Morning Exercise

Here's what I did and totally recommend... (baby steps)...

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier the night before and get up just 15 minutes earlier the next morning. do 20 minutes of cardio to get your blood flowing. Try this for a few weeks and you should see that your body will natural adjust to the new schedule. Then add 5 minutes on each end so now you are going to bed 20 minutes earlier and waking up 20 minutes earlier. Again, do this for a few weeks and your body should adjust.

The nice part of doing it in baby steps is that you don't feel like you lose too much sleep time in the morning and you don't lose too much time at night either.

I used to go to bed at 10:30 every night and up at 5:30. Then I slowly adjusted this schedule and now I am in bed by 9:00 and lights out at 9:30. I try to roll out of bed by 4:45. It's still not easy but it's easier!

Good Luck!

that's an awesome idea!

I used to work out after work. But late work hours or traffic would make me miss Spin class and I wanted not to think just be pushed. I would lift but it wasn't enough. I get up about 4:15am to get to the around 5 3 weekdays a week . The night before I pack everything I need and put what I can in the car (usually change of clothes on a hanger for work and gym bag). In the morning I grab whatever else I am bringing, Mondays it is food for the week, and get out the door. By 7:15 I have lifted for 45 and done intense cardio for 45 and I am showered changed and out the door. It's done, no excuses no missing workouts and I am home for my family after work.
One tip that has helped me is I make oatmeal for the week and pack it up in individual containers, I either bring one with me or bring 5 into work on Monday and I am set. I also belong to a "salad club" where each person brings a component and we keep them in the office fridge, mid week we resupply. Lunch is healthy cheap and available, on workout days I add chickpeas and cheese or chicken for protein. Doing this Sunday night/afternoon takes the pressure off during the week so you can get to bed early. I am in bed between 9 and 10 on weeknights at the latest.
Also bring a small bottle (8oz)of lowfat chocolate milk to the gym and drink it right after your workout. It will fuel the next one. Give it a couple of weeks and you will be glad.

Make sure you're going to bed early enough to get a good night's sleep. That will make a big difference to how you feel getting out of bed in the morning. And I agree with the idea of baby steps that bgelliott explained. Bottom line: you deserve to take yourself seriously and organize your life to do whatever it takes to allow you to enthusiastically get moving.

Best wishess!

Here's what I did and totally recommend... (baby steps)...

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier the night before and get up just 15 minutes earlier the next morning. do 20 minutes of cardio to get your blood flowing. Try this for a few weeks and you should see that your body will natural adjust to the new schedule. Then add 5 minutes on each end so now you are going to bed 20 minutes earlier and waking up 20 minutes earlier. Again, do this for a few weeks and your body should adjust.

The nice part of doing it in baby steps is that you don't feel like you lose too much sleep time in the morning and you don't lose too much time at night either.

I used to go to bed at 10:30 every night and up at 5:30. Then I slowly adjusted this schedule and now I am in bed by 9:00 and lights out at 9:30. I try to roll out of bed by 4:45. It's still not easy but it's easier!

Good Luck!

Thank you for this post! ..... I generally work out after work .... but I want to try moving it to mornings.... after work is just too hectic.

Get everything, absolutely everything ready the night before so you have no excuses or opportunities to not go when you wakeup. Put your alarm clock across the room if you have to. Find someone to keep you accountable - for me, I had a 50% or less success rate when I was doing it on my own, but now that I am meeting someone at the gym, I've made it over 95% of the time.

Also, it gets easier.

Yep, all of this. The night before my workout mornings, I pack my gym bag, and put it with my towel and water in the car. I also have my gym clothes laid out.

But the single biggest factor is having a commitment to meet--for me, that was regular sessions with my trainer. Now that I am working out twice a week on my own, I find that I am more inclined to sleep in a bit and go to the gym at 7am instead of 6am. On Friday, however, when I have my weekly session with my trainer, you can bet your *kitten* I will be there at 6am (especially since he makes me do a burpee for every minute I'm late!).

4:15 AM? That's above and beyond! I hate execrising first thing in the AM but when I'm on business trips that's the only way I can make sure it gets done- meetings run late, people go out to dinner together, and a glass or 2 of wine just kills my motivation to exercise, so working out after dinner is a bad idea.

What motivates me is that I'm burning up 400-500 calories a day in my workouts. I cannot afford to skip a workout unless I also cut back on my eating and that's no fun! I agree with those who said that the worst is the first 10 minutes of dragging yourself out of bed and getting into it. After that it's not so bad.

I was and still am (to some extent) not a morning person. I really hate to do traditional exercise no matter what time of the day it is, but I do it anyway. When I do get up in the morning to exercise, I have to do dancing or strength training. It definitely has to be something I enjoy doing. If you have the Wii, get yourself Michael Jackson and dance yourself away. I tried to beat my grown-up kids scores and I just can't seem to get it yet. It is so much fun. One time, I did beat the score and my son came over and beat my score so easy so now I'm back to 30 to 45 minutes trying to beat his scores again.


Good luck!!!

Here's what I did and totally recommend... (baby steps)...

Go to bed 15 minutes earlier the night before and get up just 15 minutes earlier the next morning. do 20 minutes of cardio to get your blood flowing. Try this for a few weeks and you should see that your body will natural adjust to the new schedule. Then add 5 minutes on each end so now you are going to bed 20 minutes earlier and waking up 20 minutes earlier. Again, do this for a few weeks and your body should adjust.

The nice part of doing it in baby steps is that you don't feel like you lose too much sleep time in the morning and you don't lose too much time at night either.

I used to go to bed at 10:30 every night and up at 5:30. Then I slowly adjusted this schedule and now I am in bed by 9:00 and lights out at 9:30. I try to roll out of bed by 4:45. It's still not easy but it's easier!

Good Luck!

Thank you for this post! ..... I generally work out after work .... but I want to try moving it to mornings.... after work is just too hectic.

I do my cardio in the mornings now because with work, commute, kids, etc I was not able to train and do cardio in one day if I left it to the evening hours. This new schedule has worked out pretty well for me but I'd be lying is I said I stick to 100%. There are just some mornings when the alarm goes off and I say "nope...need more sleep" LOL

Good luck tweaking your schedule! :-)

i am in the same boat as you. for me i am fortunate that i can work out of my home office most the time. i get up 5 or 6 in the morning. that does not mean i am awake at that time !! i also say --tomorrow is the day .. today i worked out at 930am which is early for me as i usually work out later in the day. im trying to wean myself to doing it first thing in the morning now. my days have become more and more busier by the minute so hopefully i can beat this