How to get up early to exercise
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Eagles8080
Posts: 197 Member
I want to wake up at 5 am and hit treadmill for walk but I just never feel motivated. What are the benefits of getting up early to exercise. How can I get motivated
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Replies
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That's why I exercise after work.4
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I get up at 4:15 am just to shower. I just had to tell myself, I'm doing this. You need this. Just think of how great your day will start off when your workout is already done!3
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its discipline not happiness that gets me to the gym first thing in am for my morning power walk/work out. the benefit - its done and I don't ever have to think about it throughout my day.3
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I get up at 2:30 am. I set 3 alarms.8
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You don't rely on motivation to get up on time to go to work. It's just part of your schedule. Make this your schedule. Set your alarm, have clothes ready to go, have your day planned around doing it early. Make it as hard as possible to come up with a reasonable excuse.
But if you don't actually want to or you genuinely can't see yourself making it a habit then don't bother? There's no benefit to exercising early compared to any other time.13 -
I wake up at 5am so I can lift and do cardio before work. It took some time getting used to the early am sessions. Go to bed early, and have a consistent bed time. I go to bed no later than 9:30. I’ve been going in the morning for about 6 years now. I don’t have the energy or motivation after work.6
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I wake up at 5am so I can lift and do cardio before work. It took some time getting used to the early am sessions. Go to bed early, and have a consistent bed time. I go to bed no later than 9:30. I’ve been going in the morning for about 6 years now. I don’t have the energy or motivation after work.
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Why do you want to do this at 5am? Isn’t that your motivation?4
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firstly, you don't have to do it in the morning if you have another time that you can commit to consistently
secondly, commitment and habit. i would often where my running clothes to bed so all i had to do was put on my shoes. my dogs also got in the habit. sometimes, i would literally roll out of bed. literally.
once i got the hang of it though, it wasn't bad. just part of my daily routine2 -
What other have said: Don't count on "inspiration" or "motivation" on things you just make "gotta do".
However, it doesn't hurt to remind yourself WHY you're making this change. (I like a Post-It on the bathroom mirror). Write it down and refer to it daily.
For instance:
*When I get my workout started at 5, I'm more likely to achieve my goal of....
*The early Zumba class is the one with the fun people in it.
*Doing my workout at 5 means more time doing X in afternoon.
And don't forget to reward yourself. No reason you can't get a "good job" for something you HAVE TO do.
But also, it's OK to consider contingency plans if the 5 am workout doesn't work out in my book. It's about getting the job done whatever works for you. Some people work out at 11 pm and that's not for me either. (Well maybe a relaxing yoga workout...)
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There are no benefits if you hate it. I don't mind getting up early and I tried 6 am swimming but I was always so hungry (I wasn't going to get up at 4:30 so I could eat), I hated it, whereas I look forward to my afternoon swim. The truth is, most people are at their lowest energy first thing in the morning and there is no special benefit from a physiological point of view. I'd rather go to work early, exercise some other time and actually enjoy it.4
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I always think that some people are at their best in the morning, and some late in the day. I have always been a morning person. I'm at my best early and can get a million things done. In the evening I'm dragging my tail. My husband is just the opposite--of course. So, know yourself and work in your exercise when you're at your most active. Exercise has to fit into your lifestyle if you want to keep it up longterm.1
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Eagles8080 wrote: »I want to wake up at 5 am and hit treadmill for walk (But there is your motivation. YOU WANT TO DO IT) but I just never feel motivated. (Then I guess you don't really want to do it) What are the benefits of getting up early to exercise. (You get your exercise out of the way for the rest of the day)How can I get motivated (Why do you have to get "motivated" to do something you want to do?)
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For about the past three years, I've consistently gotten up every weekday morning at 5am to get in my workout before work. I run 3 miles on the treadmill three days a week and the other two I strength train.
At first it was really hard, but I treated it like a doctor's appointment -- it's not something I could just blow off or skip. I set an alarm with no snooze option and I scheduled every workout on my calendar. The first week was hard, but now my body just normally gets up at 5am.
And I find on those rare occasions I do skip my 5am workout, I have less energy, I don't make the best food choices, and I just feel ...blah. For me, it helped me take off 60 pounds and keep it off. I also like that it gives me some "me time" before I have to go to work and just do normal life stuff. And I personally feel it gets my metabolism going, which helped me lose weight and keep it off.
If you really want to start working out at 5am, I urge you to do it and stick with it for at least two weeks before you decide if it's not for you or not. That's how long it took me to create the habit, and once formed, it's just part of my everyday routine now.3 -
get up?
well, I do hit the snooze button 3 or 4 times
..... then I train in the afternoon or evening.6 -
Loaded question. It completely depends on your situation what motivates you or not to get up early. Some mornings I simply need more sleep. Some mornings I'm rearing to go early. I try to get up a little before 5:30 and go running in my neighborhood before my hubby and babies wake. My motivation is not only to keep my same size jeans but it is the only time of day that is "me" time. I get to run, clear my head, and push myself forward in ways that I don't do any other time of day.
I don't think waking up early is any different than working out after work. You either do it or you don't. No one can motivate you but you. You've just got to hone in on the one reason it is beneficial to you and go with it.
It personally makes me feel good to know it is done and I can continue with my day as planned and my calories are already burned and still burning.1 -
I change my workout times around based on whatever happens to be going on in my life and also based on the gym's group exercise schedule.
When I'm doing morning workouts I find it helps to go to sleep in clothes that are appropriate to exercise in and I also put my phone/alarm in a spot that requires me getting up out of bed to turn off the alarm. For me, getting up out of bed is half the battle. I'm also finding morning workouts a little easier right now since DH's work schedule changed so that he gets up early too. Not seeing someone else sleeping and cozy makes it easier for me to get up. I do find I am in a better mood and get more done on days that I workout early.
That said, if working out in the afternoon or late at night is convenient for you and more likely that you'll do it, then that's fine too.1 -
I always ask myself if any behavior is sustainable. For me, I refuse to get up early EVERY day to work out. I will however get up extra early SOME days. I know that my Tuesdays and Thursdays are days that life will interfere with after work exercise. So on those days I get up at 5:00 AM and go run in the dark. I can live with two days a week because fitness is important to me. I have rest days on Monday and Friday, so I only need to exercise after work on Wednesdays. I can do that... Weekends I exercise whenever it fits into my day.1
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Wake up, drink some coffee, work out, and then it's done! Yay! You'll feel soooo good once it's done. And think how good you'll feel each day, starting out with a feeling of accomplishment. You'll love yourself for it, even though every now and then it may feel like crap while doing it--but it gets better and you'll feel better, more stronger and amazing!1
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sometimes, i would literally roll out of bed. literally.
once i got the hang of it though, it wasn't bad. just part of my daily routine
LOL I'm glad I'm not the only one that has had to do this
Motivation is a fickle thing therefore I don't rely on it. Its my persistence and determination that gets me going. Plus I look at it as me time, to work on achieving a better version of myself 
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