calling all morning exercisers!!

I've got 5 kids and wake up at 5.30a.m to get my workout done and dusted. Makes my day easier

I have two kids, age 4 and 5. I get up at 5 am each morning to exercise. I am starting to enjoy the short amount of free time I have without mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, you get the idea.

I agree with what a lot of the other posters have already said. I get up at 5:30 to exercise M-F. Saturday and Sunday I usually just get up whenever if we don't have anything to do right away. That's still usually by 7:00, though. I have 4 kids that are up by 6:00 most mornings. I love working out first thing and getting it behind me. Like someone else mentioned, I love that I don't have to motivate myself to do it later in the day.

One question for morning exercisers: Do you eat/drink anything before your workout? I usually don't b/c then I'd have to get up even earlier. I'm sure it's not the greatest way to exercise but I feel more sluggish and icky when I exercise after eating. :ohwell:

I'm sure you could get it on ipad. Just look up on your apps - Sleep Cycle. It's very interesting as it shows you a graph the next day of your pattern of sleep the night before.

I can function off of very little sleep because I go straight into REM sleep. I was waking up at 4 AM to get in an hour workout (leave the house at 6 to get to work on time). Past two weeks, I've been trying to get up at 3:30 so I can fit in more workout. Ideally, I like to be asleep by 1030 (I can fall asleep very quickly), but definitely asleep before 1100.

Up at 6:00 -- out by 6:30 a.m. for approx 1 hr of exercise. If I don't do it early, I don't think it would happen. Try to be in bed around 11 and sleeping by 12. Weekends I don't plan to exercise, but will if I'm in the mood or need to allow for extra calories (if I'm going out to eat, etc.).

I have 2 children agens 3 and 6 and i usually go to bed at around 10 or 11pm. I set my alarm at 6am and most everyday think about hitting the snooze button but i don't. At 6am i am not happy nor do i enjoy getting out of bed as i am not a morning person and never have been, however once i start my warmup of Insanity i am wide awake and ready to go. I feel sooooooooooooo good afterwards knowing that i did it and also i am done my workout for the whole day!!! Just do it!!!

I have a 2 year old and a full time job. I get out of bed at 445 to get to the gym by 530, and get to my job by 730. If I worked out in the evening I'd never have any time with my son. My alarm is across the room, my bags are packed and ready to go the night before, and my clothes are sitting out in the bathroom waiting for me. It's just like saying "no" to that second handful of M&M's . . . it takes will power, you just decide to do it. You go to bed at a reasonable time and after a couple of weeks it gets easier.

I used to be able to get up at 6am every day to go running and I can no longer manage it. Don't know if you have an iphone but there's an app called Sleep Cycle and it's very clever. The alarm on your phone wakes you up when it determines you are at your lightest sleep state - thereby waking you at a time when you should find it easy to get up. I've used it twice and it has actually worked and got me up earlier. But I haven't managed a morning run yet as weather been a bit naff.

This sounds awesome! Do you know if there is a similar app for iPad?

From what I remember, you have to sleep with the phone in the bed with you. So I don't know if sleeping with an ipad under your pillow would be the greatest idea...

I have been waking up at 5:30am for a 6am jog but I'm going to be starting to wake up at 5am instead. When I started I seriously had to tell myself to get my @ss out of bed and go!! Be determined to wake up and workout! I had to start getting to bed earlier as well. I used to stay up until 1am and I just can't do that anymore. I've noticed a HUGE difference in my days between waking up then working out and just waking up at 7am (when I wake the kids up for school). I feel 5x better when I wake up early and workout. I also eat better. Now, I really enjoy waking up early and going for my jog (aside from my legs feeling like jello for a while LOL).

Ask yourself this... "what am I going to DO to get myself one step closer to my goal?"

lol btw, I usually have 3 alarms set to go off starting 30-45min before the time to wake up.

I find that the best thing for me is packing all my things the night before. I go to the gym at 5:30, shower there and then go straight to work at 7am. I pack my work clothes in my bag and set it by the door, this way in the morning it actually feels like a bigger hassle to unpack them as opposed to just going to the gym. Sometimes I even sleep in a pair of shorts and t-shirt, so when I wake up all I have to do is put on my socks and shoes and go. I just try to make it as painless as possible to leave in the morning by doing as much as possible before hand. Good preparation is the key.

I go to bed at 9pm and wake up at 4:30am to workout. I get my stuff ready the night before and sometimes even sleep in my workout clothes. I keep my alarm on my night stand and I actually have three morning alarm time...4:30, 4:45, 5:00! I stretch in bed before I get out and that seems to help wake me up....if Im still dragging I will wash my face, crazy but it works!!

I used to be able to get up at 6am every day to go running and I can no longer manage it. Don't know if you have an iphone but there's an app called Sleep Cycle and it's very clever. The alarm on your phone wakes you up when it determines you are at your lightest sleep state - thereby waking you at a time when you should find it easy to get up. I've used it twice and it has actually worked and got me up earlier. But I haven't managed a morning run yet as weather been a bit naff.

This sounds awesome! Do you know if there is a similar app for iPad?

From what I remember, you have to sleep with the phone in the bed with you. So I don't know if sleeping with an ipad under your pillow would be the greatest idea...

Yes, you have to have iphone on bed but you can't put it under your pillow, it wouldn't work. Just placing the ipad on the mattress to the side of your pillow would work just the same as it does with the iphone. You also have to have it on charge all during the night.

All the app does it track your movements during the night and approximates your sleep cycles. So unless you sleep on a wood plank, your movements should transfer to underneath the pillow just fine. When I used to use the app, I did it under the pillow because I was afraid of breaking my phone and/or drooling on it (lol). Only problem with under the pillow I found was that the alarm sound would be muffled a bit.

I love working out in the morning. It's the best way to start the day, and now that it's light earlier, it's so easy. I get up at 5:30 am, stretch, brush my teeth (works almost every time to wake me up), wash my face and go for an hour class at the gym at 6 am every weekday. On weekends, I "sleep in" and take the 8 am class. I don't usually eat anything in the morning, because it does sit heavy in my stomach and will repeat on me during the class. I try to eat a substantial dinner the night before though. Also, I read online, that most people keep enough energy in their bodies overnight to do 90 minutes of exercise. So it's just water for me, or sometimes a scoop of peanut butter if I feel I need it.

Working out in the am, gives me "more" time with my family at night. I do tend to start to crash around 9 pm, and am usually in bed and asleep by 10:30 every night. But, even when I don't sleep well, or get to sleep early enough, I've learned that getting up for class and working out boostes my energy for the day.

If you're not a morning person, don't worry. Neither was I. But once you go for a few weeks, you will be a convert also. It makes the whole day better!