Gonna attempt early morning workouts...

I get up at 4:50 every morning to workout. I do 3 days of cardio (65 minutes) and 3 days of weights (compound lifts) (90 mins). I workout at home which is why I can squeeze in longer sessions.

You can alternate your cardio days and weight days like I do instead of trying to squeeze them both into one session.

I use my iPhone to wakeup so when I first started the early mornings I would put my phone on the dresser across from my bed so I had to get up to shut it off (I am not a morning person). You do get used to it, just takes some time.

I don't eat anything myself, can't stomach food that early in the morning.

I get up at 4:15 am or 4:30 am depending on which day it is....2 days a week I go to ripped class (strength training plus cardio) at 4:45 and then the other 4 days I run in the morning with a friend...Early morning is the only time I can do it as im a mom of 3 and hubby is the athletic director at our local high school...so our evenings are crazy busy! I don't eat before I workout but as soon as I get home I do a protein shake and then breakfast about an hour later....good luck on your new morning routine...just remember there are tons of people out there getting up the very same time as you and working out...that always helps me:)

Getting up early sucks more if you live somewhere cold like I do! lol. I set my alarm for 4:40, and allow one snooze before getting to the gym by 5. I don't eat before I go, but I don't feel nauseated or anything like that. Go to bed early so that it's easier to wake up. You've also got to really want to workout and make changes to your body or else it feels like a chore (which happens occasionally).

I have more time to work out than you do, so someone else will have to offer advice on how to fit in strength training and cardio in one hour. But maybe you can do strength training in the morning, and then if you have a stationary bike or treadmill at home, then do cardio later in the evening.

woof. good luck, not for me. would just emphasize, with others, the need to get your 6-8 hours, regardless, and consider another plan if that doesn't happen, or you'll work against yourself (in terms of strength gains, weight loss, etc).

for things to do in an hour, try an upper/lower split finishing with a short bout of cardio.

eg: http://www.stumptuous.com/workout-2 or http://www.stumptuous.com/workout-4

I've been working out in the morning now for about 5 months and I adore it. Which is incredibly weird for me...a.) because I'm actually waking up early and b.) because I'm waking up early to...exercise... creepy. I think once you start it will become routine in no time. I wake up at 5:30 and leave the house at 6:15 (def. not as early as you, but still pretty early!) One thing that has helped me is being totally ready to go the night before. Gym clothes and shoes laid out and work outfit ready to grab and head out the door. Also, having a locker at the gym has been majorly helpful. What helps me get going in the morning isn't necessarily being excited to go to the gym its excitement for my morning routine. I sit down for a few minutes and drink coffee and snuggle my dogs- its our thing and I love it! So, maybe find something you enjoy doing for a few minutes before you head out the door to give you an extra reason to wake up early. Also, I only have an hour in the gym each morning and I do both strength and cardio. Some days I do splits, some days its just cardio. I would also suggest maybe going to the gym on a Saturday or another day when you have more time to really explore and develop some strength routines so you don't have to waste any of your weekday hour figuring stuff out and not burning calories or building muscle! Ah geez. I want to go to the gym again now.

Good for you! It might be a tough adjustment but it's worth it. A year ago I could never ever fathom working out before work, now it's my preference! I love the energy it gives me and I'm much less likely to skip a workout if I do it first thing in the morning. My gym offers early morning Spinning classes which I go to once a week, I run twice a week, and lift weights once a week (I lift weights again on Sunday after my Zumba class).

The key to sticking with morning workouts (in my opinion) is to set out all of your clothes the night before and make sure you go to bed early enough so you feel like you got a good night's sleep. And you may want to work up to the early wake up time. I used to get up at 7:15 for work, so I started getting up at 6:30 a few times a week, then 6:15, and now I get up at 5:20 for my Spinning class. Now that I'm used to getting up early it doesn't feel so bad. AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT USE YOUR SNOOZE BUTTON!!!! It makes getting up early a million times harder.

I would try a few different things and see what works for you. Switch it up, too, so that you don't get bored. Some gyms offer programs to help you get motivated - keep an eye out for those!

Good luck and keep us posted!

Thank you everybody!! For all the tips and encouraging words this is really helpful!

Keep them coming!
I love the point about other people being up and in the gym that early too that really helps to think about!
I was even considering dedicating the morning workout to strictly strength and then walking with baby and dog in the afternoons but worried that I will chicken out in the evening from being tired from such an early wake up.
Worried about burning out in the first week!

The first day I walked into the gym at 6am, I was so surprised at how many people were in there. I was like "wow, people really do this." I walk to the gym and people were outside running, walking dogs, etc. all at 5:50am. It was like a whole other world I was missing while I was sleeping.

Plus it's the best feeling in the afternoon knowing I can just go home and relax and cook dinner with a glass of wine rather than have to go to the gym.

Have you thought about getting a DVD and doing it in the morning? Sometimes i hit the gym, but I do insanity in my basement at 4AM in order to be in the shower at 5, to leave at 6 for work. But it's so worth it, and I actually look forward to it and am used to it now

I wake up between 4-4:30 to go workout from 5-6. I'm not going to lie and say it's easy. It is tough, and there are days when I'd rather hit the snooze button. But the thing that helps me is once the alarm goes off, I'm out of bed. No hitting that snooze button or I'll be able to rationalize my way out of getting up to workout.

Setting up my clothes, gym bag, water bottle the night before and having everything ready to go really helps.

The first day I walked into the gym at 6am, I was so surprised at how many people were in there. I was like "wow, people really do this." I walk to the gym and people were outside running, walking dogs, etc. all at 5:50am. It was like a whole other world I was missing while I was sleeping.

Plus it's the best feeling in the afternoon knowing I can just go home and relax and cook dinner with a glass of wine rather than have to go to the gym.

I'm reading this thread thinking the same thing. Like wow seriously, some people get up as early as 4am?
I've gotten very used to a pretty late schedule. I usually work about 10-7, and don't have kids to wake me up. Left to my own devices, if I have nothing to get up early for, I am such a night owl I'll easily stay up till 3. And then I wake up feeling sinusy, and creaky and anything but energetic. I'm trying to shift my schedule to something more normal but oh boy this night owl thing seems hard wired. I'll fight with myself ..hey self..come on, you don't even have to be there til 10, all these crazy people are getting up at 4..surely you can manage to get up at EIGHT and go work out in the basement. Come on. I've even recorded messages for myself on my phone to convince my future self it really really needs to get UP and DO it. Success has been mixed, but when I do do it it feels pretty good, and if I don't make it early I mostly do it on lunch instead. Its not like I'm sleeping a billion hours, just everything is shifted so late.

I had to get up super early for a work thing a bit ago and I'm on my way there looking around going wow..there are people JOGGING out here already. People do this. Wow.