Early morning risers q&a and tips.

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  • PinkyPan1
    PinkyPan1 Posts: 3,018 Member
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    I try to golf every morning if I do not have my grandson. Up at 5 am. I feed the cats and clean litter boxes, 2 cups of coffee, unload dishwasher, start a load of laundry and do at least 30 minutes of yoga.. Out the door by 6:30 am and tee off at 7. Most days I golf 27 holes. If I do not tee off early I have to wait until the heat of the afternoon to get my game on. Leagues start at 8 am.

    Mornings that I get my grandson I get up at the same time and do 15 minutes cardio and an hour of yoga. Or go for a walk before sunrise

    I am in bed between 8-9 pm every night.
  • VioletRojo
    VioletRojo Posts: 596 Member
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    I detest getting up early to run, but I do because I can't tolerate the summer heat. I can be up at 3:30am, and out the door by 3:50. I lay all my clothes out the night before and I make sure my alarm is set. And in the morning when I try to talk myself out of getting up, I think about how good it feels to have my run completed before I get to work.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    Oh, yeah, the OP...


    I used to train first thing in the morning. I simply set my alarm early, drank a cup of coffee while farting around on the computer, then went. After a short (as in 2-3 weeks) period of time, it was 2nd nature.
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
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    I'm truly finding this fascinating.
    Obviously there will be exceptions, but I think most Brits would consider anything much before 6:30 or 7am to be early! Something that starts with a 5 is certainly not a normal adulting time here! (Small children aside...)

    Maybe it's because our schools start a bit later than US schools, as far as I know - generally registration at around 8:45am for first lesson at 9am, some may be a bit earlier - so the whole day shifts slightly, starting from the age of 4.

    Standard office hours are still 9-5, which I guess ties in with the schools. Many exceptions in non-office work, shift based, or even office work linked to industry (who can tend to work factory hours).

    Also, our weather's kind of blah year round, so we're not dodging the heat in the mornings.

    I'm not sure I know any adults who routinely go to bed much before 11pm.

    I'd love to find out if anyone's ever collected the data on nationality v wake up time, but it's be super interesting!
  • Mark_Joseph
    Mark_Joseph Posts: 101 Member
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    Thank you everyone that took the time to reply to my post. It means alot!
  • naomi8888
    naomi8888 Posts: 519 Member
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    Like everyone else has said - it's just habit. I get up at 5.20 most weekdays and I'm at the gym ready for my class to start at 6 am. It's hard at first while your body adjusts but if you can get through the first few weeks you'll be fine. I've done it for a few years now and it just becomes routine.
  • englishmuffinruns
    englishmuffinruns Posts: 70 Member
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    It definitely takes some adjustment. I've been doing 5:30am sessions for about three months now and it's finally hitting the "auto-pilot" feeling. Getting your gear together the night before makes things so much easier - last minute scrambles stress me out and make me late.
  • loneda
    loneda Posts: 103 Member
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    I have to go every morning Mon-Sat. I tried to go MWF, but the days off let me get off the schedule and realize how nice it is to sleep in. It never became a habit and was too easy to hit snooze and tell myself I'd go the next day instead.

    I prep everything the night before, shower at the gym, and change there before work. I bring my work clothes on a hanger.
  • rednote49
    rednote49 Posts: 124 Member
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    I don't know how other people exercise in the evenings or even at midday. Like who has the energy?? I've always been an early riser even as a kid. So up before the sun to do a run or hit the gym makes me feel alive and rested. Although my gym is packed at 4:30am for spin class. Freaked me out the first time seeing that when i started. Like all 3 carparks full. So you may want to talk to the workers at your gym to find out when there are less people there. Because early mornings can be just as busy.
  • bababs89
    bababs89 Posts: 307 Member
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    I'm up at 4:45am to get to the gym. I prep everything the night before - gym clothes, work clothes, lunch, snacks, etc. It definitely sucked for the first week or so, but then my body got used to it.
  • rgl536
    rgl536 Posts: 25 Member
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    I work 40 miles from home so I get up at 3:30am, out the door to run by 3:40. Back home in the shower by 5 and back out the door to work by 5:30am.

    Really takes getting used to, but it is the best time for me to run. I am usually too busy or tired after work to run so it makes sense for me.

    I do go to bed rather early, usually by 8:00pm, but I can get my miles in every morning and it is to the point that if I don't run in the morning, I am totally off my game for the day.

    Discipline & repetition I think is the key to this.
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I'm an early-morning exerciser--up at 4:30 am. We are too busy with our kids' activities in the evenings, so there is no other choice for me. Plus, I love how energized and accomplished it makes me feel the rest of the day. I recently switched my Iphone alarm from one of the annoying alarm sounds to a song instead (currently Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop the Feeling!). It sounds so trivial, but this has made a huge difference. With the annoying alarm, I can't wait to make it stop. With a great song, I let it play and enjoy it while waking up. I know by the end of the second time, I've got to be out of bed. It might be worth a try for you!
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
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    Nope. Can't do it. I'm LUCKY if I'm up at 7:30 and out the door by 8:00 to get to work on time. I work out at around 9:30 pm.

    I just want to SLEEP after I work out, and have fallen asleep at work if I worked out that morning.
  • Packerjohn
    Packerjohn Posts: 4,855 Member
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    yayamom3 wrote: »
    I'm an early-morning exerciser--up at 4:30 am. We are too busy with our kids' activities in the evenings, so there is no other choice for me. Plus, I love how energized and accomplished it makes me feel the rest of the day. I recently switched my Iphone alarm from one of the annoying alarm sounds to a song instead (currently Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop the Feeling!). It sounds so trivial, but this has made a huge difference. With the annoying alarm, I can't wait to make it stop. With a great song, I let it play and enjoy it while waking up. I know by the end of the second time, I've got to be out of bed. It might be worth a try for you!

    Play the opening riffs of Stranglehold. You won't hit snooze:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c3d7QgZr7g
  • ktkar85
    ktkar85 Posts: 3 Member
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    Getting out of bed is the hardest step....when my alarm went off at 4:30 this morning I hit snooze and seriously considered not going to the gym. 2 minutes into my snooze, the guilt hit!
    I pack my gym bag the night before and put it in my car, I have my gym clothes laid out and water bottle ready. I splash some water on my face, brush my teeth and drive to the gym with my windows down. By time I get to the gym around 4:50 I'm wide awake. And I really do have more energy throughout the day. I used to practically fall asleep at my desk at work around 3:00 - that is a thing of the past!
  • beerfoamy
    beerfoamy Posts: 1,521 Member
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    Packerjohn wrote: »

    Play the opening riffs of Stranglehold. You won't hit snooze:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c3d7QgZr7g

    I like 'Bounce' - System of a Down. Definitely wakes me up fully!

    However this got banned shortly after my gf moved in - she was none too appreciative of it and prefers birdsong or gentle music haha

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