How early do you get up to exercise?

I get up at 5:00 am so I have time to workout, I absolutely know that I won't workout after work. I just treat it like my job, I wouldn't skip work, so I can't skip my workout either!

The best part is that you get it over with first thing and know it's done:bigsmile:

I've tried getting up early to work out and my body just refuses to cooperate! So, my best time is at night. I just get in my head first thing in the morning that I will be exercising at night and then think about it most of the day so that I'm determined to work out and not let anything else side track me until I'm done. But I only do about 20-30 min a day or every other day...with 2 young kids, that's about all I can do at this point.

Good Luck! Anything is better than nothing so even if you get your 20 min in the morning, I think that certainly helps too.

Who said you had to get up early? Unless that's really the only time you can work in 20 minutes, exercise when it's convenient (and not a hassle) for you -- you're more likely to stick with it.

Getting a decent amount of sleep will be very much more beneficial than getting up early to exercise. You're cutting into your body's chance to rest and repair, so you're working against yourself.

Exercising in the morning seems to be the only way that works for me. At night after work, dinner, laundry, playing chauffer for the kids.....it just doesn't happen. So, I set the alarm for 5:15 and after hitting the snooze button a couple times, I get up to do 30 mins on my stationary bike. I know it isn't a die hard work out, but honestly, it pays off for me! I did it 4 days in a row last week and lost 3 lbs. Its something I can be consistent in doing....and I can do it in the quiet of the morning, enjoy the news on the tv while I exercise. Maybe wake up at 5am and get in 30 mins for now.

I get up at 0330 every morning and get to work before 0430 to work out. Of course I work out with a Military Police training company so I have to be here that early if I want to work out with them before they start the training day. Some days it is very hard to get up that early believe me.

5AM here. Frankly yeah if you can't workout in the evenings you need to just get up early and do it. No whining I'm not naturally an early riser either, but because of my job I don't always know when I'm going to get home and if it's somewhat late, then it's a mental chess match going on in my head with the two sides battling over workout/don't workout, and you can guess which one usually wins. Plus, I feel much better during the day and have lots of energy when I workout in the morning. If I skip it, the difference I feel during the day is noticeable. I also go to sleep earlier and get a more solid rest, which allows me to put more into my workout. Once you get in a rhythm I think you'll love working out in the morning.

Plus, early in the morning is my time. Everyone else in the house is still sleeping. I haven't checked email yet and am not stressing over a mailbox full of crap I have to do that day. No one's calling me. It all makes for a much more focused, enjoyable time to workout.

I feel bad waking up my boyfriend any earlier than is necessary cause he has a really hard time getting back to sleep and works night shifts 4 days a week. Which is pretty much just an excuse for me to not get up before 7, because I am NOT a morning person. I get annoyed with anyone who even looks at me before 8am.
To get myself to work out after work I have a couple strategies.
1) Two days a week I have classes that I pay for per class, and my gym has a 24 hour cancellation policy so if I skip it I lose the money.
2) I go straight to the gym after work and don't let myself go home first. If I'm still in "go" mode I can't make excuses not to workout. But if I stop at home first, take my time getting changed, maybe chat with a roomate, watch some tv, all of a sudden I'm not going to the gym.

Part of the reason I don't exercise the way I should is that I have this rule in my head that getting up at 4:30am is just plain wrong! This is what time I would need to get up most mornings to workout 1 hour. I try exercising at the end of the day but I am usually shot or let other things get in the way. Then I decided to do 20 min in the morning & 20 min at night. But the night exercise is still not working. Maybe I just need to stop whining about the early mornings. I thought if heard from other people that get up at a similarly ridiculous time, I wouldn't feel so bad.

I totally hear you! I'm hoping the early-risers here on MFP will give us the inspiration to get up early. I'm currently getting up at 5:30, and I keep telling myself I could squeeze in my workout if I get up at 5:00. But like you said, it just feels so wrong. :noway: I'm so not a morning person.

Tomorrow might be my day, though. Mondays and Tuesdays are busy in the evenings for my family, so it will be hard to get in a workout. Maybe, just maybe, I will have the gumption to get up early tomorrow. I'll let you know! :bigsmile:

I don't think I have ever been aware of a 4 in the morning. I always considered that to be one of those mythical things like unicorns and Santa. People who wake up early to work out AMAZE me. I have to be at work at 6, so I would have to wake up at 4 if I wanted to work out in the morning. EUGH! Add in the shower and blow dry time that just takes too much work. I love my afternoon/after dinner workouts. I have been sleeping soooo good since I started working out after dinner.

for the moment i am a stay at home mom and my husband has to be to work at 830 every day so i get up at 545 in the morning and go work out and im home by 730-745. befor when i was working i would get up at 430 in the morning so i could be to my gym by 5 am when they opend. i hate mornings to and i dont like getting up now cause i could sleep in till 7 or 8 but its worth it to lose thoes pounds!

I was definitely not an AM person - until switching personal trainers - to avoid the first one, had to start 5am sessions. That did it for me...those sessions are paid for and make me get my behind to the gym. It was hard for the first two weeks - but now my body is used to it.

Start now - so when the time changes - it will be in your favor.

Also - I used the body bugg for a while - it was astonishing the more calories I burned in a day with a 5am workout and the effect it had on the rest of the day - rather than an evening workout.

Just got to think about it this way, if you want to lose weight and get in shape you just got to do what you need to do and in the end it will pay off!!

My husband wakes me up between 4:30 & 4:45 am, he's up at 4am for work and shakes me when he's done getting ready, then I get up and take my dog for a 1/2 hour bike ride. I have the added insentive of the dog being much more well behaved when he's well and truly tuckered out. after I get back I do a video or a magazine workout (Oxygen has good ones!) and then get ready. If I try do workout in the evenings at home it just doesnt happen so I have to do it in the morning!

I do the same thing. My husband has to wake up at 4am to get ready for PT (he's military). So when he kisses me goodbye I know it's time for me to wake up. Sometimes I do get up at 4:30am/4:45am. But my cell phone alarm is set at 5am just in case i need 30 more mins

i GET UP AT 515AM. I PUT MY CLOTHES AT THE FOOTEND OF MY BED BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP, i dont hit the snooze button ever. the alarm goes off, i get up grab clothes and get dressed in bathroom (so i dont wake hubby), brush hair and teeth and im out the door at 545 to go to Curves for my 1/2 hours circut training workout. I love it....its quick and easy and im back home in time to get kids off to school (i have 3) and get baby breakfast! i have to workout in the morning and get it over with, because if i wait itll hubby gets home from work at 5 pm, i will never go, too tired from chasin a 19 month old all day! You dont need to work out for an hour, all you need is a half hour 3 days a week. So if you can do that and add a walk around the neighborhood after work on the other days, youll be doing good. Power walks with ankle weights i love....and i usually have my 19 month old in a backpack carrier too!

I get up at 4:30am to get ready for work....no way I'm gonna get up earlier than that to get a workout in.....