GETTING UP EARLY

13

Replies

  • JewelE77
    JewelE77 Posts: 134 Member
    BUMP, loving all these suggestions. I am in the same boat as the OP so I need to try these.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    I work Mon - Fri, from 8am - 4:30pm. My commute is only about 15 minutes - 30 on a bad day. However; I get up between 5 and 5:30am so I can be at the pool for 6am.

    I am not a morning person, I have never been a morning person BUT I have found if I get my things together the night before and I am doing something I want to do I will get up. Getting everything together the night before means i don't have to be the crazy one going from room to room trying to find my things.

    I have 3 alarms set (yes THREE), they start going off at 4:30 and the last one goes off at 5:15, which gives me 15 minutes to be lazy and lay in bed. 2 of these are on my cellphone and one is on my tablet .

    The first week was the worst but after that it wasn't so bad, I enjoy having my evenings free to do what I want so it pays off. Going to bed early also helps, if I am in bed by 9:30 asleep by 10 I have no problems getting out of bed in the morning, I don't jump out of bed or anything but I still drag myself out and do it. It becomes a habit after a while.
  • Louise1247
    Louise1247 Posts: 670 Member
    I wake up 4.30am mon-friday to start work at 6!!
  • MariaAkeroyd
    MariaAkeroyd Posts: 96 Member
    You have to just get up when that alram goes off.
    Luckily, my husband and I had a work-out room installed when we had our basement finished, so my "gym commute" is 30 seconds.
    My alarm is set for 5, but I am usually WIDE awake at 4:45, so it is off the basement to enjoy my workout for the day.
  • TheAntonia
    TheAntonia Posts: 4
    I'm not a morning person at all and found that going to the gym after work is actually better for me. I do wish I could get up early and workout and then have the rest of the day to work and then come home and relax but for me I found no matter how hard I try I'm just not a morning person. I don't mind going to the gym after work now. I look at it as its not when I go to the gym, but that I actually go to the gym and workout :) Good luck!
  • lizchk
    lizchk Posts: 9 Member
    Hey

    I get up early pretty much everyday. I have about 25min commute and I have to be at work at 7:30am. I get up at 4am Monday through Friday and Saturday's I get up at 6am (I don't work weekends) it took me sometime to get used to it but once I did that was hit your body just knows. I am also someone who can NOT workout with a full belly so morning is perfect.. I do much better on an empty stomach. I chose this route because I have a 2yr old and trying to get it done in the evenings just did not work for me plus I felt guilty for not seeing her all day and then giving up an hour with her to workout. Mornings allowed me to get my workouts in with certainty and NO guilt.. cause everyone is still asleep.

    It will take some time getting used to try just 30min to start and then work up I promise you will get uses to it!!!

    PS... when I mentioned commute I meant to work. I workout at home so that is a plus.
  • jessichri
    jessichri Posts: 81 Member
    My morning routine is set because everyone comes to my house in the morning to work out and one of us always has to work early. Sooo...alarm set for 5:20.
    Get up, put on clothes, scrape back hair, push the furniture back, start coffee, friends get here at 5:30 and zombie crawl through the first 10 minutes of my workout. lol
    After all that, I'm awake whether I wanna be or not.
  • TreddersPT
    TreddersPT Posts: 24 Member
    I get up at 5.45am for gym three times a week (7ish on other days), I just make sure to get to bed a little earlier the night before.
    I try not to over think the actual getting out of bed part when my alarm goes off and just do it, if I hesitate too much I can sometimes talk myself out of it and then I feel rubbish and dissappointed in myself for the rest of the day.
    The most motivational thing for me, is knowing how good I'm going to feel for the rest of the day after getting that early morning workout in before work :-)
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
    I start the night before... I get my workout clothes together and set them out so I can see them. I also make sure my breakfast/lunch/snacks are packed for work, work clothes picked out and ready, and anything else I may need in the morning is out and ready to go.

    I go to bed between 8:30 and 9:00 and read a book or magazine for 30 to 45 minutes (following the "no screens" rule about no electronics 30 minutes prior to sleep).

    I get up at 5:30 every morning, work out, shower, dress, and off to work I go about 7:15.

    It took several months before I found a routine that works for me and now I stick to it 5 mornings a week. And because it's so engrained, I'm now waking up early on the weekends which has been great. Can get all my chores and such done first thing in the morning and have the rest of the day for fun and relaxation!
  • laele75
    laele75 Posts: 283 Member
    I am a night owl who deals with the fact the world seems to think daytime is the best time to be active. My alarm goes off at 6am, I usually get up then and put my coffee on, then do my twenty minute yoga warm up. If I got up on time, I will go ahead and eat breakfast and do my 30 minutes of cycling. If not, I will get the kiddo up and ready for school first, then eat breakfast and do my cycling.

    On weekends, my schedule is the same, except I do sleep in. So does my son.

    I have fibromyalgia and getting out of bed is the hardest part of the day. Once I make it through that, the rest is a piece of cake. So I think that's the key. Just hauling your carcass out of bed and doing it.

    Nobody says you have to be a morning person or love it. Just do it.
  • Nessiechickie
    Nessiechickie Posts: 1,392 Member
    I don't really have much advice. But I'm like you I hate mornings, I hate the coldness of it and I'm not at all a talker in the morning.
    But because I go to bed so early I have found out that instead of getting up at 7:30-7:45am if I get up at 6:45am I'm more awake and happier...
    I don't know maybe it is because I know I'm going for a walk every morning now at that time... I really have no idea...
    But since getting up just that hour earlier my days have been a lot better/ more productive and filled with smiling. :bigsmile:

    But on the weekends I like to sleep in till like 11am... I don't walk Sat/Sun morning.
  • cleotherio
    cleotherio Posts: 712 Member
    I don't leave for work until 8:45, after my kids get on the bus, but I get up at 5:45 most weekdays to exercise. If I don't get it out of the way first thing in the morning, I will find a million distractions and excuses not to do it later in the day. My husband gets up an hour before that and leaves for work a few minutes before I get up. I've given up watching TV past 10. Usually I read for a few minutes and I'm out like a light. He's usually asleep before I am, so there's really no reason for me to stay up most nights.
  • OgdenBT
    OgdenBT Posts: 9 Member
    My alarm goes off at 4:00 am, M-F.. 5:30 on Saturdays. The key to me getting up consistently has been the fact that I pick up my brother and drop him off at the train station on my way to the gym. Knowing that somebody is 'counting on me' makes it that much easier to roll out of bed. It has since become a habit and I love my early morning car rides with my brother and the subsequent workout at the gym! Being at the gym at such an early hour also ensures that it won't be overly crowded and that I can have a good, intense workout before getting about my day!

    Set your alarm. FORCE yourself out of that warm, cozy bed. Do this for a couple of weeks and it WILL get easier. (IMO)
  • micheleld73
    micheleld73 Posts: 914 Member
    Oh how I WISH I didnt have to be at work until 9am!
    I have to be at work at 7.

    Me too! :sad:

    I set my alarm and my dog does the rest. She is into the regular routine of going for a walk/run every morning, so sleeping in beyond the alarm - not an option!!:happy:
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I am not a morning person but I SO wish I could wake up early...what is your morning rituals? How do you get up early and what time? DO you have any tips for me? I work M-Sat and have to be there at 9am...I have about a 30 minute commute.

    I hate getting up early. I work 9am as well, but from home, so my commute is much shorter. So, what did it for me is not practical for you. I moved from Boston to Washington and kept the east coast hours.

    Now, something a little more practical that may help you. Work out well in the evening, and go to bed early. Black out your windows, and you'll be able to get to sleep. a good half hour before bed, turn off electronic stimulus.

    Get up at the target time. Take a shower immediately. You can't sleep through that. Do it enough and it's easy to wake up.
  • soonerwife41
    soonerwife41 Posts: 43 Member
    I get up at 5:15. Drink coffee til 5:30. Do a 40 minute Turbo Jam dvd. Shower, have breakfast and get to work by 7:30...
  • cheerforsteelers
    cheerforsteelers Posts: 686 Member
    I work at 8am. I get up between 6am and 6:30, shower, have tea, and whatever else. I don't like to rush so I get up a little earlier than I need to because I'll be laying in bed for a bit. I used to try to get up early for my workouts and then finally figured out I am much happier working out right after work (and more likely to go). It's not late enough that it disturbs my sleep and I go 4-5 times a week because I quit torturing myself early in the morning. Do what's best for you in your routine.
  • scwilson38
    scwilson38 Posts: 104 Member
    I just started getting up at 5:30am to do my Zumba dvd and then I walk in the evenings. I was doing it in the evenings but going to be late. I actually feel really good now and have more energy. I have an hour commute to work so it is not bad at all.
  • Jayne19099
    Jayne19099 Posts: 149 Member
    I am not a morning person but I SO wish I could wake up early...what is your morning rituals? How do you get up early and what time? DO you have any tips for me? I work M-Sat and have to be there at 9am...I have about a 30 minute commute.

    I hate getting up early. I work 9am as well, but from home, so my commute is much shorter. So, what did it for me is not practical for you. I moved from Boston to Washington and kept the east coast hours.

    Now, something a little more practical that may help you. Work out well in the evening, and go to bed early. Black out your windows, and you'll be able to get to sleep. a good half hour before bed, turn off electronic stimulus.

    Get up at the target time. Take a shower immediately. You can't sleep through that. Do it enough and it's easy to wake up.

    I agree, getting into a routine is super important, though hard at first :)
  • MagicalLeopleurodon
    MagicalLeopleurodon Posts: 623 Member
    i have no idea what early looks like. :/ im NOT a morning person, but the days i have to get up-coffee. lots of coffee.
  • brooklyn030
    brooklyn030 Posts: 2 Member
    I get up every morning Monday-Monday 430a.m. I have to be at work by 7 and I also have a 30 min communte. After the 1st week it got easier. Then after the 1st month no alarm was needed and plus I started seeing the benefits of making it to the gym before work. I get in bed by 8-8:30p and Im smoothed knocked out by 9. You can do it!
  • Annerk1
    Annerk1 Posts: 372 Member
    I wake up at 5:00 am. Walk the dogs then feed them. Do 35-40 minutes of core yoga. Walk dogs again. Go out for a five miles power walk. Come back and walk the dogs again as a cool down. Shower and walk 50' to my office. (I work from home) I'm usually at my desk by 8:00 am give or take.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    *hisses and pulls the covers up*
  • Pixeebug
    Pixeebug Posts: 34 Member
    I get up at 3:40am to be at the gym no later than 4:15. It took me 2 weeks waking up that early before I was able to make it to the gym. Now it's just something I do. I get my clothes laid (the night before) out so I don't have to think about it. get up, get dressed, hit the gym. I am usually back home at 5:30 to get ready for work and out the door by 7:15.
  • BoohBaby
    BoohBaby Posts: 50 Member
    I've just started waking up early to get it in. It makes my day go smoother and I feel sooooo good all day!!! I TOTALLY recommend it!
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
    Oh how I WISH I didnt have to be at work until 9am!
    I have to be at work at 7.

    truth.

    I have to be at work at 7! with a 45 minute commute. 5:30 am is NOT my friend.
  • springs47
    springs47 Posts: 82 Member
    I've been conditioning myself in preparation to eventually get up at 4:45am. Currently I'm getting up around 5:10am. Every couple of days, I move my alarm so that it goes off about 10 minutes earlier. Ideally, I'd like to have an hour to work out and take a shower before going in to make breakfast and read the paper. I have to leave the house at by 6:25 or 6:30 to get to the office by 7.
  • Lorily96
    Lorily96 Posts: 12
    Agreed. My commute is an hour and I have to be there at 8:30. So I get my tail down to a fitness center near the office by 6:45 - 7 a.m. and work out an hour. It's routine now. I think my body responds like a robot!
  • bluezircon
    bluezircon Posts: 1 Member
    It will take commitment and about 3 weeks to get used to a new routine. I wake up at 5:30 M -F and have a 25 min commute. My day is split with two work sessions I begin work at 6:45 to 8:30 am, hit the gym at about 9 am and then back t work 12: to 6:00 pm. Plan ahead, I pack all lunches and pick out outfit the night before, place all backpacks and excercise bags by front door (think of everything you can do ahead of time). . We (me, husband and teenage son) wake up, dress, eat and are all out the door in a matter of 30 to 45 minutes. One more thing...Coffee helps alot!!! Good luck.
  • VegKate
    VegKate Posts: 55 Member
    I work at 8AM and have a 45 minute commute. I get up at 5:30 and I do workout videos at home until 6:15 or 6:30. I eat breakfast, then shower between 6:30 and 7. This works pretty well for me. It's only brutal when I don't go to bed early enough. I have to be in bed by 9:30 to feel strong enough to work out in the morning. If I'm doing a really intense cardio workout, I eat a tablespoon of peanut butter first, for fuel.

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