Early birds and morning workouts...need advice!

tashjs21
tashjs21 Posts: 4,584 Member
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
Good Morning! kaffesmile.gif


So here is my dilemma. There is no way I can work out in the evening. I get off work at 5pm. I used to go straight from work and the fiance would pick up the baby. Problem is, now that she is soley on solid foods, she is hungry pretty much as soon as we get home. So I have been coming home and starting dinner immediately. (fiance likes this too because he is usually hungry right after work too and doesn't have to wait for dinner anymore. :tongue:)

I have thought about going at 8:30pm after we put the baby to bed but by then I don't feel like moving and I am afraid the workout will amp me up (which it usually does) and I won't be able to get to sleep.

Soooo, my new plan is to wake up at 5 and go to the gym, come home and get ready for work while everyone is still asleep. However, I am NOT a morning person whatsoever. tantrum.gif

Any advice or words of encouragement for early morning workouts for a non-morning person? fingersx.gif
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Replies

  • FORKDOWN
    FORKDOWN Posts: 1,754
    Stick it out for the first 2 weeks and then it will get easier. Promise.
  • tireetje
    tireetje Posts: 49
    I have the same problem. working atm from 8.30 till 6.30 everyday. So dont have the time (or energy) to work out.
    My job is also a desk job... so although im eating incredibly healthy and losing some weight, its no where near fast!
    Help please too? x
  • dawnw30
    dawnw30 Posts: 270
    I don't have any fancy words of encouragement for you. It's tough...but if it is what you have to do to make yourself feel better then you just have to do it. After a few days or maybe a week or so it will just become part of your regular day and it won't be so rough. Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:
  • randa_behnam
    randa_behnam Posts: 488 Member
    can your fiancee not make the dinners as well>? maybe alternate days so you have a chance to get some exercise in.

    why dont u start on 30day shred as thats only 20 mins and its a great workout so you can surely find 20 mins to cram it in, i always find i sleep much better after a good workout and a hot shower.

    Its all about changing your mind frame and if you really are determined then you will find the time. im sure looking after an infant is a great workout on its own!! x
  • demery12371
    demery12371 Posts: 253 Member
    Been doing the morning thing for 2 months... I am not a morning person! I just force myself to do it. (I have to run, can't afford the gym) Once I get out there and actually make myself... I feel soooo much better during the day and have more energy to do the family thing/dinner in the evenings. Instead of talking myself out of it, I started learning how to talk myself into it... :)

    Good Luck and happy working out!
    D
  • Eats_With_A_Fist
    Eats_With_A_Fist Posts: 181
    After a while you'll adjust to it. When you get to that point, you won't feel right if you don't get your morning burn in!
  • springtrio
    springtrio Posts: 429 Member
    Neither was I, but you get used to it. A lot of people don't condone coffee before working out (I drink 4oz. of coffee, with my 20oz. water bottle first thing in the am). It wakes me right up, and I'm good for the day on just a small cup of coffee. I think AM workouts are the best. You'll feel like death at first, but your body will get used to it.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Have everything ready to go the night before, get straight into your gym gear when you wake up, and your body will be out the door before your brain has had time to go "You're doing what now????"
  • DaniiWanii
    DaniiWanii Posts: 114 Member
    JUST DO IT!

    Seriously I started off exactly like you. You will go out with your eyes basically closed but once you start you will realise how fricken amaaazing it is!
    Just push yourself and you can do it just find... really good luck. Morning runs are heaven! :)
  • sjkcarter
    sjkcarter Posts: 417 Member
    I am not a morning person either. But I have to alarms set within 5 mintues apart, one is close to the bed, but the other one I have to get up for. For me once I am out of bed i up. I also sleep in the clothes I am going to workout in.
  • DallasLeann
    DallasLeann Posts: 44
    I go to the gym at 5am, workout, shower there and then head to work. I would go home to shower if it was on the way, but it is not. I am not a morning person at all, but like you it is the only time I can consistently get to the gym. You just have to make up your mind that you are going in the morning. If you wait until the alarm goes off to decide, you will never go. It is always much better once I am there.
  • jenkins1103
    jenkins1103 Posts: 50 Member
    I want to start working out in the morning too...I am interested in what everyone has to say..
  • kbeach08
    kbeach08 Posts: 184 Member
    I try to drag my butt out of bed at 4 to get a really good hour work out or so in before I have to make lunches and find clothes and start getting ready for work. I usually DO NOT accomplish this and I am up at 5 to get a workout in and get done what I need to get done. You just have to be motivated to get it done and not want to sit around and try to wake up first.... So no mater what time I get up (Unless it is really late) I get started right away with my work out. That wakes me up and gets me pumped to start my day. :)
  • Dtrmnd86
    Dtrmnd86 Posts: 406 Member
    Push through it for a couple of weeks and it will come naturally. I also wake up and work out in the AM but it's usually around 7. The one thing that helps me is to not think about it. If I get up and dwell on working out, I will try to talk myself out of it. Instead, I get up, put my workout clothes on and start without thinking. You could also try to sleep in your workout clothes, this way you won't have an excuse, you're already dressed and ready to go :) Good luck!
  • angb_girl
    angb_girl Posts: 6
    Two reasons I decided to work out in the morning.
    1. It doesn't take any extra time away from my family. I have a 2 year-old and a 4 year-old who I love dearly. Since I work full-time I only get about 3 hours with them in the evening and I'm not willing to sacrifice that for anything (even something as worthy as setting a good example for them and living longer).
    2. When I get up at 5:30 to work out, I'm less likely later in the day to make bad food choices. I'm all, "I did NOT get up at bloody 5:30 this morning for nothing," whereas if I'm planning to work out in the evening, I might say, "Weeeellllll, I can have ONE cookie since I'm gonna work out tonight.

    Now in the morning when the damn alarm goes off I think, "If I don't get up and workout I'm only cheating myself." And that usually does it. A little cold water on my face and a tooth-brushing gets me going. Then I'm fired-up for the rest of the day from the work out.

    I was never a morning person, either, but you know... there's a LOT of beauty to witness by yourself in the morning.

    I hope this helps. :)
  • muitobem
    muitobem Posts: 436 Member
    I am not a morning person at all either...I do however get up at 6 am, have a cup of coffee and head out the door at about 6:40 for a 2.5 mile power walk with a friend of mine..after that, I will either hit the gym or practice my nights Zumba routines or both...
    The thing is, there isn't any one thing that makes you get up and do it in the mornings except complete WILL POWER...Just that fact that you kNOW you NEED to exercise to stay healthy/lose weight or whatever it might be that you need for YOU.

    That's all I can give you...Because it ultimately comes down to you and how badly YOU want to get out there and feel good...

    Remember: It takes 21 days to make a habit; 14 days to break a habit.

    So once you have that habit going, you'll be up and going.

    I can't say it's easy because there are some days I'd rather sleep in, but I MAKE myself just go!
  • brian90
    brian90 Posts: 285 Member
    it will be hard. you cant just lay there. Just jump up as soon as you wake up. Once you start your workout, youl be into it. You will feel so much better once its done.
  • jagoochie
    jagoochie Posts: 218 Member
    i get up at 6 to do 25mins of 30 day shred.
    my alarm goes off - i think 'hmmm i could just lay here' then i lay there for a couple of mins and know that ill feel better about myslef if i just get up
    so up i spring
    its hard work - but once im done i feel good - and feel all energises for the day
    it tales 4 weeks to make a habit and 4 weeks to break a habit
    so stick to it!!
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
    I am not a morning person, either, but you can do it. Know it'll suck the first week or so of getting up early, but it gets easier.

    I've come to enjoy morning workouts because they really wake me up and give me energy throughout the day. They totally help with my mood, too. It's great in the evening to know I'm already done with my workout and don't have to schedule it in. I can relax in the evenings.
  • marshallexi
    marshallexi Posts: 162 Member
    I can only face working out in a morning as after work I am wiped and just want to go home and hug the couch.

    It's all about the willpower, even I lie in bed some mornings and think 'I'll stay in bed today and workout tomorrow'. The trick is to force yourself up, once you're up and dressed you'll feel like there's no going back.

    Also, once you start morning gym workouts you'll find there's a hardcore group of morning workout people at your gym, you'll get to know each other and then the early hours won't feel so antisocial!
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
    Have everything ready to go the night before. When I have to wake up early I make sure that I have

    - my clothes laid out (shorts, tshirt, sports bra)
    - socks and my tennis shoes
    - my keys and sunglasses
    - my ipod and headphones
    - my wallet
    - a water bottle and protein bar for the drive home

    Then you get to just roll out of bed and go. Mentally, it means you don't have that excuse of, ugh, where is everything I am going to be late anyways, blah blah blah.

    I also do this with my work stuff on days I work out in the am so that I am not in a rush when I get home from the gym in the morning. Its amazing the difference it makes in my attitude.

    Plus, everyone is right. Once you form the habit you'll be fine.
  • lexy3587
    lexy3587 Posts: 10 Member
    I'm not a morning person, and I do the morning workout (well... currently, I do it twice a week... but I'm working my way up to more!). I am far more likely to show up in the morning than in the evening, after a long day of work, and a long walk with the dog, and dinner and... the tv is right there... and I'm already on the couch... lol
    My best advice - get a buddy - someone else you drive there with, even if you don't do the same things at the same time - it'll drag you out of bed on mornings you don't want to go, because not going would ruin someone elses morning plans too.
    Another thing you could do is participate in something that requires you to sign up ahead of time. The cross-fit classes I'm taking in the morning require me to register beforehand, and I can only cancel before 6 am the morning before the class. Missing the class woudl be wasting money, so I drag myself out of bed.

    Definitely give it a try - I find that once i'm moving in the gym, I feel so much more awake, and not at all like I want to go back to bed. Keeping that in mind helps me get there in the first place :) ...
    Good luck!
  • lval82
    lval82 Posts: 21 Member
    Make sure that you set a bedtime and stick to it. If you don't, you'll be too tired to get up. Even if you don't plan to workout, make that bedtime a routine. I try to be in bed by 10, 11 at the VERY latest and I get up at 4:45 to start my workout at 5. It does get easier. :)
  • smrtcar
    smrtcar Posts: 104 Member
    I tried morning workouts but I set myself up for failure. Do the achievable first. Work with your fiance to make dinners every other day to allow you to workout at your peak energy levels.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
    I am SO not a morning person. :yawn: I need to drag myself out of bed just to get up at my 'regular' time, let alone getting up earlier to do exercise.

    When I started 30DS I quickly learned that I liked getting it done and over with in the morning, many days I'll have stuff going on in the evenings and didn't want to have to get that workout in late at night.

    Though it's really not that much easier to get up early to work out, I find that I have a greater sense of accomplishment for the day when I do. And now, I feel like a slug when I don't work out in the mornings!
  • abalicious
    abalicious Posts: 361 Member
    Been doing the morning thing for 2 months... I am not a morning person! I just force myself to do it. (I have to run, can't afford the gym) Once I get out there and actually make myself... I feel soooo much better during the day and have more energy to do the family thing/dinner in the evenings. Instead of talking myself out of it, I started learning how to talk myself into it... :)

    Good Luck and happy working out!
    D

    THIS is what I was going to say. I forced myself to wake up at 5:30 for the gym and stuck with it for a while. I would actually prefer to workout in the a.m. and am not a morning person either! Also, maybe you and your fiancee could make a schedule to alternate when who makes dinner. Whenever he makes it you can go to the gym, and maybe his days (every other day) you can have a rest day.
  • 33runnergirl
    33runnergirl Posts: 80 Member
    I recently switched my workouts to the AM due to the heat. As everyone has said, it just takes some getting used to but once you get in the habit it is not that bad. I still feel like I preform better in the evening but there is nothing better than getting home from work and not having to workout. I also feel like I have more energy during the day.

    Best of luck! You can do it! Before you know it you will be looking forward to those AM workouts!
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
    That is what hubby and I do right now.

    Home at 6, dinner and play time with my little one until 730. Bathtime/ bedtime until about 815. Get dressed and start working out around 820 or 830 depending on how long it takes little one to chill.

    We are done by 9 (doing 30 DS right now.) Then it is clean up time, making lunches, showers and our bedtime.

    It's hard. We discussed this morning that we need to start getting up in the morning and working out so we feel like we have a "break" at night. Plus, I've slacked on my running because of the above so I think if we work out in the mornings, I can run a few times a week in the evenings and not be so exhausted. I've done it once and was able to get a really good, high protein breakfast in before getting ready for work and I felt like a million bucks all day. So we are probably going to start that tomorrow morning and see how it goes. I am NOT a morning person but I will have that sacrifice if it means I can sit down and relax for 30 minutes at night!
  • audram420
    audram420 Posts: 838 Member
    I have not read through every answer, but I think I'm going to sound like A LOT of people when I say that after a few days to a week you will get used to it and you will LOVE it...maybe not LOVE it, but you'll feel better and find that you have more energy throughout your day! I currently don't do early morning workouts anymore, but I used to and it took me about a week of MAKING myself do it, but it amazed me how energetic I was afterwards!!
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
    I didn't think i was a morning person either until I started am workouts. I started going to bed at 10 instead of 12 and now I get up at 6am and am on the elliptical by 6:30am. I'm not even fully awake at that time of the day, but I get it over with. Just push through it and eventually it will become second nature.
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