Morning Exercise
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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!).0 -
When it becomes important to you, you'll make it happen. Right now, the sleep is more important. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, good or bad, it's just where you are right now.
Pretty much this.
Yep. I get up at 4:15 M-Th becasue it's important to me.0 -
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.0 -
I use to get up and sit and watch the news in the morning and eat my breakfast. Now I have my gym bag packed at night before I go to bed. I have my gym clothes laid out so all I have to do is get up and go. I watch the news on the elliptical now. I eat breakfast at work right before the beginning of my day. It helps me stay awake better during the day and I seem to sleep better at night.0
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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!!!0 -
I set an alarm that is in the kitchen so I am forced to wake up and turn it off. So I am pretty much awake and ready to workout.0
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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! :-)0 -
I have the same problem, so I bought a treadmill and put it slap in the middle of my living room. Now I can walk in the evenings while I am cooking supper, visiting with my kids, etc. It keeps me in the middle of the activity of the family.
Of course that's not an intense body building exercise routine, but I've never been into those very much....0 -
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 this0
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On my non-work days, I do get to the gym by about 8 AM. On my work days, I have to get up at 4:45 already, so I have to work out after work on those days. That being said...I am awake at 4:45 (eastern time). Do you want me to call you at 5:30 to make sure you get up??? 0
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I have had struggle with this too so i started getting up a littel earlier everyday. Drink a cup of coffee to get warmed up, plus coffee speeds up metabolism so i then have to motivate myself that i need to do this workout for myself. you can do it!!! 0
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Couple of thoughts for you:
* start slow. 15 minutes earlier per day for the first week or two. Light work out. 30 minutes the next weeks, 45 minutes and so on.
* integrate it in to your day. Walk steps at work. Walk everywhere and avoid driving, etc. Carry things when you can. Do some squats in your office while ona conf call. you get the picture.
* got a gym near you? Work out over lunch. bust out a hard 30 minutes. grab a quick shower and down a power packed recovery lunch.
Obviously, it has to work with you and when it is TRULY important to you, it will. I suspect if I offered to give $20 for each day that you woke up at 5:00 a.m. and brewed a pot of coffee, you would make it hapen, right?
Good luck.0 -
do you have any friends that you can meet? i get up early on tuesdays and thursdays to meet my trainer. if i have to meet someone, it is easier for me to get up as i don't want to waste anyone's time!0
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I'm not a morning person. I work out after work.
If you really want to try to work out in the morning you could always try:
- Laying out your work out clothes and shoes the night before.
- Setting your alarm clock across the room so that you have to get up to turn it off.
- Sleep in your work out clothes.
- Just do it.
^^ THIS I hate morning work outs but I like my evenings free so I just roll my lazy rear outta bed and do it ! Good Luck0 -
When it becomes important to you, you'll make it happen. Right now, the sleep is more important. I'm not saying that's right or wrong, good or bad, it's just where you are right now.
Spot on!
When you're ready to do it you'll do it!0 -
Prepare for being up early and make it habit (get used to getting up early just to fit in that workout).
Prepare what you need the next day from clothes to lunch and then get to bed early enough that you can fall asleep and get your full 8 hours and wake up when you want to get that morning routine in. That way you can cut down on the time in the morning that you will need to get ready and can get your workout in.
Try making a schedule, it might help you with budgeting your time :P That also might be the crazy in me since I do that.0 -
I get up at 5:30, leave the house at 6. Something I have observed over the years is that when you are in bed, you don't want to get up. BUT, once you are up for about 5 minutes, it's all fine, you are awake and ready to roll. Some have mentioned getting all your stuff laid out the night before, that's a good idea. Give yourself a little momentum building mantra, something like "all right, one, two, I'M UP!", then just get the hell out of bed straight up with no hesitation. Really it's a habit. Good luck.
THIS! :happy:0 -
Great ideaHere'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!0 -
What used to help me is setting my alarm far away in my room so I'd have to get up and walk to turn it off. That wakes me up a little bit. Maybe set it for 10 minutes earlier than you want to get up so that you can go, lie in bed for 10 minutes then realize you won't be falling back asleep and you'll get up and work out! Also, make sure you're going to bed at a good time! It's much easier to wake up after 8 hours of sleep than only 5.0
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Nothing new to add so I'll just iterate since it actually works.
Plan EVERYTHING.
When I went to bed last night I had my workout gear set aside so I could wear it to the gym. Clothes for work packed in my gym bag since I had to leave right to work from the gym. Lunch and breakfast packed and ready. I was up and out the door in 20 minutes, before I even realized I was awake.0 -
Can't get up? Then eat a heavy breakfast and workout on your lunch break.I need help. I want so badly to get up in the morning and workout. Working out after work takes precious time away from my kids. Every day around this time I say to myself "Tomorrow is the day! I am going to get my butt up and work out." Well 5:30 comes around the next day I can't (okay won't) get out of bed. That last 30-45 minutes of sleep seems more important. I am so exhausted.
I know there are many people out there that started out this way. How did you do it? What made it click? I know the common answer is "Just do it". I say that to myself, but ugh.. I don't "Do it".
Please suggestions???
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Your kind of a softy for a kickboxing instructor/trainer :huh:
Idk it will help but set a mini work out for each morning even if its 10 mins stick to that and when you start to feel better about it do more. Seems to help like the others said when you plan everything and stick to it.0 -
I haven't read through the other responses so I apologize if this has been brought up, but have you maybe thought about working out WITH your children? I don't know their ages, but when I was younger my brother and I would do Gilad VHS tapes with both of my parents everyday and had a blast. They were only 20 minutes long, and it goes by pretty quickly. I was probably 4 or 5 at the time. Couldn't do all the moves, but it was great family time and both my parents were still able to workout.
My mom would also find "kid" workout tapes for us and she would do them with us, and probably change moves to make them more difficult for herself. Just something to think about 0 -
i love my sleep, i hate mornings.... however... my family increased by two last year, they showed up unnannounced and have never left... but they also insist on being fed at 5.30am (sometimes earlier), makes it very hard to sleep when your hair is being pulled by a loving but hungry fury alarm clock with no off switch.
which in turn made it very easy to get up, feed them and go for a run. obviously this solution is definately not going to work for everybody, even if you do have cats they are impossible to set as alarm clocks
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I keep a caffeine pill next to the bed with a glass of water. When I stir in the morning I pop the pill and 10mins later I can't help but want to get up!
In the winter I will wear gym clothes to bed and have everything packed the night before so I can literally get up and go.0 -
I wake up at 5:00 every morning to workout and it's still hard sometimes but I just keep telling myself "workout now and you will have the rest of the day to get other things done" So I sleepily wonder into the kitchen measure out my cereal and have a small breakfast before I get ready to workout. It defilently helps doing something small to wake up first.0
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i do all mine in the morn, get up, have a coffee, kick some *kitten*, JUST DO IT!0
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I've recently become a morning exerciser. 3 days a week at the gym and 3 days at home. I'm up at 4:30 am either way. What helped me (and I know everyone isn't this lucky) is that my husband gets up with me! He usually just rolls out of bed, lets the dog out and sits on the couch and plays video games, but knowing that he's not laying in our nice warm bed without me makes ALL the difference. It's been a couple of months now and it's a lot easier now. I didn't even realize this morning that he'd stayed in bed (he's got the flu) until I was done with my workout and getting into the shower.
If you really want to do it, you'll find a way. Just don't expect it to work perfectly the first time. Once you find that thing that works for you, everything will fall together. Good luck!0 -
I'm struggling with this myself. I'm not a morning person. Lots of good advice on this thread though.0
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