How to get up in the morning? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

fatbat · 04-05-2005, 04:11 PM

I am a night person, but I find if I can get myself up early to workout before work I feel better and I have it over with. The problem is getting up at 5:30 to do it.

Anyone have any tips on getting out of bed when you really just don't wake up well?

KTna · 04-05-2005, 04:22 PM

I find the same thing, I like to workout first thing - then its over with, no worries. What I usually do is set my alarm a bit early so I can hit the snooze at least once. Also drink some water before bed and leave the shades a bit open. All of these things help me to get me up. Also have your gear ready so you don't have any excuses.
A big motivator is that once the workout is over I won't have to think about it again until the next day. I usually feel more alert at work if I workout before, and I am more inclined to eat well and walk at lunch.

kykaree · 04-05-2005, 05:41 PM

My alarm clock is very loud, and in the hallway. I have to extricate cat off my hip, crawl out of bed, walk through the bathroom into the hallway and turn off the clock, with husband yelling at me. Once your up, your up! I work late, usually a mid day start, but my gym is only open 7-8 so I have to do it, and i have to walk there, about 1/2 a mile. Works for me!!!

almostheaven · 04-06-2005, 10:35 AM

I've used two alarms for years. One battery, in case the power goes out, and one electric, in case the batteries go dead. I keep one by the bed and one on the dresser, so I have to get up to turn it off, and set it for a couple minutes after the first one.

ChristinaMarie · 04-06-2005, 09:46 PM

maybe try on of those alarm clocks that wake you up with light instead of sound? I hear they are great and they don't jerk you out of a sleep... they kind of trick your body into WANTING to get up. worth a try!

Marie · 04-07-2005, 06:30 PM

I use two alarm clocks too. One on the nightstand and one on the dresser. It seems to work because once I'm up, I won't let myself slide back into bed.
Marie

paperclippy · 04-07-2005, 07:09 PM

Definitely leave the shades open enough so that light can get in . . . I can't wake up without the sun! (Of course, that just means I have a hard time getting up on rainy days.) Also, if you can make it to bed earlier, that will be a big help. I get up at 6:30 to go to the gym, but I try to be in bed by 10pm so that it will be easier.

Once you've been waking up at the same time daily for a while, your body will get used to it.

MrsJim · 04-07-2005, 07:14 PM

I don't use alarm clocks - Jim likes to stay in bed a LOT longer than I do.

I just trained myself...Dad says that when he was growing up (he was a farm boy) they didn't use alarm clocks - they just woke up at the right time (I suspect that during the winter months it was GETTING OUT OF BED that was the real issue - their old farmhouse didn't have central heating to say the least!).

So that's what I did...I stopped staying up late watching teevee (really, is there ANYTHING worth staying up for these days??) and now we usually hit the sack by 9:00 or 9:30 tops. I was able to train myself to wake up - I just commit to waking up at a certain time and for some reason I just do!

I'm so accustomed to my early morning workouts that if I DON'T work out first thing, I just don't FEEL like I have that much energy...it definitely ENERGIZES me to get some sweat and endorphins goin' first thing in the AM.

And a little over three years ago...we adopted Chalupa Boy, followed the next year by Chubby Girl (our two kitties). They're VERY accustomed to having their first snack no later than 4 am...so if I'm ever late getting up, they make SURE I'm awake, trust me!

Bottom line...it's just a matter of practicing until it becomes a habit. And even if there IS a show that you feel you simply MUST watch...well...there's always TiVo.

almostheaven · 04-08-2005, 09:45 AM

Well we just recently moved to a very busy section of town. So it's not generally a problem waking up. If one of the many car alarms going off, on either street bordering our side and front, doesn't do it, the continual police or fire truck sirens surely will. Of course the car transport banging away at 6:00 a.m. at the car dealer next to us also plays a part. And we can't forget the jets flying over from the base.

2frustrated · 04-08-2005, 10:15 AM

almost heaven, sounds just like our place - we live next to Heathrow in London! It's a rough place too with cars being broken into left right and centre!

Mrs Jim - our internal body clocks DO play a part in waking us up! I know that if I've set my alarm for about 6.30am if I have to get a train or something, I often wake up at 6.15am, just cos I know I have to get up! What a wonder the body is!

jennie934 · 04-08-2005, 12:29 PM

this is totally what I need to do. I try so hard to get up and work out in the morning but then almost every moring, I convince my self to just go back to sleep. I think I've probably work out 2 times in the morning. It seems like the best time of day to fit it into my schedule but I can't seem to do it. I'm gonna try and go to sleep earlier. I feel like once I get in the habit it will be easy but its really hard to start.

KTna · 04-08-2005, 12:50 PM

I find that self-talk can really help too.
I talk myself into it, things like - "well, you're already awake, it would just be lazy to continue to lay here"
or
"you know you're not going to be able to fall back to sleep, just get up"
and
"come on, is 30 minutes more of sleep really going to accomplish anything..."
Stuff like that.

fatbat · 04-08-2005, 02:37 PM

My bedroom window looks out on the street car rail, but I am totally used to the noise every 15 mins now. Moving the clock didn't help. I got out of bed and walked across the room to hit the snooze 7 times today! The water trick didn't work, got up to pee then went back to bed.

When I say I don't wake up well, I just don't wake up at ALL!

I just got a coffeemaker with a timer on it. I am going to try luring myself out of bed with fresh coffee. If that doesn't work nothing will!

Oh and getting to bed early really isn't an option for me. I get home from work at 7 usually, then I play computer games online and if I get into a group I am sometimes having to play till midnight.

I used to be able to get by on 6 hours of sleep a night just fine.

almostheaven · 04-08-2005, 11:50 PM

Quote:

When I say I don't wake up well, I just don't wake up at ALL!

Then you do like my husband and marry someone who will nag you endlessly until you get your butt outta bed.

tahiti · 04-12-2005, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fatbat

Oh and getting to bed early really isn't an option for me. I get home from work at 7 usually, then I play computer games online and if I get into a group I am sometimes having to play till midnight.
.

well do you really have to do this. Is it something that you can limit to weekends? I have troubles getting up "early" too. Early for me is before 9am

I work until 12:30am and dont go to bed until 2-4am. I dont work until 3:30pm though so I usually get up before noon and go for a walk or something before getting ready for work. Its a lot easier with this shift