How to find the motivation to work out in the morning?

I changed my alarm clock tone to something reminiscent of heavy metal. That alone tends to get my heart beating enough to wake me up. I then stumble into my clothes and step out the door. The longer I wait to go exercising, the harder it is for me to go.

I am so not a morning person! But I love the feeling of having my workout done for the day when I get up in the morning and do it. I love knowing that before I put a bite of food in my mouth, I have burned calories. It's a great feeling. And I do lay out my workout clothes before I go to bed so there is not much thinking for my brain to do in the morning! Good luck, you can do it!

I get up at 4:30 every morning. I like knowing that I am getting it out of the way for the day. I usually work out at night too, but this way I don't have to if I find I am running out of time at night. I just remind myself, no one will do this for me but ME! Just do it!

I just make myself do it. I know it's the only time I can get in a good, dedicated regular workout. I don't like getting up at 4:30, but I know I feel like crap if I don't work out, so I do it. You just have to do it regularly for a month or so, and, while it doesn't make it fun, it becomes a habit.

This is me, too. When I first started I would take a 5 hour energy as soon as I got up to help. I've weaned myself off those now. I go to bed early, like 8 o'clock. Son goes to bed, I go to bed. I have everything laid out. I have things recorded on my DVR that I want to watch - since I never seem to get control of the TV any other time, that helps too.

I like having my exercise done first thing. It gets it done, and anything else during the day is bonus. Now that I'm used to it, I prefer it.

I just started doing that this week. My alarm goes off at 4:45 am. I sometimes snooze, and sometimes I get right up. Either way, I'm at the gym before 5:30.
I love it. I am just too tired to go after work, and I don't like dealing with all the other people who workout right after work. The gym gets so crowded!
I like to get to my gym right around 5:15 - 5:20 am. It's quiet, there aren't many people, and I can get in, do my stuff, and get out. :-)

Echoing what was already said. I work full time, have a family, my own business, and in the summer I am the floor manager for a local seasonal restaurant. The gym is packed at lunch and after work. I run over my lunch hour Tues/Thurs/ and also Saturday. Lucky for me there is a gravel road that follows the coast just right outside my work place. But the getting to the gym (free weight circut Mon, Wed, Fri) is a different story. It is about 10 minutes away and not really feasible to get a workout, shower, and back to work in time. Plus it is packed over the lunch hour. We are in a small town with 2 small gyms so they fill up fast. Likewise, after work it is packed. If I go any later it is hard to get dinner, double check homework, spend time with the fam, and still work out without being keyed up until 1 am

After the first couple of weeks it gets easier. I have grown to actually love working out in early am. The gym is quiet and the few that are there are regulars. It is nice because we all know our spaces and each others routines so rarely is there any competition or over equipment or showers. It has become my "me time" that I really enjoy. And the bonus is that when I get to work I am already pumped and ready to knock a lot out instead of waking up at work.

These are a few things that have helped me.

-Pack your lunch (after workout snack, snacks, and such) the evening before - actually all ready did that so no big change for me there.
-Pack your gym bag the evening before
-Set your change of clothes out and your work clothes out the night before
-Get a locker if available. Not having to lug a towel, shampoo, etc helps a lot. Plus it really sucks if you forget it and then stink all day LOL! I even have a cheapy blow extra blow dryer, hair products and such in mine. All I have to lug is make up and change of clothes.
-DO IT for 2 weeks. Seriously it does get easier.
-Go to bed early if that helps. I go to bed about 11 - 11:30 vs 12:00 to 12:30 and depending on my work schedule, I get up at 5:00 - 6 am to hit the gym. I'm more of a night owl and get a second wind by 9 pm so going to bed early doesn't normally work for me. But on rare occasion I do crash early
-Do some of the stretching at home if that helps get you moving

If everything is ready I can wake up, splash a little water on my face, grab a quick snack, and get out the door in 15 minutes. Also as said above me, my workout is done for the day. If I get more in later it is bonus. I started doing Fridays and Mondays first. Fridays because it meant there was no workout to worry about and my schedule was clear for the after Friday the week is over drinks with friends. And Monday because it meant the Monday evenings were free for the argh it was Monday drink with friends

I sleep in my workout clothes too, and leave the PB out so I can have one tblspoon on my way out the door.
My biggest thing is I don't get to talk to myself until I'm out of the bedroom. Otherwise I start a conversation about 5 more min sleep or rearranging my day to work out some other time, etc. It's off with the alarm and feet on the floor in the same movement.
This is similar to "just do it" as others suggested, but found this exact mindset to be most helpful.

I am dealing with the same thing. I used to meet a buddy and workout and that motivated me, but if you work out alone you just have to get in a rythum. Not sure why 5 and 6 seem like a huge time difference in sleep, but I do the same thing up at 6. Want to get up at 5 and workout, your day is so much better when you do, you have energy.

Just read on FB a guy that was heavy and now is ripped simply

"Get up and get it Done"

Morning is the best time, the most peaceful and will give you rewards of energy through the day.

I am a night owl, so I gave up on trying to getting up early to work out. For me, I shower at night, and I have the most energy towards evening time, so it makes sense for me to work out after dinner rather then 6 am. :bigsmile:

Bumping for later. I really need tips lol.

1) Get everything ready the night before.
2) Go to bed early.
3) Move your alarm across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off.

This!

There is a website called sleepyti.me that will calculate the best time to go to sleep based on when you have to wake up. You can also do things like lay out all of your clothes the night before, and set up your alarm across the room instead of right next to your bed.

Excellent post! This was me too! I still dont make early mornings the norm, but I do go. Problem now is when I know I have to get up early, I am up way too early, for fear of sleeping in!

I get up at 4:30 in the morning to go workout. Back in 2006-2007 I was obsessed with working out and got up at 4:30 everyday to workout. I got out of the habit after a divorce and moving and then a baby. It took me FOREVER to get back into the habit of going. I know myself and I know how my mind works. I am not normally a snooze button person. When my alarm goes off for work, I get up right then and I go. So my thought was, If I kept setting my alarm for 4:30 i would eventually get up. So that's exactly what I did. I did that for like a month and hit snooze so many times or reset my clock. Then I told myself enough was enough and I was going no ifs, ands, or buts about it. So I went to bed thinking I'm going tomorrow. I got to bed early and set my alarm for 5am. I ended up waking up at 4:30 and decided I should just get up then and go so I've stuck with that since. When I came home I had like two hours before I had to leave for work so I seriously did everything I could in the morning. I did the laundry from the day before, washed the breakfast dishes and made the beds. When I got to work that day it was a great feeling knowing I not only worked out for the day, but I would be able to go home at 5pm and have NOTHING to do in my house except make dinner. With a toddler running around, this was great motivation! It's something you just have to set your mind to doing and once you decide you will go just keep pushing yourself until it's habit. Good luck!

I feel so lazy right now reading everyone's comments! I get up at 7am to do a workout I would have to get up at about 10 to 6! My gyms in the garage! I would struggle getting up early :-( it would make life do much easier though!!

I make myself wake up in time to exercise no matter what. Even if I get out of bed telling myself I'm not exercising that day, I always end up doing it. You're already up...that's the struggle.