Motivation to get up earlier and exercise!

sheila6999
sheila6999 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 16 in Getting Started
I am on a healthy road right now. About a year ago a friend guided me into opening my eyes on how all the piece of the puzzle are fitting together for me. My next step that I want to put into my regime in exercise! How do I motivate myself to get up and moving for 30 minutes before I go to work? No bashing.....just good words please......
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Replies

  • risberg96
    risberg96 Posts: 118 Member
    Hi! I just started doing 25 min of early morning (before work) cardio on days that I do strength training/intervals in the evening. One of my trainers suggested that doing the early morning "zones 1 and 2" will help get my metabolism going for the entire day and will burn the most fat. The science of it motivates me. And also being told I should meet my 10,000 steps goal in addition to my workout. I get up at 4:40am three times a week and it was tough at first but now I'm getting used to it. Hope that helps a bit!! Good luck.
  • sheila6999
    sheila6999 Posts: 2 Member
    Do you all gym workout or at home?
  • ms_smartypants
    ms_smartypants Posts: 8,278 Member
    sheila6999 wrote: »
    Do you all gym workout or at home?

    I workout at home ....I lift weights M W F ....I do zumba or some other dvd Tu and Thurs. and I run either one day on the weekend or both
  • comeonnow142857
    comeonnow142857 Posts: 310 Member
    I workout at home.

    I'm up at 4, in work at 7am, home at 6.45 pm, and have to work out after I get home because there's other people in the house so early morning is out. So as you can imagine I'm rarely emotionally motivated/feeling passionate when about to exercise. I almost always feel like not doing it, but just do it because it's my duty for the day. And I'm much happier for it.
  • jroy1999
    jroy1999 Posts: 27 Member
    What time do you all get to bed to get up before 5am? If you get the recommended 7-8 hours, that would be around 8-9pm.
  • STLBADGIRL
    STLBADGIRL Posts: 1,693 Member
    I had this same issue. And I was mad that I could not get up and do it. But I could do it, I just didn't want to bad enough. So I made a recording of myself the night before PROMISING MYSELF I WAS GOING TO GO TO THE GYM...and I said stuff like, I'm not going to let myself down, watch me crush this goal - blah blah blah, to hype myself up. After the recording. I packed my lunch, packed my work clothes in my gym bag and laid out my workout clothes for the next morning. I set my alarm, looked at my recording again, and made it to the gym! It was not hard at all. It was making the decision to go, was what was hard. But, you really do what the mind tells you to. SO MAKE UP YOUR MIND, PUT THINGS IN PLACE, AND CRUSH YOUR GOAL, AND SURPRISE YOURSELF!!! Oh, and I documented it and put it on instagram, because I was so proud of myself. You can do it!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    If you do something fun and enjoyable, you won't need to trick yourself into feeling motivated. Ride a bike. Swim. Play a sport. Etc.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    jroy1999 wrote: »
    What time do you all get to bed to get up before 5am? If you get the recommended 7-8 hours, that would be around 8-9pm.

    Yup. In bed by 9, asleep before 10 and up at 5. I have a treadmill at home so ~ 40 mins 5-6 days a week and lift weights a couple of evenings.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I primarily ride in the AM during the summer as the alternative is to ride in the heat of the day. I'm not particularly a morning person...really it just comes down to being disciplined...alarm goes off, I get up and gear up. Once I'm on my bike, all is right with the world...and honestly, there's nothing more wonderful than seeing the dawn of a new day from a bicycle...not to mention that crisp new day air.

    I'm usually up at 5 and on my bike by 5:15.
    jroy1999 wrote: »
    What time do you all get to bed to get up before 5am? If you get the recommended 7-8 hours, that would be around 8-9pm.

    Actually that would be 9-10 PM...I'm usually in bed around 9:30. Even when I'm not training I have to be up by 5:30 to get ready for work, get the kids ready for school, etc...so 30 minutes earlier isn't a huge deal. The bigger issue for me is that when I'm not training in the AM, I just get up and get some coffee and putter around the house getting ready, not trying to kill an interval ride.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    I exercise in the evening instead.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
    I exercise in the evening instead.
  • HeatherLeAnn622
    HeatherLeAnn622 Posts: 45 Member
    I am in bed by 10 to get up at 5 for my workout. The thing that helps me the most is to have all my workout clothes laid out ready to go so all I have to do is jump out of bed and into the clothes.
  • Rhody_Hoosier
    Rhody_Hoosier Posts: 688 Member
    Ditto to this.
    I am in bed by 10 to get up at 5 for my workout. The thing that helps me the most is to have all my workout clothes laid out ready to go so all I have to do is jump out of bed and into the clothes.

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Not enough detail. What is your current day like?

    Personally I've tried and this just does not work for me. I get up at 5:30am, take care of the dogs, get ready for work. I walk @ lunch and I walk and/or run in the evenings. My kids are older (high school & college) so its easier for me to free up time in the evenings.

    When the weather is nice early in the morning, I can manage to leave for work about 30 minutes earlier and walk at a park near work. But at this time of year it is too dark/dreary to do that safely.
    sheila6999 wrote: »
    I am on a healthy road right now. About a year ago a friend guided me into opening my eyes on how all the piece of the puzzle are fitting together for me. My next step that I want to put into my regime in exercise! How do I motivate myself to get up and moving for 30 minutes before I go to work? No bashing.....just good words please......

  • BaddS4
    BaddS4 Posts: 302 Member
    You have to decide you want to do it... I have a hard time getting mine in but I always feel better afterwards and thats why I do it daily.. I only take Sundays off to give my body rest.. Other than that it's all or nothing..
  • MiamiSeoul
    MiamiSeoul Posts: 1,809 Member
    - Join the 4a.m. Club
    - Workout doesn't get derailed by work, family, laziness
    - Burn more calories throughout the day
    - Go to sleep early
    - No later night munchies because YOU'RE ASLEEP!!!
    -
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Ask yourself "Why do you want to get up early and exercise?" The answer to THAT is your motivation. It all depends on how badly you want it.
  • cbstewart88
    cbstewart88 Posts: 453 Member
    I am a morning person. Always have been. So maybe I have a bit of a leg up when it comes to early morning workouts. But I am a big advocate of those. I can't make any excuses for NOT doing it, 'cause I'm up and I may as well. It gets it out of the way for the entire day - and I don't have to think about it again. The gym is empty. I feel better all day long. Only downside - I go to bed pretty early, kind of a party-pooper :(
  • SweatsOnSunday
    SweatsOnSunday Posts: 514 Member
    rainbow198 wrote: »
    When I started working out in the early mornings I made a number of changes...

    - I prepped the night before. I laid out my workout gear and had my workout sessions all planned out.

    - Started getting more sleep and going to bed earlier.

    - I did different workouts to see what I enjoyed which made me stick to it.

    - What I found motivating is know that my workout was done for the day before the day got started. Too many times I got distracted in the evenings or something came up and I couldn't work out.

    - Lastly, I wanted it badly (fitness and weight loss) so visualize how I wanted my body to look and it gave me motivation to just do it.

    After a couple of weeks it became a habit and now I really enjoy and look forward to my early workouts.

    How bad do it want it????

    Perfectly said. :)
  • Sedu1906
    Sedu1906 Posts: 145 Member
    you have to want to workout. I have a very difficult time to wake up early to do weights or t25. but I'm a cyclist and during the summer I wake up early so that I can get in a good 3-4 hour ride and still be home while everyone is sleep. But because I LOVE being on my bike, I pop out of the bed a 4:30 without blinking. That's only because I LOVE doing it.
  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    I get up at 4am. One of the things that got me started was a saying I saw some time ago that said:
    "do something today that tomorrow you'll be grateful for"
    So exercise was a no brainer. Get it done in the morning and BAM mentally coast the rest of the day...
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    I have two things that help get my butt out of bed at 5am:
    1. I love all those crappy Bravo reality shows so the only time I let myself watch them is if I am on the treadmill
    2. My hubby will quite literally push me out of bed when the alarm goes off if I don't get up quick enough (at my request but I think he is having more fun with it than I intended)
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
    Feel free to friend me as a fellow morning mover
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I'm often a contrary voice on these discussions. For years I thought that I had to get up and exercise in the morning. And that worked great until something came along and disrupted my schedule, I missed going to the gym because I needed to sleep, and my whole plan fell apart.

    I have embraced my inner night owl now and don't worry about getting up early. I go over lunch. Plus I don't have to, as Mrs Jruzer says, "Got to bed at 8 like a baby."
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    In the past getting up early has worked for me, but not anymore. I took a good, hard look at my life and where I could fit in exercise in a sustainable way. I just never enjoyed getting up early, was always looking for an excuse to sleep in instead, often wussed out on my workouts in the morning because I just wasn't feeling it, etc.

    For me, what is working is Saturdays while my daughter is at dance class (instead of me sitting outside her class, I now go to the gym a few doors down), Sundays (sometimes it is while my other daughter is at dance, sometimes it is something less structured like a run on my own time, a hike with the kids, etc.), and one day a week at lunch.
  • marlysgirl
    marlysgirl Posts: 16 Member
    I have a mixed schedule, so I either get up at 5am (which is not easy) or come home after work and eat dinner and chill and then go to the gym at 8pm (which is not easy either). Sometimes both. Just pick what works. And unless its totally raining outside, I do a quick 20 min walk at lunch.
  • jbirdgreen
    jbirdgreen Posts: 569 Member
    Personally, I am not at a mental place where I can get up on my own to workout. I have to have an appointment for accountability. At first it was a spin class at my local gym. There were only two other regular spinners that would show up so early in the morning, and I started showing up because I wanted to be a regular too. Then I noticed that they would notice when I wasn't there, so that helped me go too.

    Now, I have an appointment with my personal trainer twice a week. I pay for my sessions in advance and I have to cancel 24 hours before our meeting in order for it not to count. The thought of lost money definitely keeps me from hitting the snooze button!
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