Early Birds - what inspires your morning workouts?

Options
leemay001
leemay001 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Good morning,

As the subject says: What inspires you, or motivates you, to workout early?

I hate mornings, so I set an alarm for 7am, get up and take a thermogenic pill then crash again. Then my next alarm goes off at 7:30 and by then the caffeine has me up and running and I can jump on my exercise bike. But even then I can't just sit and spin all out whilst staring at a wall, so lately I've been catching up on Naruto episodes. They're perfect cause a) they get you pumped, b) they're almost exactly 20 min so you can base the workout on the amount of episodes watched and c) there's hundreds of them. I have well over 100 eps to keep me going (100 eps x 20 mins, 2000 mins of exercise, not bad).

Without this process I don't think I could ever get up and work out before heading to work. What about you guys / girls?

Lee
«134

Replies

  • loriepaulin
    loriepaulin Posts: 88 Member
    Options
    For me the motivation is knowing that it is done for the day. I have to be at work at 9am so I set my alarm for 6am, allow myself 30 mins to wake up and then I put on my workout clothes and go do my DVD for 30 mins. This gives me time to relax at home after the workout is done and then I know when I get home in the evening it's done and over and I don't have to anything else for the day. I love it! :) I didn't use to be a morning person, I always worked out after dinner, now I can relax, read, etc...I LOVE IT.
  • leemay001
    leemay001 Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    For me the motivation is knowing that it is done for the day. I have to be at work at 9am so I set my alarm for 6am, allow myself 30 mins to wake up and then I put on my workout clothes and go do my DVD for 30 mins. This gives me time to relax at home after the workout is done and then I know when I get home in the evening it's done and over and I don't have to anything else for the day. I love it! :) I didn't use to be a morning person, I always worked out after dinner, now I can relax, read, etc...I LOVE IT.

    I also start at 9, but my work is a 5 min drive away so lucky me I can get up at 7:30 :P Also, being male probably means I get ready quickly too. Although your method wouldn't work for me, as my morning 20 min workout is nothing compared to the workout I do after work. Either an hour taekwondo lesson or another 40-60 minute workout (2-3 Naruto episodes, haha :P).
  • nicolemtracy
    nicolemtracy Posts: 301 Member
    Options
    I just do it because I have the most motivation and will power in the morning. If I wait to do it until my husband comes home from work (around 6pm) then I'll find an excuse and not a very good one either; I'm too tired, I don't feel like it, ect ect.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Options
    It guarantees that I get it in. If I waited until after work, he might want to play TV or go out or get frisky, or a million other things that would distract me from getting my workout done.
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    Options
    I think for me, it's just a matter of getting it done. If I tell myself I will do my workout after work, I rarely do. Plus, I've noticed when I workout first thing in the morning, I do a lot better with my eating throughout the day.

    So really no inspiration, more of need to just be done with it! :laugh:
  • Madelinew22
    Madelinew22 Posts: 289
    Options
    my kids get me up at 630 everymorning and then i drive to the gym~30 min drive and kill my workouts for 2 hrs(daycare only provided for 2 hrs 9-11am) thats my motivation, if i get lazy i dont get to workout, then im mad. plus i love it!!
  • kg4ulu
    kg4ulu Posts: 39 Member
    Options
    I also like that I am done for the day. I am at work by 7:15 so I'm in my workout room by 4:30. I also burn more in the mornings. This week I'm finishing up Jillian Michaels 6 week 6 pack this week and I also do arms every other day. Every day I do approximately 45 minutes of cardio (elliptical or treadmill). This also helps with my food planning for the day. I know if I'm going to be higher one day I make sure I reach a certain number to account for the calories. Finally, my body is used to 4:30 now and I don't sleep past it even on the weekends :)
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    Options
    The only thing that gets me out of bed for an early workout is either it being a race day or a day that's going to get too hot to run really early. Otherwise, all of my workouts during the week are after work or in the early afternoons on the weekends.

    When I trained for my first half, it was during winter/early spring, so even my long runs often weren't started until 2pm or later. (I remember chasing the sunset, trying to get home before dark, a few times)
  • melindanew
    melindanew Posts: 150 Member
    Options
    If I don't do it then, I don't have time in the afternoon. And then I remain a lard*** if I don't, so I just do it.

    I'm up at 5:45 and out the door by 6 for the five min walk to the gym, work out for an hour, shower, change and get to work by 8:45 on the train.

    Because when I get home, there's dogs to walk and uni work to do (I work full time and I do law at uni), OR there's lectures to attend. If my husband is overseas as he often is, there's dinner to sort out and all the work that goes with just living in the house - laundry, dishes, pet care - which he normally does most of if he's home. (Although this seems unfair, the situation was reversed when he did his MBA, so it's working for us. And fortunately we gave up trying to keep up with the floors and the bathrooms and we pay someone to do the heavy cleaning.)

    By the time I get to bed at 10 or 11pm, I haven't stopped since I left the house. This is all shortish term pain (only another 2 years to go!) but it gets tiring. It's self inflicted but I love being a law student, so there's that.

    On weekends I can sleep in till 6:30 so I can have breakfast, get to the gym by 8, work out, shower change and get to the library when it opens at 10 and stay till it closes at 6pm, then out to dinner with my husband so we get to spend some time together. Same with Sunday minus the out to dinner.

    When uni is on break, I go to the gym after work and sleep in till 6:30 every day! I actually do better then, it seems that my body perfers afternoon workouts, but I take what I can get.
  • aaariel00
    aaariel00 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I find that if I don't "get it over with" in the morning, I will make excuses and not go later in the day. It was really hard switching to morning workouts, but now I have SO much more energy all day. I'm loving it!
  • aprilslusher
    aprilslusher Posts: 127 Member
    Options
    I take the kids to school every morning and head to the gym. If I don't go in the morning then I have to wait until my hubby gets home from work and then go. Which, for me waiting on him means not going until 8pm or later. It's also easier knowing that you have a set amount of calories early on in the day and it makes it easier planning dinner and snacks. :flowerforyou:
  • Dlibo1013
    Dlibo1013 Posts: 883 Member
    Options
    I like the feeling I get after morning workout. It seems to last with me all day.
  • irvingaescobar
    irvingaescobar Posts: 7
    Options
    Which thermo are you using? I use OxyElite Pro (original formula) and I dont crash at all.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Options
    i don't like people very much. so i like to get to the gym at about 6am, right when it opens. even better if i go with my lifting buddy.

    nothing inspires me to do it. i don't need motivation to go out and do it. i'm past that. i've decided that exercising is going to be a part of my life.

    i prepare. i have my alarm clock set for 5am, with eye of the tiger as the song. i allow myself to hit snooze ONCE. i have my coffee pot set to go off at that time too, so it's ready when i get up. i pour myself a cup of coffee and while i'm drinking it, i get dressed in the gym clothes i've laid out the night before. i grab the gym bag i packed the night before, and usually out the door by 5:45am. there is no scrambling around for items to bring, no wasting time looking for what to wear.

    preparation is the key to success.
  • 007bondage
    007bondage Posts: 631 Member
    Options
    Bed Wetting.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Options
    Bump -- because this girl hasn't gotten out of bed before 8 in YEARS.
  • queenbear5
    queenbear5 Posts: 76 Member
    Options
    I wake up between 3 and 4 am, and there's just nothing else to do at that time besides laundry. So after I throw a load in, I lace up and run on the treadmill. I'm currently watching reruns of "Angel" on Netflix during my workouts. It makes the time pass enjoyably. It's nice getting my exercise out of the way early, so I can enjoy the rest of the day however I please.
  • Chordata25
    Chordata25 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    My motivation is my workout buddy. I love chatting with him and racing each other on the treadmill so the fun I have is a reason to get up at 6:45. It's great too b/c if we both don't feel like working out first thing in the morning (b/c of schedule change or just tired) we make sure to meet up and workout later in the day.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
    Options
    i don't like people very much. so i like to get to the gym at about 6am, right when it opens. even better if i go with my lifting buddy.

    nothing inspires me to do it. i don't need motivation to go out and do it. i'm past that. i've decided that exercising is going to be a part of my life.

    i prepare. i have my alarm clock set for 5am, with eye of the tiger as the song. i allow myself to hit snooze ONCE. i have my coffee pot set to go off at that time too, so it's ready when i get up. i pour myself a cup of coffee and while i'm drinking it, i get dressed in the gym clothes i've laid out the night before. i grab the gym bag i packed the night before, and usually out the door by 5:45am. there is no scrambling around for items to bring, no wasting time looking for what to wear.

    preparation is the key to success.

    Did I write this? Except, I get up at 4:30 so I can wash my face and sit down while I drink the first half of my coffee.
  • leighdiane91
    leighdiane91 Posts: 225 Member
    Options
    It's weird but during the week i have to be at work at 730 and have an hour long commute. But for me, getting up at 4 is not an option. I have tried, but even though i go to bed at 930 every night, my body can't handle it that early in the morning. So i go after work during the week and then i go at 730 every Saturday and Sunday.

Categories