Is it worth waking earlier?

sophielouise1476
sophielouise1476 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 16 in Fitness and Exercise
I feel like recently I want to be more motivated, I feel as though I could help myself by waking up earlier each day and actually doing something such as a run or a walk. Does anyone else do this/ think it will help with my motivation?

thanks guys xo

Replies

  • nikolabird
    nikolabird Posts: 52 Member
    I often have this intention but I can't say it always works lol.
    I usually do it on weekends as too much going on in the week and feel I need to rest more.
  • NewyRob
    NewyRob Posts: 22 Member
    edited March 2017
    I wake at 5am and have done so since my teens. I usually find it easier to get in a run or a swim in the morning when I'm fresh and the rest of the world is sleeping. Things build up through the day that get in the way of evening exercise, particularly when you're looking after kids.

    Of course, getting up early means you have to go to bed early, and lots of people find that difficult. Sleep deprivation will make it hard to achieve your calorie goals.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    i like the idea of it, and when it works it's spectacular.

    the downside for me is that morning workouts have a hard time-cap on them because work. so if i wake up with a kink in something or i just can't get my mobility/whatever right, then a morning workout can be less productive than waiting until after work when i'll have all the time in the world and probably be looser too.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,630 Member
    For me ... there's very little in life worth waking up early for and there's very little that can't be done later in the day. :)

    About the only thing worth waking up really early for is an all day bicycle ride ... the sort that starts somewhere between 5 and 7 am.
  • charlenekemp07
    charlenekemp07 Posts: 36 Member
    I started waking up a little earlier to go for a run and it feels amazing!! You feel more energised during the day and not so tired. I found that I am enthusiastic during my 1st week, but after the weekend, coming Monday again, not so much... so what I do is, I don't stop when it's weekend, I will maybe just go in the afternoon, especially on Sundays, so when it's Monday again, your body is still use to it and you can just continue. So i give myself 1 day off during the week, but I realized that I still wake up during that time, even though my alarm doesn't go off, just because I'm already in that mindset. So, give it a try, you'll never know until you try... btw, I'm NOT a morning person!! But running in the morning feels goooood!!!
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
    Morning people tend to be more successful:

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/jennifercohen/2013/10/02/5-things-super-successful-people-do-before-8-am/amp/

    http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-people-who-wake-up-really-early-2016-4/#apple-ceo-tim-cook-wakes-up-at-345-am-and-gets-a-head-start-on-email-1

    One of the common things mentioned as being done early is exercising
  • BeeerRunner
    BeeerRunner Posts: 728 Member
    I'm a runner and I run outside. In the summer, I wake up early to get my runs in before work. I'm not a morning person, but it's unbearably hot to do so at any other time of day. I do like having my work out done and it gives me time later to hang out with my family, run errands, or get another workout in to cross train or lift weights. However, in the winter, I slip back to sleeping in. It's really hard for me to get out of a nice warm bed to go out in the cold air, even though I know I'll warm up after a few minutes.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    I was 100% not a morning person my whole life and then I changed jobs and I also have a 2nd job and career and I was faced with either giving up the 2nd career or giving up exercise. I realized that I didn't want to give up either so I started going to the gym at 5:30am.

    I love it!

    Don't get me wrong, it took me awhile to get used to it. It's been almost 2 years and it's the best decision I've ever made. I'm more motivated after my morning workout and I don't have to worry about getting to the gym after work along with tons of other people (added bonus to early morning workouts, the gym is usually empty), or worrying that something was going to come up that would keep me from the gym.

    I do agree with what another commenter said in that you have a finite amount of time in the gym because you have to get to work. So I use Saturdays and Sundays as my long workout days.

    I would suggest giving yourself a long time to become accustomed to it. Maybe start out just 3 days a week and add days as your body adjusts.
  • Hello_its_Dan
    Hello_its_Dan Posts: 406 Member
    sophielouise1476 wrote: »
    I feel like recently I want to be more motivated, I feel as though I could help myself by waking up earlier each day and actually doing something such as a run or a walk. Does anyone else do this/ think it will help with my motivation?

    thanks guys xo

    I get up early to lift.
    Or play video games.
    But mostly lift.
  • hubbardcasey28
    hubbardcasey28 Posts: 30 Member
    I get up at 4:45 every morning, I get so much done....when I try too work out in the evening I'm too amped up to sleep.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,992 Member
    The WORTH is how you see it, not how someone else does. I believe lifting weights is very beneficial and worth it. 3/4 of America doesn't.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,908 Member
    I have always been a morning person. Even when I was huge and lazy. Now my kids are gone and my new life includes working out, but I just can't face going outside in the dark, brushing snow off my vehicle, and driving to the gym at 5 a.m. So in the winter I stop at the gym on my home from work. But the rest of the year I love to run in the mornings. It doesn't matter what else the day throws at me, my workout has been done. And it frees up my evenings to do other fun stuff, like go for a walk with my husband, or a paddle on the lake, or a bike ride.

    I look forward to the seasonal changes in my routine so I guess that for me, moving things around motivates me. But everyone is different.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Really depends on how early you go to bed and how much sleep you get. Sleep is more important IMO.
  • c50blvdbabe
    c50blvdbabe Posts: 213 Member
    For me it is. Just as others have said 1. it's out of the way as anything can come up later on in the day; 2. it not only makes me feel energized but I make better eating decisions; 3. your body does get used to it. I say give it a try for a week and see how you are able to function at work/get things accomplished during the day.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
    You have to find your motivation and what works for you. Nothing we say on a forum will change that. What works for me won't work for you.
  • HomeatWDW
    HomeatWDW Posts: 121 Member
    I'm a night owl but recently I've been waking up early to get in a walk and I'm really enjoying the change. I live in a hot climate so it will serve me well in the summer if I can maintain the habit because of the cool morning temps. Shouldn't be hard as the dog loves the early walks and usually acts as my alarm clock now.
  • ditditdee
    ditditdee Posts: 38 Member
    edited March 2017
    @jennybearlv is my spirit animal. I totally agree. I just can't in the morning. Some days it's all I can do to get a shower in the morning, let alone exercise. Do whatever works best for you.
  • kclaar11
    kclaar11 Posts: 162 Member
    I always found that when I waited until later, I was less motivated and things always came up. I am a morning person so I started getting up at 5:30 to exercise, and I enjoy it so much more. It gets the morning started well and leaves me more energized through the workday.
  • BobbyLively1961
    BobbyLively1961 Posts: 38 Member
    I find I burn more calories all day when I workout early
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    It depends on you. Will waking up earlier give you the time to do things you otherwise wouldn't do? Will you be motivated to get out of bed and go work out? The best approach is just to try it and see if it works for you. If it does, great; if it doesn't, no harm done. I go to an early morning conditioning class twice a week, and I know nothing else is going to interfere with that unless I'm just not feeling well enough to get up early, but I'm pretty tired early in the evening on those days. During the summer, I also get up and go for a run at sunrise, because that's the only time it's cool enough to do it (and I'd rather get up early than run on a treadmill).
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    When I exercise first thing in the morning, my mood is greatly improved and I feel it just starts my day off right. It takes a while to build that habit and honestly it just sucks sometimes at first, but so worth it.
  • kclaar11
    kclaar11 Posts: 162 Member
    meganridenour wrote: »
    When I exercise first thing in the morning, my mood is greatly improved and I feel it just starts my day off right. It takes a while to build that habit and honestly it just sucks sometimes at first, but so worth it.

    Completely agree. It is a rough start, but once it becomes habit, you can't stop. I even get up on weekends at the same time
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    sophielouise1476 wrote: »
    I feel like recently I want to be more motivated, I feel as though I could help myself by waking up earlier each day and actually doing something such as a run or a walk. Does anyone else do this/ think it will help with my motivation?

    thanks guys xo

    Help with you motivation? Maybe in the very short term. It will get old in a hurry just as all of your other efforts at exercise have. "Motivation" is very short term. Motivation is fleeting, motivation is short lived, motivation, for the long term is B.S. Determination is what you're after. Motivation may be used to get you started, but to continue it's all determination. Getting up, getting out, doing what you need to do when you really don't want to, THEN you'll have the determination to get it done.

    Will starting earlier in the morning help? It might, but it is specific to the person. Give it a try, you might like it.
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