you) for your ideas and support.

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