Waking up early to exercise!??! HOWWW!?

chrissayyscoops
chrissayyscoops Posts: 13 Member
edited November 21 in Fitness and Exercise
Been struggling to wake up and go running before work ): any tips or tricks!? :)



Let's motivate each other! :) please feel free to add! xx
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Replies

  • BeginnersBootcamp
    BeginnersBootcamp Posts: 90 Member
    If you REALLY want it, your mind will tell your tired body to STFU and get out of bed, and eventually it will become the norm :) I easily wake up at 6 and head to the gym or outside for a run even on days off, it is part of my lifestyle and its something I want badly.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    My #1 technique for getting up early for a workout ( Run or Swim ) --- Go to Bed Early!
  • Firefly0606
    Firefly0606 Posts: 366 Member
    I hear you!! I am sooooo not a morning person....

    Set your alarm on your phone on the other side of the room. You HAVE TO get out of bed to turn it off, there is no way to hit the snooze button and roll over for another lazy 10 minutes in bed.
  • cdahl383
    cdahl383 Posts: 726 Member
    I gave up on the morning routine as I'm not a morning person, why fight it. I'm a night owl, so I workout once the kids are asleep. I go for a nice walk/jog at night while my wife is at home with the kids. Works much better and I can sleep in that much more in the morning haha!
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    Make sure you're going to bed early enough to support an early wake up call. I get up @ 445. Its normal to me now, even on weekends I wake up early! Set your alarm and treat it like a job. You wouldn't just skip work because you didn't want to get up?
  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    Let your dog sleep in your bed. Feed your dog food they REALLY, REALLY LIKE, so they JUST CAN'T WAIT to eat every morning and are BOUNCY BOUNCY BOUNCY all over your bed and your stomach and your face HOURS before sunrise because FOOD and IT'S TIME FOR FOOD, RIGHT? and IF I LICK YOUR FACE YOU WILL FEED ME, RIGHT?

    Also, I think about how good it feels to strut into work after having run X miles. Way better than slumping in still wiping sleep crumbies out of my eyes.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,689 Member
    My tip is ...

    Sleep ... and then do your workout at lunch or after work.

    I am not a morning person. I have never been a morning person. I have no desire to be a morning person.
    But come about 7 pm, that's when the energy kicks in. :)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Get a reasonable amount of rest and then get up in the morning and handle your business like an adult
  • chrissayyscoops
    chrissayyscoops Posts: 13 Member
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    Let your dog sleep in your bed. Feed your dog food they REALLY, REALLY LIKE, so they JUST CAN'T WAIT to eat every morning and are BOUNCY BOUNCY BOUNCY all over your bed and your stomach and your face HOURS before sunrise because FOOD and IT'S TIME FOR FOOD, RIGHT? and IF I LICK YOUR FACE YOU WILL FEED ME, RIGHT?

    Also, I think about how good it feels to strut into work after having run X miles. Way better than slumping in still wiping sleep crumbies out of my eyes.

    THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD :) lmao. May have to try!!
  • chrissayyscoops
    chrissayyscoops Posts: 13 Member
    I agree with a lot of you- I'm so NOT a morning person.. Id like to be, especially as it's getting to 100 degrees mid-afternoon in California!!! ):
  • iGotThis27
    iGotThis27 Posts: 4 Member
    #1 get sleep! It takes 21 days for something to become a habit. So Give it 21 days, a small goal to just wake up and get up, even if you just start with doing 10 min of yoga / stretching, The more waking up becomes the norm, the more intense your workouts will become... try not to go from zero to 100 overnight and just let your body ease into it. I'm on day 3.. hope this helps!
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    I would just never do this, because I don't like torturing myself. Do it right after work or school, save yourself some stress and give yourself the gift of sleep.
  • adeplus2
    adeplus2 Posts: 1 Member
    I find it easier to get up early if you drop the booze, even a single glass of wine the night before; if you do drink the night before getting up early will be a tired struggle. Then set a routine, I have about an hour before I need to start the commute from 6am, so dress - 5 min, gym 20min, breakfast 10 min, shower- 15 min, dress - 5min, relax - 5min, commute. If you follow the regime robotically you find from bed to commute really flies by and you wonder how you managed to do all that in such a short period of time. Mind you my running machine is in the garage, which makes things a bit simpler.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,689 Member
    tomatoey wrote: »
    I would just never do this, because I don't like torturing myself. Do it right after work or school, save yourself some stress and give yourself the gift of sleep.


    Absolutely!! You've got to pick the time of day that works best for you.

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
    chrissayyscoops wrote: »
    Been struggling to wake up and go running before work ): any tips or tricks!? :)



    Let's motivate each other! :) please feel free to add! xx

    Alarm clock + discipline
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    I don't. Early morning is not for me. I do it in the late afternoon.
  • drkhoax
    drkhoax Posts: 11 Member
    Eh - you get used to it - I wake up at 4:55am - go to the gym by 530 - done by 6:30 and to work for 7. its second nature after you force yourself through it. The hard part is the weekends, its like I want to sleep in..... body says nope!

    I find it easier to go before work - cause honestly if I did it after work I would not do it.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »
    Let your dog sleep in your bed. Feed your dog food they REALLY, REALLY LIKE, so they JUST CAN'T WAIT to eat every morning and are BOUNCY BOUNCY BOUNCY all over your bed and your stomach and your face HOURS before sunrise because FOOD and IT'S TIME FOR FOOD, RIGHT? and IF I LICK YOUR FACE YOU WILL FEED ME, RIGHT?

    Also, I think about how good it feels to strut into work after having run X miles. Way better than slumping in still wiping sleep crumbies out of my eyes.

    I am giggling so hard right now.
    Will have to try.
  • Siran12001
    Siran12001 Posts: 51 Member
    Can you find time to work out without getting up in the morning?

    I'm a night owl. I don't have the energy or motivation to get up in the morning and do a workout. I started doing my workouts between 9-10 pm and that works for me.

    If you aren't a morning person, getting up in the morning will make working out regularly even more difficult when you are just starting. You don't have to run in the morning if your sleep circle would have you sleep.
  • kimberlyjoy159
    kimberlyjoy159 Posts: 23 Member
    juliet3455 wrote: »
    My #1 technique for getting up early for a workout ( Run or Swim ) --- Go to Bed Early!

    If you want something, you plan for it. I go to bed between 9-10 and wake up without an alarm around 5. I've basically given up TV. Being healthy is more important.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    If that 100 degrees won't motivate you, what will (LOL)
    chrissayyscoops wrote: »
    I agree with a lot of you- I'm so NOT a morning person.. Id like to be, especially as it's getting to 100 degrees mid-afternoon in California!!! ):

  • mhdashler
    mhdashler Posts: 103 Member
    I was not a morning person either, but with the heat and my stress level at work, the morning is the best chance I have of actually working out. If I say I will go after work, there always seems to be something more pressing. I'll either end up working late, or I can't pull away from my kids.

    I really like the idea that someone said about setting an alarm across the room so that you have to get up and turn it off. If that doesn't work for you, set two or three alarms. I used to do that; one beside the bed, one across the room, and one in the bathroom. I left my workout clothes in the bathroom and since I forced myself to walk there, I might as well get dressed and go. Now, it is second nature. I get up every morning at 5:15, I'm running by 6:00, done by 7:00, and then to work by 8:00.
  • AmyJoShanks
    AmyJoShanks Posts: 40 Member
    I was SO not a morning person either - the thought of getting up early actually made me angry! But when we got a dog and I all of a sudden had to think about him rather than myself, I smartened up and just started doing it. We now walk or run 45mins every morning and it really helps me stay energized and make good choices for the rest of the day.
    someone else said it takes 21 days to develop a new habit and I 100% agree - give it 3 weeks and see how you make out.
    And yes, definitely go to bed earlier
    Good luck :)
  • jesoverley
    jesoverley Posts: 25 Member
    I switched to working out in the mornings a few years ago. It was a tough transition at first, but now I love getting up and running before going into the office (everything is so quiet in the morning! I love it!) Part of my issue was my nutrition the night before. If you wake up sluggish, or what not... it is harder to get up. I try to have a healthy snack with protein about 8pm, and that really helps me the next morning. ALSO... HYDRATE in the evening... seriously. That helps too!
  • demoiselle2014
    demoiselle2014 Posts: 474 Member
    It won't help the first few mornings, but while doing C25K I discovered to my great pleasure that as I got more fit, I started waking up earlier and earlier.

    It helped that when I woke up early on non running days, I still went for a walk first thing. Doing cardio has really improved my sleep patterns.
  • demoiselle2014
    demoiselle2014 Posts: 474 Member
    edited July 2015
    iGotThis27 wrote: »
    #1 get sleep! It takes 21 days for something to become a habit. So Give it 21 days, a small goal to just wake up and get up, even if you just start with doing 10 min of yoga / stretching, The more waking up becomes the norm, the more intense your workouts will become... try not to go from zero to 100 overnight and just let your body ease into it. I'm on day 3.. hope this helps!

    21 days help, but it really takes much longer than that to firmly establish a new habit. Think more in the line of months, especially if you are replacing an old bad habit.
  • Evoluer
    Evoluer Posts: 222 Member
    You don't think about it... you just do it. Seriously, when you wake your mind is not engaged. Leave it that way and head to the gym. Once it's a habit - it's smooth sailing!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    My #1 way to deal with it is to accept I'm not a morning person and go running after work instead.
  • Kenda2427
    Kenda2427 Posts: 1,592 Member
    I try to go for a quick run in the morning, so alarm at 4:45 up and out by 5. That's when I prefer to go, I am useless in the evening. My biggest problem is in the summer it is light out for so long I am much later getting to bed and then I am exhausted. I have slipped out of my routine the last few weeks and now its time to get back into it. I did it yesterday morning but this morning I didn't and I feel *kitten* when I miss it. Its a great start to the day.
  • juliet3455
    juliet3455 Posts: 3,015 Member
    edited July 2015
    @chrissayyscoops
    A recent addition to Hello Healthy that repeats the comments of many above.
    https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/how-to-stop-snoozing-through-your-morning-workout/
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-power-of-habit-part-1-why-habits-matter-688130
    Hope all of the comments posted by the MFP Rat Pack help you.

    Also as someone with only 11 posts it tells me that you are a newer user and my common posting to help the newbies on this journey is I suggest some good reads.
    At the Top of each Message Board Group.( example)
    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/general-diet-and-weight-loss-help
    You will find a heading called Most Helpful Posts.
    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177910/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
    I recommend that you take your time and read through these pinned posts as a starting point.
    One of my favorite that helped me was
    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
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