Morning exercisers?

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2

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  • hiker282
    hiker282 Posts: 983 Member
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    Go to bed early and have everything you need ready so when you wake up so there's no excuse. Just get up and go!
  • CharityEaton
    CharityEaton Posts: 508
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    I get up every morning Mon-Fri at 520 am to workout for about 45 min. Then I also workout in the afternoon for about an hour.

    To start the morning routine I just started out getting up about 15 min. earlier each day to just read or get onthe computer. Once I was in the habit of getting up then I started getting up 30 min. earlier and did some really easy workouts.

    Eventually it gets easier but it takes about 3 months to really establish a good early morning routine. I also did this over the summer while my kids were out of school. I didn't have to get up as early so all summer I worked on making sure I got up before them and then a few weeks before school was due to start again I slowly made sure I got up 15 min earlier each week until I was finally getting up at 520. If they have a day off...I sleep in until 630 but still make sure I get up before them and workout.
    You will get addicted to how focused you are for HOURS after a morning workout. I get sooooo much done in the early mornings now.
    BTW, I'm a stay-at-home mom so I really have no reason to drag my butt out of bed this early but it has worked so far and I love the way I'm focused and ready to go in the mornings.
  • holly3585
    holly3585 Posts: 282 Member
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    I agree with force yourself!! I have to leave for work at 6 am, and I get up at 4:35 and knock out a 30 min routine EVRY MORNING! I honestly have my workout clothes layed out, my t.v. and wii remotes side by side (I have this wonderful Wii Fitness trainer program that I love!! Tons of variety for cardio/strength all over body/flexability & yoga!) When my alarm goes off I have trained myself to roll out of bed, and throw on the clothes. I hit the coffee mchine so it'll be ready when I am done, grab my water bottle out of the fridge, and turn on the TV. I am seriously at least 5 min in before I actually *wake up* and by then my blood has started pumping and I am SOOO happy that I am burning calories! I feel GREAT all day, and have even realized that the days I let myself feel lazy and turn the alarm back, I just don't feel as good all day long. I even get up on the weekends now (at 7--not 4:30!) and do a workout to get my weekend days started. It is addicting.
  • PRprincess
    PRprincess Posts: 200 Member
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    I used to have the hardest time. I now have a routine and I feel bad when I don't get up and workout. The first couple weeks were the hardest for me after that it got much easier.
  • Jazzyjules71
    Jazzyjules71 Posts: 150 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice! I forgot to mention, I have to get up for work at 5:30, so when I say "get up early" it's 4:45 or so. I like the idea of starting with 10 minutes early, then gradually increasing it to more (at least 30!). It's so early, I would workout at home so maybe I can find a "text message" accountability person.

    It's good to hear that it becomes easier with doing it a while. to be honest, I haven't ever done it more than a few times because it's so hard!

    ONe thing that might work.......setting my alarm to my ipod, so jamming workout music wakes me up!

    Thanks everyone!
  • kristen__
    kristen__ Posts: 7 Member
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    The only thing initially that would motivate me to get up early (before 6:00am) was if I knew that was the ONLY time I could fit a workout into that day. There were still mornings I could not be bothered to get out of my warm and cosy bed but lately I started doing Insanity and the fact that I literally roll out of bed and turn the dvd on to start exercising makes its so much more doable. The idea of having to get up and make myself look mildly presentable to go to the gym and pack my work gear and breakfast and lunch at that time of the morning before even getting to the gym was too much for my brain to comprehend that early and I couldn't do it every day long term! I vote if this is the hardest part for you to get an exercise dvd or make a workout plan that you can do at home for yourself without any equipment (unless you have some) or go for a run/bike outside that is easy to prepare for. Also I don't let myself hit snooze. As soon as my alarm goes off I get up so that before I even realise what I am doing it is too late. Once I hit snooze it is all over haha. Good luck!
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    I had a hard time getting up for work in the morning. I started to exercise during the day over a holiday, and started to get more energy and be more awake when I got up. We got a wii fit, and I started getting up a few minutes early to get a chance to play wii fit games without anyone hounding me and was actually waking up excited to start my workout. Started inching back my wake up time by 5 minutes every couple of weeks, until I felt like I was getting enough time to work out and play my fit games in the morning.
  • js370
    js370 Posts: 140
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    On my third week of working out in the morning. Feeling tired has gradually diminished. Biggest problem I had was falling asleep when going to bed early. I don't snooze my alarm. I find that I feel more tired if I do. Once it sounds, I get right up, drink something, get ready and I'm out the door by 4:55. My reward, is being able to go straight home from work.
  • DAMNCHARLIE
    DAMNCHARLIE Posts: 569
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    I am not a mornng person (before my cup of hot tea), now i get up like clock work and go to excercise. My routine is an 80 min walk. I get out there by 8am (or the weather will kick *kitten*). Its better than my tea and gives me energy for the rest of the day. once you start you will not be able to stop.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
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    I am so NOT a morning person, and every morning hit my alarm multiple times before dragging myself out of bed with heavy lids and a foggy head......just to get to work.

    But, I really want to be a morning exerciser!

    My question is......are there any anti-morning people like myself that have successfully established a morning exercise routine? I need tips! How did you do it??

    Yes. I get up at 3:30am on days I lift and 4:30am on days I only do cardio. I do take a decent stimulant to help me get going but it's doable. You just really need to get yourself to bed at a decent time is what I found.
  • Sunny_Sunflower
    Sunny_Sunflower Posts: 136 Member
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    Ugh I need to get in the 5am workouts I need help!!!!
  • Skeels
    Skeels Posts: 929 Member
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    I still have a hard time wokring out early........But when I do get out of bet...I feel so good the rest of the day from the workout
  • ladybg81
    ladybg81 Posts: 1,553 Member
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    I am NOT a morning person at all. Don't talk to me until about 10 and make sure I've had my coffee first! That being said, I have done a few am workouts and I loved it because I felt so accomplished and I could relax (or do another workout) that evening. Every morning I set my alarm clock early with the intent to get up and exercise; yet every morning I hit the snooze button until I HAVE to get out of bed. Maybe some day I'll get myself together.
  • yocaitygee
    yocaitygee Posts: 57
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    Try getting an alarm clock that you have to get up to turn off! You can sometimes trick yourself and say "well I'm already up!"
  • Stewie316
    Stewie316 Posts: 266 Member
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    I am not a morning person at all. What helped me was putting my alarm clock downstairs, so when it goes off I have to get up and walk all the way downstairs to turn it off. Since I'm already out of bed, I just start my day with some cardio. Now, I have my alarm back in my room because I'm use to not hitting the snooze button anymore.


    The one thing I can't get myself to do is weights in the morning (only cardio). Maybe, I need to just get up earlier to allow more time for my body to wake up.
  • steflbrown
    steflbrown Posts: 168
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    I found that if I'm consistently working out at night, I get tired sooner so get to bed sooner. Consequently, I started waking up earlier. Therefore, my body almost made the switch for me. I would wake up totally refreshed at 6:30am and get a good workout in before going to work. I stopped doing that for a while, so I'm back to working out in the evening. But I hope that it will then spark the same situation.
  • picassoadagio
    picassoadagio Posts: 407 Member
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    Discipline. I do it, but I drag myself some days. I have to hype myself up, then I just do it. Then when I look in the mirror, I feel pretty damn good and move on with my day knowing it's done.
  • babyblues4
    babyblues4 Posts: 241 Member
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    I'm up at 5am to workout. With 4 kids if I don't get it in before everyone is awake and my day starts then I'll never get a workout it. I found that having everything ready the night before makes it easy to get out in the mornings.
    I have my workout clothes in the bathroom and my workout bag packed and ready to go by the door. I am so not a morning person but I find on days that I REALLY don't want to get out of bed I tell myself that once my workout is done I can pick up a Tim Hortons coffee on the way back home ... that usually gets me moving =)
  • JamieDeBree
    JamieDeBree Posts: 15 Member
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    A 30 minute morning workout is just not ever going to happen for me - I'm a night person through and through, and I actually like working out later (normally around 9pm). I'm awake enough then to actually put a full effort in. So I do my main 30 - 60 min. workouts between 9 and 10pm. I don't have kids, and I workout at home, which helps a lot.

    But realizing the importance of getting my metabolism revved up first thing in the morning, I found a 10 minute chunk of time after I get out of the shower when I can fit in a brief yoga workout (normally a sun salutation routine x3), plus a round of push-ups/sit-ups/squats. This didn't require me to get up any earlier (6am is hard enough...and even that sucks dirt), it just required a little moving things around for better efficiency in the morning. I don't push it too hard, so it's not like I'm getting sweaty or getting my heart rate up (which is why it works fine after my shower), but it gets my muscles warmed up and the blood moving...and that's what helped break me out of my last plateau. Now I look forward to it, and miss it on the weekends when I sleep in.

    And of course I take the stairs at work...which leaves me rather out of breath, but definitely more awake. Every little bit counts...
  • schwim
    schwim Posts: 65
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    i'm an ex-not a morning person :)

    I really hated getting up before 8am and had to drag myself to get to work for 10am most days but I've just forced myself to get up early and get exercise out of the way. it just never really worked for me in the evenings because i like to have an early dinner, i rarely eat after 8pm, and i could see myself exercising on just lunch calories. even on morning when i really couldn't be bothered i'd try and force myself out and rush and put on my exercise clothes and once i had on my trainers i'd feel like i had to exercise then.

    it took some getting used to and now even on the weekends i find that i wake naturally at 7am. while on weekdays i usually wake around 6am to exercise. my body clock has totally switched.

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