Getting up early to exercise... how do you do it?

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  • Tiamo719
    Tiamo719 Posts: 256 Member
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    Up at 4:30, exercise by 5:30, leave the house at 7am. It's not easy at first but eventually it becomes a habit. I have my coffee and some computer time before exercising.
  • mandimahoney5
    mandimahoney5 Posts: 93
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    I found it easier to just jump right in to the early time than to ease in to it because your adjustment time will be shorter then.
    My husband gets up at 530 am. So I get up at 6 am when he is about to leave the house. I then jump on the tredmill for 30 mins. Then shower and get the baby up.
  • skinny4me2be
    skinny4me2be Posts: 358 Member
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    I get up at 4:10 every morning to do my T25 work out. Is it easy? Nope. I hate it, but when the alarm goes off and I really want to hit snooze, I have to play that mental/mind game with myself and say 'if you don't get up, you won't make any changes, you won't see any changes and you will continue to make excuses and this is what got your where you are..'...saying similar stuff like this usually gets me up and moving! Then when I'm done, its a huge relief and I can have the evening to focus on my family.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
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    @OP

    ... I don't LOL

    I've also had to for 11 years in military service so that probably tapped the morning workout right out of me. :#

    Consistent exercise was always a challenge for me to begin with. So I didn't see a point making it even more difficult by forcing myself to not only exercise but exercise during a time I rather be snoozing. ;)

    I like to workout right after work in the afternoon. The hubs has found working out during lu works for him.

    I think if working out at 'o-dark-thirty' is something you want to try then you should totally go for it. Plan ahead, have your gym bag packed & ready to go - the less fuss the easier it is to just roll out of bed and go. Give yourself a good 3-4 weeks to acclimate the new routine. The one thing I did enjoy about working out super early is that most of the time I'm half asleep & literally by the time my brain started working it was over. And also, I get it out of the way which is nice but not enough for me to do it on my own.

    At the end of the trial period reflect on what works & what doesn't. If you find that you are missing more days than actually going then working out super early might not be for you. Like with many things in this journey it's a lot of trial & error so don't be afraid to experiment to find something that you will be able to sustain for the long run. :)

    Best of luck to you!
  • Christimarie87
    Christimarie87 Posts: 16
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    Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I'm up. Sort of. I really need to make myself go to bed earlier tonight. I think that may be a pretty big issue here lol. Well, I didn't get up early enough to go work out but I did get up early enough to make a healthy breakfast and jump around a little bit before work. I'm gonna go do that now. :)
  • icck
    icck Posts: 197 Member
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    I just jumped straight into it. I get up at 5.30-6am, and literally get into my gym gear and go.
    It didn't take long for me to naturally start waking at that time, which surprised me.
  • mynameiscarrie
    mynameiscarrie Posts: 963 Member
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    Slowly... I am not a morning person in the slightest. I am also not a "work all day and go to the gym exhausted and have a lazy workout" person either. Getting up (even though it really does suck sometimes) is always better for me. I never regret waking up earlier. My days are better when I exercise in the morning, I get a better workout in, and it's nice to be able to go home after work and relax. Just think about how much better your day will go once you've gotten your workout in. By the time you get to work, you'll already have been productive, and that's a good feeling.
  • KateDegnan
    KateDegnan Posts: 34 Member
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    I get up at 4 am every morning to exercise or I wont have a chance to workout. Having a toddler and being a full time student on extern I find it to be a great stress relief and gets me ready for the day. There are days when I have to force myself out of bed and there are days I just give myself the day off. You have to do what works for you.
  • LizL217
    LizL217 Posts: 217 Member
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    I wake up at 5am about 3 times a week to get a workout in before going to work. I know I need to be realistic because I will not get up early every day, it just won't happen. So I make a rule for myself before I go to bed... if I'm in bed before 11pm, I will set my alarm to get up early, and I will not hit snooze. If I'm in bed after 11pm, I won't get up early.

    Seems to work pretty well for me, and it helps me balance getting the amount of sleep I need and getting my morning weightlifting sessions in.
  • RHSheetz
    RHSheetz Posts: 268 Member
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    I started by adjusting my schedule, going to be an hour earlier, getting up and moving when the alarm goes off. I never was a morning person, but I forced myself to become one. It works out well for me now that I am in the cycle. Been doing it for years now. It also helps when you have a trainer waiting for you at the gym, the last thing you want is an angry trainer showing up at your down to hall you off to the gym.
  • Tammy_1971
    Tammy_1971 Posts: 93 Member
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    I get up at 4:00am for work anyway; with a 40 minute commute, I am at work by 6:00am. I tried to get up earlier before and go to the gym (open 24 hours during the week), workout, and just shower there, but I had a really hard time getting up at 2:45-3:00am to do it. I just called it quits on that and go after I pick my daughter up from school. I can be at the gym by 4:30pm and when I get home, my husband has dinner just about ready.... lucky me!! The only problem I face now is that my daughter's dance schedule changed, so I am still working on getting a new schedule together :smiley:
  • Mjones23456
    Mjones23456 Posts: 57 Member
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    I have a running buddy that helps keep me accountable 4 days a week. I make sure the coffee timer has been set so it is easier to get dressed and go. No time for hair or anything but when you hit the pavement at 5:30 it doesn't even matter. As far as motivation it comes down to keeping your eye on the goal. Before long it will be a habit and come naturally.
  • Christimarie87
    Christimarie87 Posts: 16
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    I woke up at 730 after going to bed around 1am and went for a 20 minute jog this morning. I feel great... besides still wheezing lol. I'm so out of shape. More insentive to keep at it a few times a week at least!

    Also, I slept in my workout clothes AND drank water... although I had to get up every 2 hours to pee.
  • blbst36
    blbst36 Posts: 54 Member
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    I tried. I HATED it. I mean REALLY HATED it. I was tired and cranky and ready for bed at 8pm. I decided that it wasn't the kind of life I wanted. I switched to two afternoon workouts (long lunches to take a break from work) and 2 after work workouts. If something happens and I can't get there in the day, I can still go after work. It seems to be working better for me than forcing myself out of bed. It's hard enough to do that on normal days! LOL
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,368 Member
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    Christimarie87 wrote: »
    just straight up force my *kitten* out of bed early and just do it?

    That's basically what I do.

    I'm SO not a morning person. But as a chronic insomniac, I've read over and over again that exercising at night can cause difficulty falling asleep, so better for me to avoid that possibility.

    Working out first thing in the morning usually helps to blow the cobwebs out of my brain anyway.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
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    I get up every morning, 7 days a week, between 3:45 and 4 a.m. I run outside every other day and hit the gym for SL 5X5 and a treadmill run on the off days. I am back at the house and in the hot tub by 6 or so for some stretching and then it is shower and off to work. I used to get up way at 6 then made it 5 then 4:30 and finally 4. After you have done this for a while it gets easier - most days I wake naturally before the alarm goes off. Of course I corespondingly go to sleep earlier in the evening but I figure it is a good trade off - early morning exercise vs. late evening/night TV..... With the kids grown my wife and I have both become very accustomed to this life style. (BTW I might sleep in a bit on the weekends and get up between 4:30 and 5.)
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
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    1) dont have a backup emergency get the *** out of bed alarm. NO matter how much you try, knowing it is there makes it too easy to ignore the first alarms. Panic that you are late is a great motivator for getting out of bed :)
    2) I set my first alarm 15-30 min before I want to get up. I put it across the room. When I get up to go turn it off (it has to be really obnoxious or I will let it go), I swing by the kitchen and slam a few swallows of Mtn Dew (coffee, whatever) or take a pre-workout pill, then head back to bed. By the time the "real" alarm goes off, my heart is racing a little and its easy to get up.
    3) set out your clothes in the night before - everything, shoes and all. Set out whatever workout equipment you will be using, prep the DVD player right to the point you start, whatever you can do in advance so when you get up there is no stalling! Put your clothes in the bathroom - when the second alarm goes off, get up and go pee - change clothes while in there!

    Good luck :)
  • quellybelly
    quellybelly Posts: 827 Member
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    It gets easier once you make it a habit. I started going to bed earlier, laying my workout clothes, and packing my bag the night before. That way, I just get up and go! The first week or two is painful but after that you start to get used to it :)
  • CaptainJAG_37
    CaptainJAG_37 Posts: 134
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    I went straight to it. No easing into it. Took a month or so to adjust, but now it's pretty easy to be up by 0445. I also try to go to bed early. That helps a lot. :)
  • nancybuss
    nancybuss Posts: 1,461 Member
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    I'm not a morning person. I am a natural night owl. I Do work out in the am. Its what has worked best. I do DVD series workouts. I just started a combo of PiYo and P90X3. I wasn't consistent enough with X3 alone, so I needed to switch it up.
    I "Should" be up by 5:30 to start... its often a bit later. I do 30 minute workouts, it helps a lot.
    Then I need to shower, and husband gets kids going the most but I have to fill in with a bunch of misc. and get everyone moving and out the door by 7:15. (kids are 5 and 7)

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