Morning Gym Tips for a Total Sleepyhead

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  • 1fit_mamma
    1fit_mamma Posts: 101 Member
    edited January 2017
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    @cvstokke you can so do this! I was never a morning person, and to this day I am a super deep sleeper so it's always a challenge (my baby wakes at 7am so the baby thing doesn't help me), but the number one thing that helps fight through the fog is knowing how AMAZING you will feel after just 1 week of early morning sessions! It helps me stay focused on my nutrition during the day (no idea why, but it does, maybe the endorphins!?) and I'm so more clear headed at work. Before I started winning the battle and formed a habit, here is what helped me the most:

    1. No snoozes, tell yourself all you have to do is get up, get dressed and if you don't want to go after doing that you can go back to bed- I can tell you this has happened (generally sick or getting sick) but it's 1/100.
    2. Gear ready the night before as already suggested- it's a mental thing, if your stuff isn't ready it's just another effort in the morning on top of the exercise you need to do
    3. The starting with a fun morning activity is a winner- start by getting up and watching a movie, browsing the net or whatever floats your boat (out of bed of course!). Do this for a week and then switch to exercise. Keep the fun activity as a reward for your rest days, thus keeping a good early morning habit and not ruining it with a sleep in
    4. Keep up the classes- saying you will do a class is like booking a mental appointment. You can also tell the instructor thanks for the class and "see you next week", again it's all reinforcement of you commitment
    6. In bed before 10am, even if you read or whatever

    I think all these comments that it won't happen for you is just plain negative and unhelpful, it's like saying "well you were always a fat person so have no hope of losing weight"...which would rule out 75% of people on MFP from any success - people can change! Good on you for recognising this as an issue and something you would like to work on. If at the end of this attempt you decide once and for all you can't do mornings, that's ok at least you had a go. Good luck with continuing, and great work doing your Barre class!
  • Mariekegetsfit
    Mariekegetsfit Posts: 148 Member
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    I am NOT a morning person, but I have succesfully had a morning routine for a while. What worked for me, was that I signed up for a run, a much longer one than I was used to so I needed to train, and suddenly I 'had to'.

    I trained with 2 friends, and we took it in turns to call the others to wake them in the morning and made sure they got up. That worked really well, because the one on duty that week took his job really serious and if 1 of us really could not make it (illness f.e.), the caller would say: 'Noooo you can't ditch me as well! I am speaking to you, you are awake and alive, get your *kitten* over here in 30 minutes'

    So my tip would be to get some friends who kick your *kitten* ;)
  • cvstokke
    cvstokke Posts: 249 Member
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    @1fit_mamma thank you so much for your kind words and tangible advice! I had the same thought about 'well you were always a fat person so have no hope of losing weight.' Your post was really refreshing! I went one morning last week and am aiming for two this week. Thanks for the tips!!!
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    1fit_mamma wrote: »
    6. In bed before 10am, even if you read or whatever

    That makes for a pretty short day :)
  • SemperAnticus1643
    SemperAnticus1643 Posts: 703 Member
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    Get a significant other that gets up for work at 5:00 AM. My husband and my son, who sleeps in our room, both wake up around 5:00 AM. So I'm up with them. I take a pre-workout before I head to our garage to workout. By the time I'm done with my workout, my son has put himself back to sleep in his bouncer, while he's in the garage with me, and I'm able to get my two older children up and get myself ready for work. :)
  • amy4selflove
    amy4selflove Posts: 19 Member
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    I have tried numerous times to become a morning workout person. The longest I stuck with it was about 2 months. I LOVED the free time that I had in the evenings, but the mornings were the worst and because I would hit snooze and not get up right when I needed to, I ended up working out less efficiently and for less time!! Not only that, but I do not like to work out on an empty stomach and I do not like to eat first thing when I wake up. I also would not be able to wake up early enough to eat something and then let it digest and then work out, so I decided it just was not going to work for me. I hope it works out for you. :)
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    SemperAnticus1643 wrote: »
    Get a significant other that gets up for work at 5:00 AM. My husband and my son, who sleeps in our room, both wake up around 5:00 AM. So I'm up with them. I take a pre-workout before I head to our garage to workout. By the time I'm done with my workout, my son has put himself back to sleep in his bouncer, while he's in the garage with me, and I'm able to get my two older children up and get myself ready for work. :)

    Geeze. And I just suggested she get a puppy. You've got her getting married and having a kid. Not sure her roommate will like that too much.

    :)
  • amy4selflove
    amy4selflove Posts: 19 Member
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    SemperAnticus1643 wrote: »
    Get a significant other that gets up for work at 5:00 AM. My husband and my son, who sleeps in our room, both wake up around 5:00 AM. So I'm up with them. I take a pre-workout before I head to our garage to workout. By the time I'm done with my workout, my son has put himself back to sleep in his bouncer, while he's in the garage with me, and I'm able to get my two older children up and get myself ready for work. :)

    My husband gets up for work at 4:15, I sleep right through it!! ;)
  • Shanel0916
    Shanel0916 Posts: 586 Member
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    mccraee wrote: »
    I got a sunrise simulation alarm that gradually lights up. THat helps, especially in the winter. I suppose it has a snooze but it's kind of complicated and I haven't ever figured out how to do that (I know how pitiful that sounds but in 2+ years I haven't ever snoozed). I used to put my old alarm clock across the room.



    This is what helped me, I set my alarm clock across the room with the most annoying ringtone. Once I'm up that's it get dressed and go don't even think about it. I am not a morning person either, but with kids its really the only time that works plus I like the gym when its less crowded.
  • KiraOBrien
    KiraOBrien Posts: 1 Member
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    Maybe start with saying you'll make that 7am gym class once a week and go from there- that way every time you make it you're celebrating your success rather than feeling badly all those mornings that you hit snooze. Also- try drinking a large glass of water before bed, nothing says incentive to get up like nature screaming!
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
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    amy4selflove wrote: »
    SemperAnticus1643 wrote: »
    Get a significant other that gets up for work at 5:00 AM. My husband and my son, who sleeps in our room, both wake up around 5:00 AM. So I'm up with them. I take a pre-workout before I head to our garage to workout. By the time I'm done with my workout, my son has put himself back to sleep in his bouncer, while he's in the garage with me, and I'm able to get my two older children up and get myself ready for work. :)

    My husband gets up for work at 4:15, I sleep right through it!! ;)

    Hhaha @amy4selflove that makes two of us!!!
  • 1fit_mamma
    1fit_mamma Posts: 101 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    1fit_mamma wrote: »
    6. In bed before 10am, even if you read or whatever

    That makes for a pretty short day :)

    Haha @Tacklewasher, so I can do mornings but need to work on proofreading!

  • 1fit_mamma
    1fit_mamma Posts: 101 Member
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    @cvstokke how are the mornings going!? Any luck? Or have have you found another routine?
  • RunsOnPlants98
    RunsOnPlants98 Posts: 9 Member
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    Plan something fun to do before or after that you don't get to do in the evenings. Also I like planning a breakfast that I look forward to but takes some level of time and effort so then I have to get up.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    amy4selflove wrote: »
    SemperAnticus1643 wrote: »
    Get a significant other that gets up for work at 5:00 AM. My husband and my son, who sleeps in our room, both wake up around 5:00 AM. So I'm up with them. I take a pre-workout before I head to our garage to workout. By the time I'm done with my workout, my son has put himself back to sleep in his bouncer, while he's in the garage with me, and I'm able to get my two older children up and get myself ready for work. :)

    My husband gets up for work at 4:15, I sleep right through it!! ;)

    Never worked for me. I had to wake up too to make sure he actually got out of bed.

    But when I had to get up at 5am for work, I was in bed by 9pm. I need my sleep.
  • mis1022
    mis1022 Posts: 109 Member
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    Sleep is important tooo you need at least 8 hours so make sure you go to sleep early.
  • unrelentingminx
    unrelentingminx Posts: 231 Member
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    Can you compromise and get to the gym over lunch?
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
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    Just curious how your morning workouts are going? Did anything end up working for you?
  • WendyLeigh1119
    WendyLeigh1119 Posts: 495 Member
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    This is SO me. Even after 20 years of jobs starting at 5am and child rearing....I'm a night person. I stay up late and crave that night time alone and awake. My energy hits a high around 9pm and again after 2am. I'm also a lifetime insomniac (I average less than 4 hours per night and feel mostly good)

    I was doing ALL of my workouts from 4pm to 8pm and then showering and not getting home until 9pm. My whole family was eating dinner at 10pm and I decided it was ridiculous. Now I get up *gag* at 7am, eat breakfast *double gag*, and have most of my workouts and classes done by 12 or 1pm.

    I promised myself that if I could do mornings, I'd reward myself by sitting in the sun reading, relaxing around a pool, or shopping for fun stuff-only with that extra afternoon time. And that's what I've been doing for about 30 days now (the switch). It's hard to gather the energy for the workouts themselves, but in some ways it probably makes them more challenging because my body is like "wait....NOOOO!"

    I hate to admit it...but when some a-hole (like the mailman) sees me relaxing outside in a bikini or at the pool by 1pm and says "Living the life, huh?" It's satisfying to say "Yeah, I can use it after finishing my 3 hours at the gym!" And then he slinks away not quite so presumptuous as he came in. And I feel rather satisfied.

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