In effort to fit more exercise in, I am having to par down my morning routine. Way down. Currently, I can get up at 5:30, and still not seem like I have enough time. And then to fit a workout in there, geesh. So I was wondering how everyone makes it out the door in the morning? How do you fit exercise, shower, make-up, getting the lunch together, etc. in to your morning?

Thank you!

My routine is as follows (I have to be in to work at 8am):

5:20am: Wake up and do 30 minutes on the cardio machines in my apartment building (I lay out my clothes and shoes the night before so I don't have to spend any time searching for things).

6:00am: Shower, dry hair, get dressed.

6:45am: Make breakfast (toast, eggbeaters, and fruit)

6:50am: Eat Breakfast and visit 3FC

7:15am: Do makeup, put on shoes, put coffee in travel mug, and pack snacks for the day

7:30am: Get in my car and drive to work for 8am arrival.

I guess I'm a little different because I never had trouble getting everything done when i was exercising in the mornings. I would get up, put on my workout clothes, do 30 minutes of a workout DVD in the living room, take a shower (I'm a quick showerer--maybe 10 minutes in the shower--15 if I shave my legs. Wash my hair, wash my body, rinse, and get out!), slap some lotion on my face/elbows/legs, run a comb through my hair, get dressed, grab some breakfast (typically something I can eat in the car--fruit and nuts, smoothie or instant breakfast in a travel mug, toast or English muffin with peanut butter, mini breakfast quiches, etc.), and head out. I would have a light breakfast that early and then something more substantial once I got to work.

I would pack my lunch and snacks for work the night before so I wouldn't have to worry about it in the morning--I would just grab my bag out of the fridge and be done with it. I also don't fuss with my hair, nor do I wear makeup, nor do I drink coffee, but that's just me. I have a coworker who puts her makeup on when she gets to the office.

Maybe you just need to do more the night before to prepare for your morning? What is it that takes you the longest each morning when getting ready? Maybe we can offer additional suggestions more specific for you.

My new routine in the morning includes

- Putting on my workout clothes
- Feeding the cats
- Feeding the dog
- Doing my workout
- Taking a shower
- Getting dressed
- Taking my dog on a walk
- Putting my lunch together (my lunch is basically packed the night before)

What time are you trying to leave at? If I wake up at 6, I generally get it all done.

I don't work out in the mornings!

I'm not a morning person. I'm one of those people who hits the snooze 5 times before I get up. I really hate mornings. So I am just better at exercising in the evenings after work. Of course that presents it's own challenges as well.

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I work out at night too. When my mother in law was here and could hang with the kids in the morning...it was doable but now...nope....7pm is my time.

My routine is pretty insane, but following it every week day (except on vacation) for 2 years makes it pretty easy. Really, after a month it's not so bad!

Night before: Pack tomorrow's clothes in gym bag, set out work out clothes. Go to bed EARLY!

4:35: Alarm goes off, vitamins, teeth brushed, wash face, dress for gym
4:55: Out the door
5:00: Gym. Either spinning/running/elliptical for 1-1:30, followed by weights and stretching
7:00: In the shower at the gym, then makeup, hair
7:35: Leave gym, go to work
7:45: Get to work early, in time to make myself breakfast at work

Then I make sure I never oversleep on the weekends to ruin my routine. I usually hit a spin class on Saturday or walk my bf's dog and then hike with my best friend on Sunday!

Wow, it seems everyone gets so much more done. Right now I am up at 6, coffee and computer until 6:30, then shower, dress, get lunch together out the door by 7:30.

I am thinking the coffee and computer has to go. I have always been an 8 hour a night sleeper, I go to bed at 10, it really is the earliest I can get to bed at night. I noticed alot of you have stuff done the night before and that may help shave minutes off my time. Like I am roaming around looking for what I want to wear, 10 minutes at least is spent trying to put a lunch together. Alot of messing around I guess.

The make up at the office things would be nice idea, but I am usually swamped under when I hit the door. (no joke on that...)

I'm not good at the instant intense thing. I had never exercised in the AM before but I used Jorge Cruise's book "8 Minutes in the Morning" to start exercising a couple years ago. I figured something was better than nothing, and I was certainly worth 8 minutes! It usually took 10 to 15 but that got me in good enough shape to expand my exercise routine. This is weights only. Now that I added cardio (and I try for 60 minutes most days) I can only do it at night. One advantage there is that I frequently have to do it after dinner, so I cannot overeat or I'll have severe indigestion!

I don't exercise in the morning, but I definitely make my lunch and pick out clothes the night before! I'm NOT a morning person at all.

I also have the same breakfast during the week. I make up a big batch of steel cut oats and just reheat it in the mornings. I even set out my oatmeal "additions" the night before. If I can do it before bed time I do! Getting out of bed is hard enough.

I also don't wear makeup except for special occasions. I don't work at a place where it is expected and I really can't be bothered to dry my hair and put on makeup, so I just dry my hair.

When I exercised in the morning, this was the schedule

Night before
Plan clothes for next day, make lunch, snacks, put anything in the car or by the door for the next day unless it needs to be in the fridge.
Had to be in bed by 9:30 pm

4:32 first alarm - hit two 9 minutes snoozes (since I had a walking partner, I couldn't roll over because I didn't feel like getting up, but I could delay it a little.)
4:50-5:10 Get up, brush teeth, Dress in walking clothes appropriate for weather. Clothes were already set out in bathroom. Put on battery powered flashing lights so I could be seen in the dark.
5:10-5:50 Walk - meet halfway to walking partner's house
5:50-6:35 Back home, Shower, dress, do hair, get lunch assembled (pull from fridge and put in bag with rest of lunch), make breakfast for my daughter, get in the car.
6:35 leave home with daughter in car. Daughter eats breakfast in car and puts on her shoes.
7:05 Drop daughter off at school
~7:30 Arrive at work and put on makeup. Eat quick breakfast. On this schedule, breakfast was usually Old fashioned oatmeal made in the microwave. I kept the box of oatmeal in my desk. Or yogurt and Uncle Sam cereal.

I'm bad in the morning

6:50 - Relunctantly wake up, throw some food in our WHINING dogs bowl on the way to the bathroom, jump in the shower right away, then I stay in the bathroom until I'm 100% ready to walk out the door, there is no clock in there, but I come out and every morning it's only 7:15, that includes shower, drying, makeup (usually minimal), hair, and clothing (I'm crazy fast lol). I zap waffles in the microwave or something fast and eat it standing up near the front door. Get in my car at 7:20, stop for coffee, and I'm at work by 8am

I get EVERYTHING ready the night before: my food including breakfast for the next day, kid's food (including breakfast), my clothes, dinner for the next day assembled. Coffee pot is loaded, so I just flip the switch on my way to the elliptical. I make hot meals from scratch, so this means a lot of chopping, pre-cooking, and egg separating. Once I'm done my cardio (I get up at 5:25 and do 45 minutes on the elliptical before I'm awake enough to talk myself out of it), reheating everything takes about 2-4 minutes. In the shower by 6:50, hari and mak-up done by 7:15, 10 minutes on email and first pass at 3fc. I leave for work at 7:35 and am at my desk by 7:45. A short commutes helps!

I spend a lot of time on the weekends making big meals that can be portion frozen for breakfasts and dinners.

I lift at a nearby gym at lunchtime. Go home at about 5:15- start all over again!

Mel

I get up at 5:50 and walk the dog until 6:30
Immeditaley shower, get dressed, do make-up and do something with hair (I have super long super thick hair so it usually goes into a ponytail or something without being dried as it takes over an hour to dry it witht he blower)
Make breakfast at 7:00am
Eat, then brush my teeth and I'm out the door by 7:15 to work by about 7:45

I am NOT a morning exerciser. I do get up and do 20 minutes of yoga, though...it seems to help me make healthier choices all day long (I eat better and I workout harder if my day starts with yoga).

Ya'll make me VERY glad I work from home - my morning routine is nonexistent compared to most of you! Which is good, because I hate mornings.