Early Workouts

RaeAnne2011
RaeAnne2011 Posts: 6
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I'd like to start getting up at like 5:30 a.m. to walk on my treadmill. My life is pretty busy with having 5 kids, a boyfriend and a dog - fulltime career. I'm told that getting up early will reduce my stress, especially if I can get in a light work out.

Has this helped anyone else? If so, how were you able to get into the routine? Any suggestions?

Thanks
Rachel

Replies

  • rbryntes
    rbryntes Posts: 710 Member
    I just did it.
  • vnelson17
    vnelson17 Posts: 31
    i told myself M-F I was going to wake up at 5 am to workout...well, after two weeks of hitting the snooze button I realize I need to approach it differently. So I would wake up MWF at 5 to work out. I picked Monday because I wasnt as tired since I got sleep during the weekend and Friday since, well its Friday. After doing this for about two months, my body naturally started waking up at 5 every morning.
  • lambeas
    lambeas Posts: 229 Member
    I wake up at 5:10 4 days a week to grab a cardio session in the morning. The best thing to do is turn your coffee pot on as soon as your start, then when you are done it is hot, fresh and a welcome reward for your efforts.

    Starting early is not always easy, but if you can look at it like... you will never regret waking up and hoping on the treadmill in the mornings, but you WILL regret it, if you don't try!
  • areay22
    areay22 Posts: 150 Member
    It will take awhile to get used to it. I have taught spin at 5:30 am for 4 years. I still get up the days I don't teach to stay in the routine. I'm 9 months pregnant and I'm still getting up to stay in the routine. Good luck
  • MzMiller1215
    MzMiller1215 Posts: 633 Member
    I have 4 boys, married and work full-time. I look at my 4 a.m. workouts as a necessity for my health and wellness. Exercising in the morning gives me much more energy to start my day and it's my "ME" time before the madness begins for the day. I make it a priority and now it is a habit.
  • Aem2381
    Aem2381 Posts: 89 Member
    I just started this week with the 30DS....Our mornings start super early since I have to have my oldest to the bus by 6:20 in the morning. I am now getting up at 4:30 to get my workout in!! It is hard but my body and mind are so awake and ready to go by the time I get to work at 6:45! I don't have time in the afternoons to always fit in a workout, between 3 kids and their activities and fitting in time to spend with the family! So far it is working for me!

    Best of luck!
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    When I've been most succesful at losing weight, it was because I work out 1st thing in the morning. I can't say yes or no on the stress level, but when I wake up in the morning to workout, I feel better about myself and therefore I am in a better place mentally to deal with the stress.
    I heard that when you workout first thing in the morning that you elevate your metabolism for that whole day.

    Good luck.
  • Marig0ld
    Marig0ld Posts: 671 Member
    Early morning exerciser here!! One thing that helps me is making an iced coffee the night before with some sugar free chocolate syrup and almond milk, sometimes throw it in the blender so it tastes almost like a Frappucino! I stick it in the fridge so I just have to stumble to the fridge and have a couple sips before I start to wake up. I know it may seem "wrong" to motivate myself with a beverage, but that early in the a.m. you gotta work with those primal instincts! Lol!

    I also think of what a good thing I'm doing for myself by getting it out of the way. If you need to, keep a list of motivations next to your bed. Whatever helps! :-) Good luck, your body will get used to it in no time...sometimes on my rest days I will still wake up early naturally!
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    The key for me was actually getting my feet to hit the floor instead of hitting snooze. I haven't hit the snooze button in a couple of months now where before there would be 4 or 5 snoozes. I get up at 4:30 to work out as I have to get the kids up at 5:30 so they can be ready for school. My wife and I both have to be to work at 7:00 so morning comes early. I knew that if I waited until I got home there would be too much to do and I'd end up "doing my workout tomorrow" and we know when tomorrow happens. After I got into the pattern it was easier (not easy but definitely easier).

    I do feel a whole lot better throughout the day when I've worked out first thing in the morning. And when it comes time to go to bed I crash hard rather than laying awake for a while trying to get to sleep as was my pattern in the past. This week I've actually been getting up a few minutes before the alarm goes off.

    You just gotta do it.
  • jennieodwyer
    jennieodwyer Posts: 1,036 Member
    I started working out at 5am because it was the only time I had to myself to workout once I had my baby. If I don't do it then, it never gets done. It takes a while to get used to but now it is like second nature.
  • Fairysoul
    Fairysoul Posts: 1,361 Member
    I do it everyday! I am a real grouch when I don't!
  • meldickman
    meldickman Posts: 38
    I find that if I don't exercise in the AM I will find too meny excuses later in the day. I go to bed in my sports bra,running shorts and tank top so after I take my youngest son to school I head straight home to exercise before work. Sleeping in my workout clothes works for me!
  • kerriknox
    kerriknox Posts: 276 Member
    I have 4 boys, married and work full-time. I look at my 4 a.m. workouts as a necessity for my health and wellness. Exercising in the morning gives me much more energy to start my day and it's my "ME" time before the madness begins for the day. I make it a priority and now it is a habit.

    I'm the same except I only have 2 boys. I work full-time and if I don't work out in the mornings I will never see my kids since they are young and are in bed by 8. I wake up at 5:30am and hit the gym at 6:15. It is right across from my work so I just shower there and head to work for 8. It was hard at first but now it is such a habit that I find on the mornings I am so tired I hit the sleep button I never actually get back to sleep so it is just a waste.
  • kim_mc
    kim_mc Posts: 321 Member
    How in the world do you get started though????

    My youngest 2 are up sometimes by 5am! And I work nights so mornings are NOT my friend!!! Any suggestions? I've been saying for a year that I should get up in the morning and get it done but then I think I would want to sleep all day long!

    One day I did get up when I had to be at a morning meeting and I loved that I didn't have to worry about it for the reset of the day but I fell asleep on the couch by 8pm.....not ok if you have to work overnight!
  • Bankman1989
    Bankman1989 Posts: 1,116 Member
    I'd like to start getting up at like 5:30 a.m. to walk on my treadmill. My life is pretty busy with having 5 kids, a boyfriend and a dog - fulltime career. I'm told that getting up early will reduce my stress, especially if I can get in a light work out.

    Has this helped anyone else? If so, how were you able to get into the routine? Any suggestions?

    Thanks
    Rachel

    i get in at least 30 mins of cardio in the morning even though I work out in the evening. It gets me thru the day. I just started a new schedule so I was up at 4:30 this morning. I would suggest taking an extra 15 mins to adjust. I love cycling and its to busy to ride in the morning so I still get my evening rides in.
  • shakybabe
    shakybabe Posts: 1,578 Member
    I find I burn more with early morning workout cos I manage to keep going longer. I don't eat first just get out if bed and straight on with it. I read that we wake up in fat burning mode cos we've been fasting all night and if we exercise first before eating our bodies have to use fat stores for energy. I've lost 15lbs since I started this and my waist and tummy measurements have shrunk too!

    But I've also read that 6-8 hours sleep is important too so I don't do it every day and have some lie-in days between, so hopefully get the best of both theories!
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I was doing really good with it over the summer. With the kids and my husband's work schedule it really the easiest time. And yeah, it does make you feel good all day long. So nice to get it done and over with for the day, you feel energetic all day long. It's nice.
  • krissykross
    krissykross Posts: 61
    I used to sleep until noon. Lately I've been getting up at 8am at the latest (more like 530-645 lately) and I feel so much better. I have time to have a cup of coffee, breakfast, and watch the news with my husband before he leaves and then I take one of the dogs for a half hour to an hour walk. My days are so much better since I've made these changes.

    It took me a while to work up to getting up that early though. A little earlier each time.
  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,223 Member
    It takes 30 days to make/break a habit. I've been getting up @ 4:15am for a couple of months now (maybe longer?). In any event, I have 2 kids, 3 dogs and a fiance (no partridge in a pear tree though...boohoohoo). lol If I skip a workout I feel more tired than if I were to get up and just do it.

    Now the first couple of weeks were rough, but I just made myself. Now I get up at least by 5am on the weekends because my body is so used to the early morning workout.

    If you work nights you may want to get up an hour earlier and get your workout in then.

    Also, I used to suffer from insomnia and the extra activity has really made a HUGE difference in my sleeping patterns. :)
  • Scorpioangel
    Scorpioangel Posts: 951 Member
    I get up and work out early also and have gotten into the habit of it. It is nice that it is over and done with :) The only thing that sucks is sometimes it is hard to get up and do it when you are sleeping really well!
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
    Moving workouts from evening to early mornings was the best thing I ever did.
  • msbinyard
    msbinyard Posts: 4
    i just started working out in the morning last week and i must say i have seen a big change in my energy level. I have 3 kids, i work full time and attend school full time with a husband in the military. I couldn't workout in the evening anymore so i get up at 530am and then head to the gym for 1 hour of cardio 4 days a week its be working out so far.
  • naturallynikki
    naturallynikki Posts: 81
    I have 3 sons, husband, and I work full-time, so it is a MUST that wake up early to workout or it will not get done when I get home from my first full-time job to my second full-time job (motherhood and wifehood). My alarm goes off at 4:05 and I do not snooze it. I brush my teeth, pop in my 30DS DVD, and head to the gym after I'm finished with the DVD for an hour of cardio and strength. I've lost about 15lbs so far. So, does it work? For me...yes! :wink:
  • BrownSugar81
    BrownSugar81 Posts: 34
    I have been waking up at 5am everyday and workout for 30 minutes, it makes my whole day much better and I make better food choices because I don't want to undo the work I have put in so far. I don't have time to do longer workouts because I still have to cook breakfast and get ready for work then drop off my kiddo with the sitter. Sometimes I do take my son to the park after work and I get a little workout there since they have a track there. Most days we just turn the music on and we dance in the living room, very good workout there too! Basically you can get a workout in anywhere and at anytime, its all up to you!
  • Cinbeth
    Cinbeth Posts: 29 Member
    I too have been thinking about getting up to work out early. I was just wondering around what time does everyone go to sleep?
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