Getting out of bed to exercise?

dave_in_ni
dave_in_ni Posts: 533 Member
edited November 30 in Fitness and Exercise
This is something that has annoyed me for years, I want to be able to get up in the morning before work and exercise but I can't get out of bed.

Don't get me wrong I am a morning person, I am up before 6am each morning even on weekends but when I wake in the morning all desires for exercise are gone, I have no interest in anything in the mornings until at least 8am by which time I'm at work.

I already do weights 6 nights per week but some cardio in the morn would be good.

I have set my alarm at the other end of the room in order to get me up and sure it works but I just get into bed. Am I a lost cause for morning exercise?

Replies

  • Rini_s
    Rini_s Posts: 68 Member
    It's a struggle, I agree. I've always believed that the best time to exercise is the time that you WILL do it. So, maybe morning exercise isn't ever going to be your thing. For me, I try to get up and do a little cardio. Sometimes, the alarm gets shut back off and I stay in my warm cozy bed. Other times I get up and get moving. I find that the more I get up and move in the morning, the easier it becomes. I try to get my shoes and clothes ready before I go to bed so I can't use that as an excuse. Good luck!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I thought I was a lost cause for morning exercise for years and recently (in the past six months) have been consistently exercising before work.

    What finally did it for me: I developed goals that required working out in the morning (I wanted to begin exercising twice on some days, which was only possible if I exercised sometimes in the AM) and I began to realize how much nicer my day felt when I got (most or all) of my exercise done before I went to work. So what changed was that I began *wanting* to exercise in the AM. After that, it was pretty easy. I don't think I could have done it without the desire to actually do it.

    Why do you want to exercise in the AM? Maybe a better connection to your motivation would help you accmplish your goal.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    edited March 2016
    You're an early riser, NOT a morning person. They aren't the same thing. I'm similar; this is my secret.

    GT-5HE-ES-Grape2.png
  • Cbefitforlife
    Cbefitforlife Posts: 83 Member
    Did you try setting out workout clothes next to bed with your alarm? What about something you can inhale to give you a boost? Have you tried a oil you can inhale that may boost your mood? I am sure there is a health food store that you could try. If you just can't do it...why don't you add some cardio to your weights at night? Like 20min?
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,744 Member
    So, you're looking to do your cardio in the AM? What kind do you enjoy? Do you have equipment at home or would you need to go to the gym?

    My suggestion: plan on doing your cardio 3 - 4 mornings (or however many per week you were aiming for) consistently for a good 4 - 6 weeks. Tell yourself that if it doesn't work after that then you can go back to not working out in the mornings. My guess is that 1) you will feel better (more energized throughout the day and accomplished for reaching your goal) and 2) by then it will have become a habit. If not? Oh well. Stick to your evening workouts since they currently work for you.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    some good suggestions as to tips and tricks up here ^^

    But I would challenge you by asking the question: If your doing 6 weights sessions per week why do you want to do more exercise. It seems like a lot to me and maybe that is why you are finding it hard to get motivated for early morning sessions.
  • Karmc2k
    Karmc2k Posts: 98 Member
    No it is not a lost cause. I was the same way....I love my bed in the morning. However, I challenged myself to just get up early and go for a month. I had read that if you could do something for 30 days it becomes a habit. Granted I didn't do the 30 days straight but I was there most days. And after that month it started to become more routine. Now 3 months later I hate missing my morning workout....sometimes my bed calls out to me but I ignore it (and it is easier to ignore now) because I know going in the morning just sets the stage for a good day.
  • liftsalltheweights
    liftsalltheweights Posts: 73 Member
    I'm definitely not a morning person but 5 days a week I am up at 4:20 and at the gym by 5. It's just something that you have to force yourself to do. Once you get into the habit you're going to be loath to break it. It took me a while to get back into the early morning workouts. Knowing that if I don't go early means I won't go at all was a big help.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    @dave_in_ni I've just taken a quick look through your diary: I'm not sure what your strength work is like or what your health goals are, or indeed your stats, but your typically hitting about 1500-1600 cals. Unless you're under 5 foot high and 6 stone wet through you're not eating enough - no wonder your knackered in the mornings.

    Double check your maths on your calories before considering any more exercise.
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  • missyfitz1
    missyfitz1 Posts: 93 Member
    I am not a morning person at all. When I have had a successful run of morning exercise in the past, it felt impossible to get up when I started, but all it took was for me to start. After a while, it became easier and easier for me to get up, and I got into a routine. I was energized early in the day, felt better all day and came home to a relaxing evening, not having to worry about getting my exercise in.

    My problem is that I suffer from periodic bouts of insomnia, and if I can't get to sleep until 2 or 3 or 4 in the morning but I can sleep later, I need to get that sleep. So as long as I don't have insomnia, I love early morning workouts. But I find it hard to sustain them over the long term. I'm glad I read this though - I've been trying to convince myself to get back into this pattern, and the sleepy me has been winning these arguments in the morning. I need to remind myself how great it is when I do get into the habit of morning exercise!
  • drachfit
    drachfit Posts: 217 Member
    edited March 2016
    get to sleep earlier.

    i am not a morning person either. you just have to get up and do it. first day is the hardest. once you are in the habit it becomes automatic. if you get to bed too late then the next morning you will suffer.

    also, immediate caffeination.
  • Jonesie1984
    Jonesie1984 Posts: 612 Member
    @jacksonpt that's me. Early riser, not a morning person haha.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    I had to make it a habit. EVERY Monday and EVERY Wednesday I have to go to the gym before work, period. If I'm not up for my usual run, then I have to get up and go anyway and do something else. For me, trying to do it sometimes or when I felt like it or "a couple times a week" wasn't working, so I had to turn it into something that is built into my day every single week at the same times.

    My gym bag is packed and sitting by the door with all my work stuff in it, all I have to do is throw something on, grab a coffee and a protein bar, and start walking.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    I get up, make coffee, brush teeth and splash cold water in my face (key ingredient for me), get dressed and drink coffee. After that I feel like a new person and am ready for the workout. I do that 5 days a week. I also went to bed earlier when I started morning workouts years ago.
  • seattleseahawk24
    seattleseahawk24 Posts: 6 Member
    i work a night shift from 7 to 3 am and i wake up around 2, i never want to get out of bed and go work out before work cause i have a physical job and i know I'm gonna be exhausted and not have any energy to work
  • sunnybeaches105
    sunnybeaches105 Posts: 2,831 Member
    I've been trying for years. I hate mornings so I tend to work out in the evenings.
  • blakeym
    blakeym Posts: 97 Member
    edited March 2016
    I find the post AM workout shower never stick's and I end up commuting still perspiring, yeah....that's nasty.
  • petersonma
    petersonma Posts: 30 Member
    I find if I add cardio a couple of afternoons or evenings it gets easier to change it to mornings.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    @dave_in_ni I've just taken a quick look through your diary: I'm not sure what your strength work is like or what your health goals are, or indeed your stats, but your typically hitting about 1500-1600 cals. Unless you're under 5 foot high and 6 stone wet through you're not eating enough - no wonder your knackered in the mornings.

    Double check your maths on your calories before considering any more exercise.

    Bingo!
  • dave_in_ni
    dave_in_ni Posts: 533 Member
    Thanks for the tips, yes you are right I am eating 1500-1600 cals and i am weighing everything so that figure is correct. I am cutting, over half way to my goal now though which i hope to hit in April at some stage. Yes maybe after that I might have more energy when I crank up the cals again.
  • emily_koenen
    emily_koenen Posts: 20 Member
    I'm not a morning person either but I'm determined to get up and smash out my 5am gym classes..it'll all become part of your routine soon
  • justjumpit278
    justjumpit278 Posts: 96 Member
    For me, this was just FORCING myself to do it. I used to try to go to the gym after working for 9 hours, but I could rarely find the energy. I was just unmotivated the gym was crowded by that time of day.
    I tried going in the morning once (it helped to have a friend meeting me there, that way I couldn't just hit snooze) and I found I had so much more energy to get through my workout! At first I was just going to go a couple mornings a week, but I made the decision to go EVERY morning. That way it was cemented in my routine.
    Every night I pack my gym bag and have it by the door. I lay out my workout clothes so it's easy to get going in the morning.
    So many times I have desperately wanted to go back to bed and get another hour of sleep, but I tell myself that's not going to help me lose weight, so off to the gym I go! I usually get there around 6:25am and leave around 7:30am to get to work by 8.
    I've also found that I puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    blakeym wrote: »
    I find the post AM workout shower never stick's and I end up commuting still perspiring, yeah....that's nasty.

    I usually take a cold shower and that seems to help, but yeah, i know
  • KettleTO
    KettleTO Posts: 144 Member
    i prefer working out in the morning. it gets it over and done with and far fewer things can get in the way. That being said I struggle getting up. In the fall, I bought a wakeup light, which helped with dark wake ups. Setting things out the night before helps too. Unfortunately, the best thing seems to be just suffering through until it become a habit.

    Perks of workout in the morning
    -getting it over and done with
    -having an evening
    -gym is way less busy in the am
    -people are serious and social, "my body is my hobby" types
    -you feel even more awake then if you slept that extra time
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