Advice for becoming more of a morning person?

Don't do it..........a lay in is too good to give up

However if there really is a formula for this then I would be interested as well

I wish I had better advice than this, but this is what works for me.

I have the alarm on the other side of the room, so I have to physically get up to turn it off. I then immediately go into the bathroom, turn the light on, and splash water in my face. Then I'm ready to go. I hear you thought- the first 2 minutes of being awake is the worst!

Just force yourself to get out of bed when the alarm goes off. Once you've got your feet on the floor then you just start moving and get on with the day.

Organise your breakfast and lunch the night before so that's one less thing to worry about in the morning. Also get your exercise gear ready the night before so you can just get dressed and go.

Once you've done it a few times and realise how fantastic morning exercise makes you feel you'll be positively springing out of bed!

I've never been a morning person but did get better at it. Basically I had to just force myself out of bed for about a month, and eventually it became a habit.

I workout 2 days a week in the early am... I force myself to go to bed at 9:00, whether I'm tired or not. I set 2 alarms; one at 5:00, one at 5:15. The 5:00 is my warning alarm, the 5:15 is my "ok, it's now or never" alarm! I also have all my clothes set out the night before. Not to mention, knowing you got your workout out of the way and you can go on about your day is priceless to me!

I don't think you can "become" a morning person if you are not, but you can improve your morning performance. I have a standard routine that includes what I have for breakfast, the order in which I get ready for the day, etc. If I have to make any decisions, I make them the night before so all I have to do is remember them. For example, if you decide that you want to work out in the morning, decide the night before exactly what you will do and for how long.

I found that I cannot get a good workout in the morning - it just isn't me. So I rearranged some other things that require less focus for the mornings, leaving me more time in the evening for working out. I can wash dishes in the morning, but if I try to run, I will hurt myself (and maybe others as well). Good luck!

There is no magic formula and something different works for everyone.

When I used to say i'd get up and work out before work, my family laughed at me. I had gym equipment downstairs so I could work out before my daughter woke up or after she went to bed if I needed to. I dreaded getting up.

Then as my life changed and my work changed, etc I now have a husband, daughter, school, and a regular 9-5 job. If I don't work out in the morning it's hard to work out in the evening. It's so easy to skip that - and a lot of times we are busy in the evening.

So
1) Mentally prepare yourself the night before. Say I AM getting out of bed at X time and am going to run 4 miles, or bike for 30 minutes, etc. Whatever it is lay out an EXACT plan!
2) Some people wear their clothes to bed. I don't but I do have them laid out in a spare bedroom for me to grab in the morning. I like the 2 minutes between getting up and leaving to kind of wake up
3) You can ease your way into it if you want - try to set your alarm 10 minutes earlier for a week and do pushups, sit-ups,s quats, calisthenics or whatever at home. Each week make it 5 minutes earlier until you are comfortable with a full fledge workout in the morning.

Morning is all mind over matter. The bed feels good. It sounds good. It's tough to get up especially if it's dark and cold where youa re. But set you rmind to it and force yourself to do it. I absolutely LOVE having my workout done in the morning. I hate getting out of bed but it feels so good to be done with that when half the world is still sleeping

Good luck! Just remember how bad you want it!

Going to bed early would be the easiest start.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I think you aren't a morning person to begin with, it's got to be an enormous challenge to overcome.

Unfortunately, I wake up on my own around 4:30 am everyday; regardless of the time I go to bed. Believe me, it's a terrible habit because I've never been able to sleep in. If I make to 6am without waking up, it's a miracle. Another draw back is if I have to go on calls or if I wake up during the middle of the night, I'm wide awake until morning. I keep myself in bed it I'm still wide eyed.

I'd rather be the snoozer myself.

The issue could be quality of sleep. First you need to observe good sleep hygiene (this is usually recommended for combating insomnia, but they can also improve the quality of sleep):

- make your room as dark as possible
- try to block out sounds as much as possible, don't sleep with the TV, radio or music on (if you're in the habit of this you can break the habit
- try to have a bedtime routine which includes doing something quiet and relaxing before bed, e.g. reading, bath, (NOT screen activities e.g. computer, phone, TV, the light from the screens can interfere with natural sleep/wake patterns, which are based on exposure to light) - the book should be something relaxing, not really heavy, depressing topics
- avoid caffeine after 7pm
- avoid exercising late in the evening, exercise can make you feel more alert. Morning is a good time for it (although for people who don't have issues with insomnia or sleep quality, it doesn't matter one way or another, and from a calorie point of view it makes no difference)
- get enough sunlight during the day, e.g. take a walk outside at lunchtime (again, this helps the body establish a good sleep/wake pattern, as this come from exposure to sunlight and darkness at appropriate times) - sunlight first thing in the morning is great both for waking yourself up and for establishing this pattern
- an alarm clock that mimics the sunrise, i.e. slowly lights up the room for 30 mins before going off, can also really help in establishing a good sleep/wake pattern
- get enough exercise during the day
- if you're stressed, find ways to relieve stress, especially exercise and also try to find ways to not think about stressful stuff in the hours before going to bed.

If these kinds of measures don't improve sleep quality, it could be a medical or neurological issue so seek advice from a doctor who specialises in sleep disorders. Sleep apnea is a very common condition that greatly affects quality of sleep. Obesity puts you at greater risk of it, and many cases are solved by losing weight.

I never was a morning person..but I am now..
1st go to bed a little earlier than normal.
2nd your going to have to make yourself get up and stick with it!
3rd Stick with it!
4th it will take time....
Eventually your body will get used to it physically and mentally and you won't be able to sleep in any more:drinker:

HAVE KIDS LOL, that's what made me a morning person,

That's what did it for me!

Same for me. But why would you want to be a morning person? Mornings suck. Unless you're in a Folgers commercial, and bacon also happens to be sizzling in the frying pan.

I need help with this too. It feels so good when you get a lot accomplished by noon. Cold, cloudy days like today don't help.

HAVE KIDS LOL, that's what made me a morning person,

That's what did it for me!

Yup...that's really the only tried and true formula....

In all seriousness OP, I think you either are or aren't...most of us I think do it out of necessity. Honestly, I hate the actual act of getting up...but once I'm up then I'm up and it's all good...and I do enjoy a good sunrise.

Go to bed at 9:30, and use one of those alarms that times your wake-up to coincide with a particular point in your sleep cycle. The first time I used this, I couldn't believe how great I felt, despite a short sleep time. You can download a free app that will do it for most smart phones.