Getting your *kitten* out of bed in the morning

Renzi27 wrote: »

So tell me - how do you do it? I've come to the realization that the ONLY time I am able to exercise has to be in the morning before work - because afterwards there is dinner to be made, homework to be done and other things like soccer/baseball practice that the kids need to be at.

SO my question is this -- HOW do you morning exercisers do it? I know it's a "you just gotta do it" kind of thing but I need the specifics...do you set three alarms? Do you have a friend call you to wake you up? Do you go to bed at 7pm?

I'm just curious since I just cannot seem to get my *kitten* out of bed in the morning. TIA

I do it because I'm able to go to bed at a reasonable time. My latest time to be in bed is 9:45, I'm up at 3:45. I have everything ready to go before going to bed, so in the morning it's just taking care of the morning essentials. Most of the time I'm up before the alarm goes off.

Bribe yourself. Remind yourself of that morning coffee you'll get after you hit the gym, or the delicious protein bar waiting at the finish line. Think of the free time you'll have after work to get stuff done. That's what keeps me going. Tonight and tomorrow are very weird days for me - I'm going to the gym after work, which I have grown to despise. All I can think about is how late I'll get home, how much there is to do around the house and how packed the gym is going to be. Once you are a true early riser it just becomes habit. I used to set two alarms, both with sayings like "Wake up, Fatty" "Only __ days until Croatia" that really gave me motivation to get out of bed. Also, set your lock screen to a fitspiration model or quote.

I just got really specific with what I wanted and what is more important. Do I like seeing my waist get smaller? Yes. Do I like looking cute in that new dress? Yes. Is it going to hurt me to miss 30 minutes of sleep a few times per week? No way. Do I want to be able to be active with my kids and be around to meet their kids? Absolutely.

I also give myself a reward for making the good choices. 4 days of waking up early=buying coffee at my favorite stand after the 4th workout. Lose 30 pounds, get a Wonder Woman T-shirt from TJMaxx. That kind of thing. Make it worth it for yourself because YOU ARE WORTHY OF BEING HAPPY AND HEALTHY!!!

Train yourself to flip the lights on immediately, on your way to the alarm. Once i get hit by the bright lights, sleeping in goes out the window.

I haven't invested in one yet, but i'm intrigued by the LED light alarm clocks that will slowly start to brighten a few minutes before you wake up, and be fully bright as your alarm sounds. Supposed to be an easy transition into waking.

Finally, i'm thinking about a Jawbone to monitor my sleeping. One of its features is that you can set an alarm goal, and threshold, and it will look for opportune moments between REM cycles to wake you within that window. So if you tell it to wake you up no later than 6 a.m., and give it a 1/2hr threshold, it will monitor your sleep starting at 5:30 a.m., and whenever you enter into a sleep cycle that is gentle to awaken from it will start to buzz on your wrist. If this option works for me, it would be a great way to wake up earlier than my partner, who sleeps in later than me, and doesn't need my alarm clock ruining her dreams.