Advice for becoming more of a morning person?

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  • MaryElizabeth29
    MaryElizabeth29 Posts: 2
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    I've gone to bed in my workout clothes before. It helped to get me out of bed, knowing I was already dressed and ready to go.

    Amazing!
  • ShortInSeattle
    ShortInSeattle Posts: 44
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    Check out the book "early to rise" by Andy Traub. I am a lifelong nightowl but have been getting up at 5:30-6:30 voluntarily for 6months after following his steps. Good stuff!
  • lawlorka
    lawlorka Posts: 484 Member
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    I used to be the type of person that rolled out of bed about 20mins before I had to leave the house, and then slept in til 11am at the weekends.

    What changed? I got a dog! My OH works nights, so the dog HAS to be walked before I leave for work every morning so it will snooze for a few hours so my OH can get some sleep!

    At the weekends, he's awake waiting to be fed and walked at the same time - he doesn't know what a weekend is!

    So I'm up at 6am every weekday and I get up at 7am on weekends. The first week or two was hard, but then you just get used to it, and now I wake up about 5mins before my alarm myself because I'm in a routine.

    Saying that - if my OH is off, I stay in bed!!!!!
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    Have you considered what bacon can do for you?

    http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Bacon-Alarm-Clock

    http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/cityofate/2012/08/the_wake_n_bacon_alarm_clock_l.php
  • BetseaPea
    BetseaPea Posts: 2
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    WOW! I am amazed by the number of awesome, thoughtful suggestions from all of you!!! Thank you so much! It seems like planning ahead is a theme throughout these posts, so that's where I'm going to start. Keeping it up will be hard, but at least I'll have a forum for reporting my progress. Again, thank you all for your wonderful suggestions!! Wish me luck!
  • tx_megan
    tx_megan Posts: 7 Member
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    I agree with a lot of other people on here. The old "If you fail to plan, then plan to fail" motto. If left to my own devices, I will make bad eating choices every time. So I only keep 'healthier' foods in the house (single w/ no kids, so I only have myself to worry about!), and make sure there is always something cooked or pre-packaged available for me to eat or take with me so I don't get stuck in that 'nothing to eat, so I will pick up fast food or take-out' scenario if I'm out, or at home, I will 'binge' on edamame or fruits and veggies, rather than chips and ice cream.
    I wouldn't say I'm a 'morning person' by any means, but it has definitely gotten easier for me since I started on MFP. I decided to do my exercise in the mornings, because it really sets me up for a 'good day', both mentally and with making better food choices too. But that means my alarm goes off at 5am every morning so I have time to get a jog in before getting ready for work. For the first few weeks, it was horrible, I hated it and literally felt like a zombie when I would exercise. About three months in now, I wouldn't call it fun, but it has definitely gotten A LOT easier! I feel like I'm at a point where I really Want to get up each morning... I'm losing weight steadily, feeling better, getting into smaller sizes with my clothes... all of those things have certainly helped with the motivation. All those things will come with time, but to start, it can be really tough. You just gotta do it! :)
    Best of luck to you... I can say from experience that none of it is easy, but it is definitely worth it!
  • MarkC1963
    MarkC1963 Posts: 51 Member
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    I get up M-F at 4:30 AM to take a 5:30 RPM class at my athletic club. As others suggested, I get my clothes ready the night before and have them in the bathroom near the shower. I use a vibrating alarm in my bed to ensure I wake. I immediately go to the bathroom, take my vitamins and some caffeine, weigh myself, and get right into the shower for a very hot soak. This feels so good that I actually look forward to it and it motivates me to get up every day.

    Hope it helps. :) -Mark
  • novakac
    novakac Posts: 22 Member
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    Yeah, I'm so not a morning person. In fact, I've been fired from jobs, flunked classes.... and finally went and got myself diagnosed with DSPS (delayed sleep phase syndrome, fancy medical term for "night owl")

    Things that help me (and I've gotten SO much better)

    - Limiting caffeine after 3 pm (not 7, as other suggest).
    - Not changing my routine drastically on the weekends.
    - Not eating before bed.
    - Taking a very very small dose of melatonin at 6:00 or so in the evening.

    - Lots and lots and lots of light in the morning. Seriously, I don't care about how dark it is at night as long as it's light in the morning.
    - Coffee. Love love love it.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
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    I am really happy if I can sleep past 5:00 am. I haven't set an alarm for nearly 15 years. Here's how I did it:

    1. I had kids.
    2. I got a dog that wanted breakfast at 4:30 am.
    3. I got older. I always wondered why my grandparents were up at the crack of dawn. Now I know.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    I have no clue about motivating oneself to work out in the AM. I have only been able to do that during a period of time when I wasn't working, and could get myself up and at it by 9 or 10 am. But I work a typical 8-5 and there's no way I'm going to work out at 5 or even 7 am so it's not gonna happen for me either ;-)

    However...when it comes to eating breakfast, I think I've got that covered. Years ago, I used to leave it up in the air, and would end up grabbing myself a fast food breakfast a few times per week. SO much of my calories, fat, sodium right off the bat and I had to eat it quickly so it wasn't even that enjoyable either. Or, I would just grab stuff in the kitchen that sounded good at the time and was not always the best choice. Now, I preplan most of my meals but especially breakfast. So I don't have to think about it.

    I know not everyone can handle eating the same stuff over and over, but I have a "default" breakfast I'll do when I am short on time. Walk zombielike into the kitchen and scramble 1 egg with onion & bell pepper that is already chopped up (I keep it on hand), spritz pan with canola and fry, flip and stick a small tortilla on top, flip again. Spread on a tiny bit of chipotle dressing while my K cup is going and I have an egg taco and coffee within about 7 minutes or less. Works for me.
  • GGDaddy
    GGDaddy Posts: 289 Member
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    3 things that worked for me:

    1) Like others said, put your alarm on the other side of the room so you have to get up

    2) Go to bed with a cup of water on your nightstand. Drink it before you turn off your alarm. Try it, you'll be amazed at the whoosh of energy,

    3) Get up at the same time every morning, and no more than 2 hours later than that on weekends. The cliche that it takes 21 days to become a habit is true. Suffer through the first 3 weeks, then no kidding it's your new normal.

    Good luck!
  • Froody2
    Froody2 Posts: 338 Member
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    Just get older. My bladder wakes me up every morning now, much as I hate it.

    I sound like my grandmother lol.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
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    I'm a firm believer in "Fake it 'til you make it"

    If I want to change something about myself, I act like the person I want to be and eventually my brain catches on and I stop acting and keep doing.

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