Getting up Early - Looking for advice

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  • lmarshel
    lmarshel Posts: 674 Member
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    If you want to do it bad enough you will!

    The first few days are hard, but you get used to it. It sets you up for the day, and I've found I'm a much happier person getting up @ 5.30/6am every morning to workout! I have my workout clothes right by my bed & literally roll out of bed, put them on & go!!!

    Believe me once you start you won't stop :happy:

    ^^THIS! I have been working out first thing in the AM for a few years now...and I absolutely love it! :love: It was certainly an adjustment, but I found I could not consistently workout in the evenings. There was always a good excuse popping up. And if there wasn't, I would find one. LOL I start work at 7:30 AM, so I have to be up around 4 to workout prior. But I feel fantastic after my workout! I have tons of energy and am able to focus mentally as soon as I start my day. And no 3PM slump, either.

    BTW, I go to bed around 9PM, no later than 10 on "school" nights. It's not an easy habit to make, but it will be worth it. Best of luck to you.
  • gingerjen7
    gingerjen7 Posts: 821 Member
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    I've done it a few times over the years.

    I start by setting the alarm a half hour earlier. Then I just get up, put some music on, and take my time getting ready. That way, I feel prepared for the day, happy and not rushed. I do that for a couple of days and then I set my alarm back 15 minutes ealier and add a short work out. I just keep doing that until I'm at the time that I need to get up in order to get the work out I want and still have time to get ready for work. It's very easy once I start. The problem is starting. If I don't really feel motivated, it doesn't work, but once I've made the commitment, I just have to get out of bed on time on the first day and the following days are no problem. The real test is the morning you wake up and you say to yourself "I can skip it, just this once." If I DO skip it, I'm done for because then I'll just keep sleeping in day after day.
  • yankeegirl7828
    yankeegirl7828 Posts: 1
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    I was totally not a work-out person at all when I started this program. I slowly got into different work outs to see what really worked for me. I found that I can get up at 3:45 in the morning, work out for an hour and then get ready for my day. I always watch a show I am interested in while I work out, it makes the time go by quickly. I try to go to bed no later than 10 because I have to get up so early. It has worked great for me and I love to start my day off with a good workout. I also work out in the evening for an hour after the kids have gone to bed. I know how that the end of the day sounds awful (we have 5 kids) but I just put on a show I want to watch and before I know it I have worked out for my full hour.
  • MoveTheMountain
    MoveTheMountain Posts: 764
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    ... I would like to try and train myself to get up at around 5:45 each morning to give me an hour in the gym and time to get showered before the rest of the house is up.

    Has anyone trained themselves to get up earlier as a result of their training regime? If so I would love to hear how you managed it or if you have any tips that I find useful.

    Hi, and yes - this is what I do. The big thing is, get to bed early enough. If you're not used to going to bed early, you'll need to retrain your sleep clock (cyrcadiam rythm? Is that the geed term?)

    Try taking 2 melatonin, 2.5mg, tablets, or even 3. They work wonders, non-addictive, totally natural, etc. As long as you're enough sleep, you'll probably be reset within a week.
  • TurtleRunnerNC
    TurtleRunnerNC Posts: 768 Member
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    You just have to force yourself out of bed. The first month is the hardest but once you get into a groove you will look forward to your workout & you will be so happy you got up.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
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    I started by getting up at 5:30 a.m. and now I get up between 4 and 4:30 a.m. On gym days I get up earliest and on running days I can sleep a wee bit later. I just kept changing my alarm clock by 5 to 10 minutes until I found the optimal time....after a few weeks you will start to naturally wake up at these hours. Of course you will also most likely be asleep earlier too..... My wife doesn't mind me falling asleep early; as far as she is concerned the changes in me since I began this quest far out weigh a few extra minutes in the evening..... Best of luck to you on your journey!
  • allisonmrn
    allisonmrn Posts: 721 Member
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    I get up around 4:45am. But I go to bed by 10:00pm. it's rough, but worth it...and you get used to it after a while.. FR sent :-)
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
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    I run to work. I get up at 4:20am, get my stuff ready for work, walk to my starting point, stretch, and I'm running by 5am. It takes me about 50-55 minutes to run the 5 miles to work, then I shower and get in uniform, put my gear on the truck, ready to start running calls at 6:30am.

    You can do it.
  • melinda200208
    melinda200208 Posts: 525 Member
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    I love working out in the morning! Once you get in the routine, you will love it. It is so nice to have your workout done and out of the way early in the morning. I know if I worked out in the evenings, there would be a lot of days I would skip out on my workout. I just make sure to get to bed early. ( I dont have any kids yet) I like to make sure to get at least 8 hours of sleep. Don't get me wrong, there are still morning when I am tired, but when I am done with my workout I feel refreshed and ready to take on the day!! Good luck, stick with it, you will be happy you made this decision! :)
  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
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    I used to wake up at 7/7:30am to get showered and get my son dressed/fed and to day care before getting to work at 8:45am. To get my morning work outs in, I had to start waking up at 5:15am. The first few days, it may seem hard to get out of bed, and all you want to do is turn the alarm off and go back to bed. But by the time you leave the gym, you have a ton of energy and are glad you came. Give it a week or so and it will feel natural to you.
  • michele2224
    michele2224 Posts: 36
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    I am kinda in same position, I work 60 hours 2 jobs i get to 1st job at about 8:30-5:00 then go straight to 2nd job from 5:15 to 10:00 so I have to get up the earliest (due to trying to get some sleep..lol) at 6 AM and all I do is walk about 3 miles & do 100 crunches and it is too late to do anything when I get home at 10:30 at night.

    All I can suggest is do what you can, I am gonna start taking advantage on the weekends since I do not work, but I guess the main thing to do is set your alarm and do what you can,until maybe you can get more of a schedule in place.
  • eklipz95
    eklipz95 Posts: 3
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    Back in college a guy at the gym told me that cardio workouts are 300% more effective if you do them before eating breakfast..... now, I don't know if I believe the number he told me. However, here are a couple articles that discuss what it does for you and may give you some motivation to do it.

    http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/breakfast-before-or-after-a-workout

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/512020-how-to-burn-fat-working-out-before-breakfast/
  • shmiracles
    shmiracles Posts: 105 Member
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    Luckily I don't live too far from work so I've turned my commute into my exercise as well. I cycle the 7 miles to work each day which takes about 30 min each way. It's working well for now but I know I'll need to add gym to this as I get down to trying to loose the last few stone. I get up at 7:20am and I'm out the door by 8am cycle 30min shower at work (again luck my work has showers).

    this is great. i bike and walk everywhere. i love it!
  • shmiracles
    shmiracles Posts: 105 Member
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    I run to work. I get up at 4:20am, get my stuff ready for work, walk to my starting point, stretch, and I'm running by 5am. It takes me about 50-55 minutes to run the 5 miles to work, then I shower and get in uniform, put my gear on the truck, ready to start running calls at 6:30am.

    You can do it.

    this also! so great!
  • thejulesmarie
    thejulesmarie Posts: 17 Member
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    My alarm was set for 7 am every single day for a month. Just like it takes time getting used to new eating habits and actually exercising, it takes time for your body to adjust to a new sleeping schedule. It's going to suck for a few days, but don't get discouraged! It's a lot easier to get up early if you know that you're going to be doing something productive. Best of luck!
  • jyska
    jyska Posts: 728 Member
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    I'm a 'semi-morning person'...I don't mind getting up early, just don't really like getting up early to work out right away! However, I have found that getting my workout done first thing in the morning is crucial...if I don't do it then, it rarely gets done.

    For the most part, the real training comes in teaching yourself to GO TO BED EARLY! If you go to bed around 9:30/10pm, then a 6am morning isn't so hard. Still sucks until you get through your warm up, but then it's all good I find. If I don't go to bed early enough, then the workout is just pathetic and I'm grumpy. 7.5 to 8 hrs a night is pretty much mandatory to have a successful morning workout. Some can do it on less, but most people need at least 7.5/8hrs a night or more.

    Being married, it's also a transition for a spouse to get used to you prioritizing an early bedtime to get up early for a workout if they aren't doing the same. Your schedules will be slightly off and it can cut into 'movie time' or other such things.
  • Bondgirlforever
    Bondgirlforever Posts: 64 Member
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    My friend who is using a different site started getting up earlier to work out by setting her alarm clock 15 minutes earlier for two days and then 15 more minutes earlier and so on until she reached her desired time. She said it helped her ease into it!
  • mommamisty823
    mommamisty823 Posts: 99
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    You just have to make yourself do it. I get up at 4:45 and go on my run 3 days a week (I also get my 3 year old up, on the potty, then put her in the jogging stroller with her blanket and sippy cup with a small snack). I have a 45 minute commute to work. I usually set my alarm extra early because I'm the type of person that hits snooze a few times before I roll out of bed.

    Granted this is only my first week doing this, but I do have to admit that I have more enrgy throught the day and am usually in a better mood. Good luck to you.
  • Dantanian
    Dantanian Posts: 18 Member
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    All,

    Thanks for all the helpful comments, seems like the top and bottom of it is that I have to just do it, after a while I should have trained it into myself. I do like the idea of having my workout done in the morning so that I don't have it hanging over me all day. I may well come back and let you know how I get on. My alarm will be set tonight for 5:45, fingers crossed the wife does not throw it out of the window when it goes off. :laugh:

    Thanks

    Dan
  • sbernardy
    sbernardy Posts: 188
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    WE should get one of those alarm clocks that your only allowed to hit the snooze once and if it goes off again before you get up the alarm clock jumps off the end table and rolls around the floor buzzing , loud as heck and you have to chase it down :laugh:

    http://www.amazon.com/Clocky-Alarm-Clock-Wheels-Aqua/dp/B000TAS9XQ

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