Morning Workouts - How do you do it
 

I am NOT a morning person. I have a hard time getting up to SHOWER before work, let alone working out. Now that I have Jillian in my dvd player, I was thinking of waking up, having a hard boiled egg and a drink, and doing 30 day shred first thing before my shower.

How do you motivate yourself to get up earlier for work and work out ???

I wake up at 3:30 am 3xa week to to my strength training. I drink a huge glass of water and hit the weights. What motivated me is knowing how good I feel after and how much more energy I have throughout the day. Plus I know I will be too tired from a hard days work and I wouldn't have time to run! Try waking up early just once this week and gradually build up. Good luck!

Whoah 3:30 ! My bedtime is between 10 and 11 so I'd be trying to get up at 5:45 instead of 6:30. That would give me time to get dressed, have an egg for quick energy or something (I am a weakling in the AM until I eat) and let me have my 30 min workout. I will try what you suggest, even just getting it started is difficult though !!! I have tried many times only to hit snooze.

I don't get up in the morning and work out, it's just not in my nature. I am a night person, so 99% of the time, I work out at night. There's nothing that says you have to work out in the morning or get up early, so if your schedule permits and it's easier for you, work out after work or in the early evening. Just try not to do it to close to bedtime, it can mess with your sleep. Hope you find something that works for you!

I suspect I am the same way, dudesmom. I do love the feeling of accomplishment it gives me throughout the day though.. if I try, I could become "addicted" to that and have the motivation. If I try for a few days...

I allow myself to hit the snooze ONCE. It allows me to "ease" into my morning. I purposely set my alarm for 10 minutes earlier than I want to get up, exactly so that I'm still getting up "on time" even with hitting the snooze.

I also have my workout stuff laid out the night before, have the DVD I want to do in the player, and any weights/mats/equipment that particular workout requires out and ready to go. All I have to do when I get up is thrown on my workout clothes, turn on the DVD player, grab a quick drink of water, and go.

I just do it...somedays I just cant manage it but during the week I get up at 5:30 to hit the gym and get ready before class...its not always easy...and I'm up pretty late tonight so tomorrow is going to suck...but I treat it as a class or a job....its something that has to be done and honestly its sooooo much more efficient to go in the am compared to the evening

I also just do it. I get up a little before 5 am 3-4xs a week to run. Some days it's harder then others but when it's over I always feel great and then it's done, I don't have to worry about fitting it in later. There are never any excuses.

Do what works for you. I used to work graveyards. 11pm to 7am. I did everything bassackwards to the rest of the world, but it worked for me!:D

I am absolutely not a morning person either. I seriously can't say a nice thing to anyone until like 11am. I just grunt.

Yet working out in the morning works MUCH better for me. Granted, I don't have to get up until 8am to do it, but even that sometimes seems like a challenge. Basically, I don't even give myself 5 minutes to back out of it. I turn off my alarm as soon as it goes off, get out of bed, get ready for the gym, and walk on over there. If I do it as soon as I get up then I can't talk myself out of not going. I've found that if I lay in bed for even just 2 extra minutes, I may not go, so I just DO IT. Afterward, I feel great and like I've gotten out of the way...I don't have to think about it all day during class and whatnot. It's over, I did it, and it gives my day a positive start.

I started exercising in the mornings when I stopped letting my current opinions, preferences and beliefs about myself define who I was.

I used to think I was definitely "not a morning person", but then I realised there isn't really such a thing as a "morning person". I haven't got a dislike of mornings and getting up early hard-wired into my DNA, and so these preferences and characteristics are choices, or at the very least, things I can change. If I wanted to choose to enjoy that part of the day, then I could.

And so I did! I stopped believing that people who got up to exercise early were somehow fundamentally different to me, or just a different "type" of person. There was something about that way of behaving that appealed to me, so I thought I would try it for myself. I now exercise (go for a run outside) in the mornings before coming into work, and I absolutely love it. By mid-afternoon, I forget I've even exercised that day, which is a wonderful feeling, suddenly remembering that I've done my body and my health some good! Exercising first thing generally makes me feel happier, more confident during the day, more energetic and refreshed, and it makes me want to make healthier choices for the rest of the day.

Having said all of that waffle, this is just me, and these are just my views. I really do believe that there's very little about a person that they don't have the power to change, or at least be open to change, but I've nothing to base that on other than my own intuition and experience. You may entirely disagree, and there may well be something that makes it impossible for you to derive any pleasure from rising early to exercise, or you may simply not enjoy the exercise very much when you're giving it a real good shot. All of this is totally fine, and then it's just a case of finding other habits that you do find more pleasurable.

So responding to your question in a nutshell, I motivated myself to exercise early in the day by:
1. Abandoning the idea that my current preferences and feelings about this were set in stone (which in itself, I found very liberating), then, once I felt more open minded,
2. Just having a go at it, to see how it made me feel!
If I enjoy it, then these positive sensations motivate me to do it again and again. If I have a good try and I really don't enjoy it, then I stop. As I said before, I do believe that there's not much that I don't have the power to change about myself, but at the same time, why do you need to change everything anyway? Sometimes it's perfectly fine to just stay as you are. In this example, there are other forms of exercise, other times to exercise, and so on, so if one execise-related thing seems to be particularly difficult to enjoy, then I just move on and try something else. It's not the end of the world if you try and try, and really don't like getting up to exercise. :)

Sorry, that was a bit long!

i used to be a night owl sporatic gym rat, but i've recently become a morning workout convert. like in the last month as i've started up this recent attempt at weight loss. love it. and totally helps with not skipping if stuff comes up later in the day and gets me energized for the day. i agree with most others said, it's largely about the preparation for me. i have my lunch and bag packed before bed, so i can wake up as late as possible (usually 5:30-:45), get my stuff done without feeling "rushed"/enabling me to cop out, and hypothetically to work/class on time....the other HUGE thing for me is actually sleeping in my workout clothes. that's right. my workout clothes are now my pjs. this may be weird/gross to some but the clothes are going to get sweaty as soon as i'm up anyways. plus having to literally just roll out of bed and put on the shoes makes all the difference in the world to me. good luck getting going bright and early!!!

tinycities, I agree that "not a morning person" can be changed! I've done it before. For me, it's all about discipline, and I haven't had that much discipline lately.

Last time I did regular morning workouts, I was meeting a friend at the gym very early, doing an hour of treadmill, and then spending 15-45 min in the sauna every weekday. It got to be too much fanfare for me in the mornings. My next morning ritual is going to be like TBBH's - keep it simple and sleep in workout clothes. Good idea.

OMG, I have to try too... I already get up at 5:30, what's 4:30... ack! Maybe I'll try in the morning. Sigh.

I can't go to bed any earlier... maybe I'll set the coffee maker to be ready when I wake! :D

I believe you guys just inspired me to run at least one morning this week! I'm kind of pumped after reading all of that lol.

Now heres a question. Who eats before their morning workout? If so, what do you eat? I'm going to need something small to fuel me through the run, and then I will eat my breakfast once I get to work. I'm thinking a granola bar or a banana would do. Someone mentioned a boiled egg, but that won't work, I have had a bad experience with eating eggs as a pre work out snack .. Any other suggestions?

i could never do that. I already have to wake up at 5:00 to be at work at 6am, and getting up to work out would kill me.

as a night person, i just find it easier to work out at night, but if i could wake up early and work out i would.

I dont eat before my morning workouts... I just cant do it and If I do that gives me less to eat for the rest of the day and I'm starving when I workout in the morning...I just make sure to hydrate and eat once I'm done...it really hasnt been a problem

What helps me is making a commitment. I joined a bootcamp in the area, 5x a week at 6:45am. I have a driving buddy and knowing she is coming to get me, or I have to go get her really helps. Being responsible is one thing I'm good at lol

Our boot camp instructor tells us specifically NOT to eat. He said if we have to, a light fruit is fine but overall, it's better when you're working out SO early in the morning not to eat. Your body will then be forced to get the energy from stored fat. I found this to be SO true. Losing more weight than I ever have before.

Here is a recent study done on eating before working out. Just thought I'd throw the facts out there. THis study says you burn more fat when you do NOT eat before working out in the morning =)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37492881/

Wow so many replies! This is great. I love all the tips everyone is giving. I will try to lay everything out before I go to bed, even have my mat rolled out and my weights on the floor, clothes. I won't go to the extreme of sleeping in my workout clothes lol - I like au natural and that would just make me sweat buckets in my sleep.


All of my clocks upstairs are 10 min faster so I'm not late for work. I think I will move them to 20 minutes (it's aaaaaaaallll in my head) to trick myself, and try getting up earlier. Also my alarm is on the dresser away from the bed, fiance's is beside him so I would have to get up to hit snooze anyway.

I am such a weak kitten in the morning, so I will try a glass of water before my workout and see how it goes.

Make a little sign with the following quote:

Awake, arise, or forever be fallen! -John Milton

And hang the sign by your bed so you see it when you wake up.

Make it a habit.

I like it b/c if I workout after work, I spend the whole day trying to talk myself out of working out. But in the morning, I just get up and do it and then its done.

Reward yourself with completion of your morning workouts.

Hmm reward ? What type of reward? lol

Well it's 7:15 a.m. and I just got in from my morning run. I can't believe I actually did it! Lol.. this thread really motivated me. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, I will let you know at the end of the day because I'm sure it will benefit me throughout the day and I will be totally relieved that my run is out of the way.

When I first started I wasn't feeling it.
#1 because the sun wasn't up. I love feeling the sun beat down on me. Plus, I live in the "city" and the dark made me a little uncomfortable. It was pretty light after about 5 -10 minutes though.
#2 Although I stretched, I was feeling pretty stiff from just waking up.

Those are both things I can get used to though. I think the positives may outweigh the negatives!

I certainly like the idea! I wonder if milk in your coffee counts as eating? The opinions vary on this topic, but to me, it makes sense. I've heard that all my life, and I do it (aside from the milk in the coffee) and it certainly seems to ring true. Thanks for all your info, you seem to be very well informed! :D

I definitely can't eat before I work out - I feel ill if I do. I do my workout, drink water the whole time, and then shower and head to work. I eat breakfast at work within a half hour of arriving...it's been working for me!

I did it this morning ! I didn't as much out of the workout though. I was weak and stiff and tired easily. It was just level 1 of 30 day shred.

I compensated for the half-assed workout, and went to my gym after work. I did the stairmaster for 30 minutes and did a few different core strength exercises on the BOSU.

I just loved reading this! It was a revelation reading that first sentence. Such a smart way to look at things, and I thank you for making me realize that I have more choices than I thought.

I'm an afternoon person, I have no energy to work out in the mornings and when I do all I want to do is go back to bed, it doesn't wake me up like my afternoon workouts do.

I have done a few morning workouts but it works better for me to workout in the evening or before my shower and bed! So yeah..But the few times I did switch to the morning my weight dropped little bit quicker!

I think its really just best to find what works for you and your life. I was always one of those that "NEEDS my sleep" "NOT a morning person" etc.

I have learned that morning is the best time for me to work out for various reasons:
I have an 18 month old, so I get my workout in before he wakes up
There are no excuses at 5am. When doing evening workouts, I found reasons to talk myself out of working out far too often - Taking time away from my little one, hubby is working so I need to be home, long day at work=too tired to workout etc.
My morning work outs don't take any time away from my son.
Its "me" time. Hubby leaves the house at 5:15 and the little one doesn't wake up until 7, so it gives me time just to myself.
I have been getting up at 4:30 for over 2 months now and working out for an hour at a time, 6 days per week. I have not missed a day yet (except for my planned rest days.)

Thats what works for me, for others evening workouts are best. Or for some stay at home moms, workouts during naps are best. I think we all just have to find what works for us.

Coffee....

Also, I pack all of my things in my car the night before - shampoo, clothes, etc - so even if I want to skip the gym, I still have to walk outside to get my stuff, and if I'm outside anyway....

I also sleep in my gym clothes.

I need my sleep too, but I just go to bed by 10 pm and that gives me a good 7-8 hours of sleep. I like working out in the morning because then I have my evenings free to do whatever I want :)

I think that it's def needs to be what works for you. If you want to get up and work out in the morning then you'll probably be able to do it. I have tried it but I just isn't for me. Most days I already have to wake up at 6 AM and I'm on campus from 7 AM until sometimes 12 AM. (I work at a coffee shop and my schedule varies.) So waking up at 5 AM and working out just does not work for me. Luckily next semester I'm taking 2 yoga classes (both at 8 AM) and I'm planning on working out like I normally do. Hopefully I'll get to see those pounds drop!!

Well, for the most part, I'm forced to do morning workouts because that's when practice is but when I'm off, I still like to do mornings...just not 5:30 am...because that way I know I'll do it and its over with. I love sleeping but I don't love showering 60 times a day and putting on makeup/working through makeup. Gross. Even though that ends up happening after the second practice but I'd rather be done and be clean and pretty for as long as possible. Haha.

This thread has motivated me. I'm going to try this once school gets back in. My earliest class is 9:35 am... so not so early as most of you chicas.

I have noticed that during school I will give myself excuses because the newspaper always gives me an excruciating amount of work that always needs to be done.

I'd need to eat first. I never seem to have energy to finish a work out if I haven't eaten, which may be in my head. But fruit or mini-wheats never killed anyone.

holly, I'm the same way. I always eat before working out. Usually its peanut butter on toast and a glass of fruit juice. Then when I get back 2.5-3 hours later, I sit down and have coffee and if I'm still hungry, a banana.