calling all morning exercisers!!

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!

I get up at 420, at the Y when the doors open at 5. Yes, I go to bed 830 - 9ish. Its the best way for me.

I am trying to add evening cardio, here and there. We just bought bikes~

I wake up at 4:30 to go work out and I am at work by 7:30. I do that because I know, if I wait until after work then I will find excuses. Lately I have been sleeping in and going at lunch, but I like the mornings much better. I have a lot more energy when I get to work too. I am usually in bed by like 9:30-10:00...I literally cannot stay up any later when I have early morning workouts. Ha.

I get up at 4:45 am. It's the only way I can stick to an exercise plan. You just have to make the commitment and do it. Once your feet hit the floor, it's fine. (and I am not a morning person).

I try to get up each morning around 4:45 to workout. My first thought as I get out of bed is to just get coffee. I drink coffee while I make lunches for myself and my son (my husband likes to maximize his sleep so he doesn't have time to make lunches). I generally get up four out of 5 days a week. The things I have learned over the years of doing this is:

1) Preparing as much as possible the night before is really key so that you don't have to think much. I have a workout bag that I keep toilettries and make-up in so all I have to do is put in clothes. That gets done the night before. Sometimes the workout stuff gets laid out too.
2) I swim with a group that meets at 5:45 am. I have also done morning spin classes. Sometimes, what gets me to the workout is seeing friends that I don't see any other time.
3) Getting to sleep on time is key. If I don't get enough sleep, especially after a hard workout day, my body will fight for another hour of sleep. I go to bed around 9 and try to turn off the light by 9:30.

It is so satisfying to have your workout completed before starting your day!