AM WORKOUTS

EJsMummy26
EJsMummy26 Posts: 101 Member
edited November 11 in Fitness and Exercise
How do you motivate yourself to get out of bed???

I'm not a morning person, although I'd like to workout in the AM to make the most of my day and jump start my metabolism.
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Replies

  • cabaray
    cabaray Posts: 971 Member
    How do you motivate yourself to get out of bed???

    I'm not a morning person, although I'd like to workout in the AM to make the most of my day and jump start my metabolism.
    I hit snooze at least 3 times before I'm finally out of bed. Still half asleep, I grab a cup of water and get on my exercise bike and start pedaling. Within a couple of minutes I'm wide awake, pedaling away catching up on shows I've DVR'd. An hour later, I'm done. I am so lazy in the afternoon. I would never workout if I didn't get it done in the mornings!
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    I set my coffeemaker so the coffee is ready when my alarm goes off...so all I think about is "mmm coffee!" and then by the time I'm enjoying that, it's too late to go back to bed so might as well work out :)
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I have to get up anyway to go to work. Might as well cut out half my internet time and work out instead. I feel better all day if I do.
  • make a committment to someone. If you work out by yourself, tell someone you know that you plan on working out in the a.m., and have them hold you to it. Committing a plan to someone holds you accountable.
  • jrodx2
    jrodx2 Posts: 203 Member
    I think it depends on the kind of person you are. I've always been a morning person so no matter what, I'm up by 7am. With working out, I need to wake up at 5am. I thought it would be awful but within a week, I just started waking up without a problem. I do night workouts when needed (e.g. getting to bed after 12 the night before) but I find that I have more energy in the morning and I'm not thinking about the fact that I still need to save time to do it after I'm home.

    Also, for morning workouts, I always have something to eat to kick start my metabolism before working out. Otherwise, I'd wouldn't have the same amount of energy because I would be hungry throughout my workout. I have "pb protein bites" that I make on the weekends and eat a few just before my workout. Something like this may help with your energy in the mornings.
  • NKF92879
    NKF92879 Posts: 601 Member
    I just know I have to do it. I know that if I don't work out in the A.M., I probably won't do it in the P.M.. Now that I'm in the habit, it's not so bad.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,810 Member
    I'll keep it real: I don't do it if I don't have to. The only times I force myself out of bed earlier in the morning to work out is if I've got something going on after work (son's t-ball practice, volunteer work stuff, etc). I am NOT a morning person either. For me to get to work on time and get in a work out, shower, etc, I have to be up by 4:30. So not my thing. Plus, when I work out in the morning I can't go as hard as I can in the afternoons and I'm tired the rest of the day. Yes, my diet is on track, yes I'm getting plenty of sleep, and yes I drink plenty of water. It's just me.

    That said, my mom gets up every morning at 5, gets in a great workout and is energized and ready for a full day of teaching high school, sometimes followed by personal training sessions (she is a trainer as well). She's told me many times it just takes a while to get into that routine, but once you're in it, it's very easy to get up earlier. Just stick with it, and after a few weeks you'll find yourself naturally waking up a bit earlier and going to bed earlier as well. Good luck!
  • chocciechip
    chocciechip Posts: 207 Member
    I'm goign to try getting up for a morning workout tomorrow.... I've been meaning to do it for the past 2 weeks - have set my alarm for 6.30 every morning and then pressed snooze (10minute snooze rotation) until 8 lol.........(exercise FAIL)
  • I set my alarm, snooze it once and then tell myself, "You can stay in bed and stay fat, or You can get Your *kitten* up and change that..."
  • I don't think about it I just get up and start changing into my workout clothes. If I hit snooze or lay in bed I will talk myself out of going.
  • cuteash17
    cuteash17 Posts: 24 Member
    make a committment to someone. If you work out by yourself, tell someone you know that you plan on working out in the a.m., and have them hold you to it. Committing a plan to someone holds you accountable.

    i find that really works ! they just bugg uu untill u do it. i did a deal with my mommm and now i give her 50 bucks a paycheque untill i lose 20 pounds then u think crapp im loosing all my moneyy hahah really motivates me
  • I train with another person. Knowing that someone is waiting for you is pretty good motivation to get up and get moving. It's not an issue for him because he's up at 5:00am every day anyway. We hit the gym at 6am and are usually back home by 7am
  • jmllmj
    jmllmj Posts: 12
    I have to walk to the gym, which is ten minutes from my house on foot. I just roll out of bed and before my body realizes what is happening to it I am halfway to the gym and wide awake. I always lay out my gym stuff the night before. That way I just throw my sweats on and go.
  • msliu7911
    msliu7911 Posts: 638 Member
    make a committment to someone. If you work out by yourself, tell someone you know that you plan on working out in the a.m., and have them hold you to it. Committing a plan to someone holds you accountable.

    This. I did it buy purchasing a 10 session package with a personal trainer... and making the appointments far in advance knowing I cannot cancel. Its hard getting up at 4:45, however once I'm on the road at 5:10 and at the trainer by 5:30, I'm glad I didn't decide to crawl back into bed. Also, i pack my gym clothes ahead of time and put them on the bathroom counter so I see them as soon as I wake up and can change.
  • slbauer63
    slbauer63 Posts: 92 Member
    Made a commitment by paying for a program. I cannot see wasting money I have already spent by not going. I attend a bootcamp 4 days a weeks which starts @ 5:30AM. I am up at 5AM, workout at 5:30AM, done by 6:30AM, and head home to start my day. I work from home so I get myself ready, have breakfast and I am good to go. I love the fact I have my workout complete since I can always find excuses during the day for reasons not to workout in the afternoon/evening.

    By the way, I am NOT a morning person so this has been a challenge but so worth it.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    It gets easier the more you do it, but you may have to force it at first. I've always packed my bag, prepared the coffee maker, and laid out the workout clothes the night before to help get me out the door. Its such a habit now, that I rarely even consider going back to sleep.

    I AM a morning person though (not the happy-in-your-face kind, but once I'm up, I'm up!), and if I plan to go after work, I can spend all day talking myself out of going. I can say it feels great getting the workout done before most people have their first cup of coffee, but its not for everyone. Give it a try, but if it doesn't work for you, don't beat yourself up trying to force it (just find a routine that works)!
  • kmillers
    kmillers Posts: 144 Member
    I get up at 4am to work out. I put my clothes in the bathroom so I have to put them on when nature does its morning call. If I don't want to get out of bed, I remind myself that I have NEVER regretted working out. Plus, my evenings are full and I just don't feel like it. When I get to work, I know I have already done more than most people will all day. That is my secret pride.
  • You are going to have to train your body to be a morning body....It's not that hard.....No one is a morning person to start they become morning people.....You have to start by getting your body used to sleep at least an hour before you do now....For me, I started hitting bed at 830pm and reading until tired.....Then, I got up at 530am and started my day.....Once you do that a few times, your body will get into rhythm and you can start working out.....Give it about a month before you start to feel you can run at 100% in this situation.....There are still AMs when I find it hard to get going but I have been doing this now for over 10 years and have tried afternoon and evening workouts.....It simply doesn't do it for me....My body has become used to the AM workouts and I usually feel slow and sluggish on the 2 days each week I do not work out.....
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    Time management, you just do it.
  • trijoe
    trijoe Posts: 729 Member
    I go to sleep earlier. Getting in a morning habit takes a few days of struggle, but once you get the hang of going to bed earlier, it's easy to wake up earlier.
  • jdavis193
    jdavis193 Posts: 972 Member
    I'll keep it real: I don't do it if I don't have to. The only times I force myself out of bed earlier in the morning to work out is if I've got something going on after work (son's t-ball practice, volunteer work stuff, etc). I am NOT a morning person either. For me to get to work on time and get in a work out, shower, etc, I have to be up by 4:30. So not my thing. Plus, when I work out in the morning I can't go as hard as I can in the afternoons and I'm tired the rest of the day. Yes, my diet is on track, yes I'm getting plenty of sleep, and yes I drink plenty of water. It's just me.

    That said, my mom gets up every morning at 5, gets in a great workout and is energized and ready for a full day of teaching high school, sometimes followed by personal training sessions (she is a trainer as well). She's told me many times it just takes a while to get into that routine, but once you're in it, it's very easy to get up earlier. Just stick with it, and after a few weeks you'll find yourself naturally waking up a bit earlier and going to bed earlier as well. Good luck!

    This is me to. I find that my evening workouts are better than morning!!! I am also tired the rest of the day to.
  • CNG223
    CNG223 Posts: 127 Member
    I set my alarm, snooze it once and then tell myself, "You can stay in bed and stay fat, or You can get Your *kitten* up and change that..."

    I love this!
  • almc170
    almc170 Posts: 1,093 Member
    The really sketchy "Target Metabolism" commercial (I don't even want to know...) that's usually playing when my alarm goes off is more than enough to get me out of bed.
  • ButterflyRaven
    ButterflyRaven Posts: 15 Member
    I find a song I can't stand, get the ringtone , set it to my alarm, then set my phone across the room so when it goes off, I am motivated to get up and shut it up. If I chose a song I like I'd just lye there and listen to it.

    I try to get my exercise done after college. I get done at noon, and try to get my work out done a little after that or, I aim for around four. True morning workouts are better, but as early as I get up when I do chose to do so.....I think I'd wake everyone doing my dvds!
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    Keep Trying!

    What worked for me was asking myself this question in the early morning hour, "You can choose to get up and lose weight today or choose to stay in bed and stay the weight you are, which do you choose?"
  • shanahan_09
    shanahan_09 Posts: 238 Member
    I set my alarm, snooze it once and then tell myself, "You can stay in bed and stay fat, or You can get Your *kitten* up and change that..."

    LOL, exactly what I told myself this morning. Love it!!
  • Bostonstacey
    Bostonstacey Posts: 23 Member
    I've never been a morning person, then I went and married a bartender... that didn't help. I have, however, found that I kind of love working out in the morning -- nothing crazy, just a half-hour cardio kickboxing tape more often than not. If I do, I have more energy during the day, and I don't HAVE to work out in the evening if I don't want to or if something comes up (though I usually do work out in the evening, too).

    I have to set three alarms... one the time I SHOULD get up to work out before work. I almost always sleep through this one. The second is for the the absolute latest time that I can get up and still get a work out in before work. For the first few weeks, I woke up at this alarm a lot. The third, sadly, is for my old wake up time, which leaves no time to work out before work.

    For me, it was all about making it a habit. After a few weeks, I found myself getting out of bed in between the 1st and 2nd alarm without trying too hard. That being said, there are still nights where the hubby wakes me up at 3am when he's coming to bed, and then I can't get back to sleep, and I curse at the first to alarms and get up at the third... but then I feel crummy all day, which actually makes for excellent motivation to get out of bed all the earlier the next morning. :-)
  • I live on the fourth floor of my condo building and do not use the elevator (to go down at least). In my car is a complete shower bag, I took my "good" shampoo, conditioner, hairspray, flat iron, body wash, ALL of my makeup, etc. All I do at night is pick out my clothes for work and grab a fresh towel. I have made my "shower" bag so necessary to the point that if I really don't want to go to the gym at 5:15 when I leave I MUST go downstairs to get it. By that point, I may as well just get my booty in the car and go! I hope that helps!
  • I think about how lovely it is to finish early at the end of the day. It means more rest at the end of a day which is so lovely.

    I just remind myself I'm not going to enjoy getting out of bed at any point so I might as well jump out quickly now! ^__^
  • I set my alarm, snooze it once and then tell myself, "You can stay in bed and stay fat, or You can get Your *kitten* up and change that..."

    Haha! I love this! That's probably the best motivator, knowing that if you don't do it, you will stay how you are.

    For me, I don't know. I'm just really disciplined. I tell myself I have to and I just do. It's not hard for me. I never set the alarm, I am always up between 4 and 5 naturally, and so I just pack up and go the gym. I love my mornings at the gym. It's quieter and I can build relationships with the small group of people that go super early. And it makes me feel great all day. But I do get super tired when I get home from work, around five thirty in the evening. That's the only downfall for me. I am usually too tired to cook something healthy, but I have to anyway. By eight, I am bushed and go to bed.
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