Ambition to Wake up and Exercise?

Shyann32
Shyann32 Posts: 11
edited September 25 in Motivation and Support
I start work every morning at 7:00 a.m. I wake up at 6 a.m. to get ready and to ensure I have breakfast before I head out the door. I have been trying for months to wake up and do an early morning workout because I know that is the best time to lose weight and jump start my metabolism. Everytime my alarm clock goes off at 5 a.m., I look at it and just hit the snooze. I have tried setting multiple alarms (including across the room) but I just don't get up. Because of this I end up working out after work, which is no problem but I feel like I would be losing weight faster if I got up in the morning.

Any ideas or examples about how anyone is able to get out of bed when their alarm clock goes off in the early morning hours? Thanks!!

Replies

  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
    Just do it for a week...it gets easier. I get up at 4:15 to exercise...it was miserable in the beginning and I had to go to bed at 8:30 but now it's just part of my day and I can stay up a little later. I've always been a morning person though.
  • sehncw99
    sehncw99 Posts: 73
    I'm in the same boat as you! but doing alot better i just try and think of how much better i will feel after working out and when i get home i won't have to worry about finding time to get it done. A girl i work with told me every time her alarm goes off and she hits snooze she told her husband to say don't you want to wear that bikini works for her lol
  • omgsayalathieo
    omgsayalathieo Posts: 103
    Ok this might sound odd but it has helped me DRASTICALLY right near my alarm clock I write my reason for waking up and working out. So right now there is a sticky note on the snooze button that says "Wake Up! Skinny Jeans! 50lbs!!"
  • Sadie98072
    Sadie98072 Posts: 212 Member
    You could try sleeping in your work out gear? I hear that works for some people.
    Me? I have everything ready to go the night before and a friend who is counting on me to be there. The friend more than the night before preparation is what really gets me out of bed.
    The key though is just to turn off your brain. When your alarm goes off, just get your *kitten* out of bed and dont think about it. As soon as you think about it, you have lost your motivation.
    A couple of days of getting up early and you will be in the groove.
    Good luck.
  • kfortune89
    kfortune89 Posts: 6
    I try to get up an work out before work too. I have to be at work at 8:00 a.m. so I have to be up at 5:45 a.m. to work out. It is hard some days. If I am too tired I just reset the alarm and work out after work but I am always kicking myself for it later because I would rather relax after work. Also, after my alarm goes off the fist time and I hit snooze I struggle to get back to sleep and the sleep that I do get is not good. I usually wake up more tired the second time my alarm goes off and I should have just gotten up to work out! I do think that working out in the morning wakes you up and gets you ready for the day. I am much less tired throughout the day when I get up and work out early. Are you getting enough sleep? That might be one reason why you can't get up. Maybe try going to bed a little earlier so it won't be so hard to get up so early.
  • catniss
    catniss Posts: 326 Member
    I just think about how good it feels to log that exercise here! Also, in my experience, once you start, it feels so great to have it done before you even start your day that it becomes incentive enough. Good luck--but just remember, the main point is to do the workout, no matter when and if you just can't face it in the morning, don't beat yourself up about that.
  • literaryshots
    literaryshots Posts: 66 Member
    Why not try a shorter workout until you get used to it? Sounds like you really need the sleep or your body is really in this pattern, so easing into the change might be best. Have a short routine in mind-say a 10 minute circuit training and get up just 15 minutes early. After a few days, plan 30 minutes, etc. That's how I got my friend to join me in the morning. we were stuck at 30 minutes for a couple of weeks, but now she too realizes the benefit of the early exercise. If you workout BEFORE you eat for the day you are forced to burn stored fat!!!! Really worth it.
  • txjulie
    txjulie Posts: 190 Member
    I need to start doing this also. What is hard for me is that sometimes it takes forever to fall asleep no matter what my intentions were in regards to a bedtime. I think I'll make more of an effort though because then your body is burning calories faster for a while after your workout and you don't have to worry about getting it done at night. And - you can exercise more at night if you really wanted to.
  • WonderChicana
    WonderChicana Posts: 11
    Ok this might sound odd but it has helped me DRASTICALLY right near my alarm clock I write my reason for waking up and working out. So right now there is a sticky note on the snooze button that says "Wake Up! Skinny Jeans! 50lbs!!"
    I am the same way. I am supposed to go to Spain and France next year with friends and I keep telling myself " I want to look good when I go". It also keeps me from eating when I'm not actually hungry.
  • soccermom004
    soccermom004 Posts: 444 Member
    I work out at home with a dvd and have my alarm set at 4:55 so I can exercise and be out the door by 7. Do you have a friend that might call you for a week and encourage you? I know my husband will give me a hard time if I don't because I make a big deal about getting up. Also, my friends on this site have come to expect my early am workout and have really encouraged me. Now that I have been doing it for three months it's become a habit.
  • TamDTam
    TamDTam Posts: 115
    Just do it for a week...it gets easier. I get up at 4:15 to exercise...it was miserable in the beginning and I had to go to bed at 8:30 but now it's just part of my day and I can stay up a little later. I've always been a morning person though.

    for the past week I set my alarm at 4am and hit snooze twice... by 4:30 Im up and then I walk past the HUGE ever-growing pile of laundry that occurs when you have 4 athletic boys in the house... and I promise myself that I will throw a load in while the commercials on the DVD are playing.... and then I notice son #1 hasnt iron his shirt and his suit ( he is required to wear on game days) looks as if it slept in the bed with him.... and Ahhhhh well you all get the point....

    I need to stop making excuses.....
  • soccermom004
    soccermom004 Posts: 444 Member
    I need to start doing this also. What is hard for me is that sometimes it takes forever to fall asleep no matter what my intentions were in regards to a bedtime. I think I'll make more of an effort though because then your body is burning calories faster for a while after your workout and you don't have to worry about getting it done at night. And - you can exercise more at night if you really wanted to.
    Once you get started you will fall asleep in no time!! I used to be up until midnight regularly, now I'm asleep before the 10 oclock news is over!
  • mykluvedburg
    mykluvedburg Posts: 3 Member
    I've had a problem with this since high school, I'll tell you some things that help me.

    -Sleep in clothes
    -Go to bed earlier
    -Drink a lot of water before bed so you have to pee in the morning, forcing you to get up
    -Make your morning alarm an upbeat or funny song
    -As your going to sleep the night before, think about getting up to workout in the morning
    -Get a puppy or a baby, you won't be sleeping much anyway
    -Have your significant other spray water in your face or piss you off somehow
    -Just think about it one step at a time, i.e. just concentrate on getting one foot off the bed, then go body part by body part
    -Really get it in your head that getting up early will make you a better person
  • slimrb2011
    slimrb2011 Posts: 122
    I started my exercise routine 3 weeks ago by joining the gym. I decided that I was going to go at least 5 days a week, getting up at 5am during the week and whenever I wanted to on weekends. When the alarm went off that first morning, I thought I was crazy! But I got up anyway and felt great all day that I had done it. It does get easier!! 3 weeks in and I am finding myself waking up before the alarm goes off and have even been going that early on the weekends sometimes too! There are mornings that I don't want to move, but I lie there thinking about it for so long and trying to figure out if I can fit it in after work, that I am wide awake anyway so I might as well go! Just give it a try and good luck!!
  • emrogers
    emrogers Posts: 328 Member
    I have the same problem. I haven't found anything that works great!!! but I do head to bed early to make sure I'm some what rested and I also think about how nice it is when I get home to NOT have to do it! Plus if I hit snooze a lot my hubby and I end up fighting about it. So 2 bonuses. Happy marriage and getting it out the way!!
  • Shyann32
    Shyann32 Posts: 11
    Thank you all so much for the advice....I'm starting P90X workouts next week (I heard it's better to start on a Monday or the beginning of the week to get into the flow.....finish my normal workout until then! :-) ) so I will try some of these thoughts. It works perfect about the goal as I have 2 weddings I'm in the year and I want to look good in the Bridesmaid dresses!
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