I HAVE to work out in the morning. 1) I feel accomplished if I do. 2) I know I will be too tired after work. 3) I love working out on an empty stomach.
I wasn’t always great at working out in the morning but I have learned awesome tips to help me along the way. Here are my tips:
1– Pick an appropriate time.
** Pick a time that allows you for a great workout & also time to get ready for work. One turnoff of working out early is you never have time to get ready before work. You don’t want to feel rushed before work. For example: I have to leave my house at 6:30. I wake up at 4AM. Go to the gym and work out until 5:15. Come home, shower, eat breakfast until 6″30. It is a schedule that I have learned that works great for me. It also took about 4 times for me to perfect this routine.
2– Go to bed at a decent time.
** Pick a time to go to sleep and stick to that time. No but, or what if. Shoot for 7-8 hours or again whatever works for you. For example: I am in bed by 9pm. That gives me 7 hours. Anything more or less I am non- functional the next day. It is the hours I have found that work.
3– Set alarm clock across room.
** This is even better when your alarm clock is your phone. If you a “snoozer” this tip will be so great. Set the phone on the other side of the room or far enough where you can still hear it. But not to close where you won’t fully get out of bed. Getting out of bed to turn it off will kick start your body and the morning! For Example: I don’t sleep with my phone in the room ((the light, tempting to look at, so many reasons not to)), but I do have an alarm clock that sits about 10 feet from my bed. The sound is annoying, but it helps me not a) change my alarm time while sleeping & b) having to get up and turn it off wakes my body up, & if I am already out of bed, I might as well go work out!
4– Set clothes out for work and working out.
** Being organized is the best way to succeed. Place your clothes for the next day out on your bathroom sink so when you wake up, you can go right into your bathroom and put them on. When you come home from working out, you can shower and now your work clothes are right there to put on. For Example: I put my workout stuff with sweats out, also my scrubs underneath. Wake up and go straight to the bathroom to change. Once I am in my workout clothes I am not getting out.
5– Plan out your workout.
** Cardio, kickboxing, yoga, zumba, lifting, etc. No matter what it is- have a plan on what your going to do. If you are going to lift, write down your lifts. If you are going to do cardio, have in mind how much. If you’re going to a class schedule that class like a doctor appointment you can’t miss. Writing out your workouts keeps you from aimlessly walking around the gym for something to do. Gets you in and gives you a purpose and gets you out. For example: I lift or do cardio every morning. I have my sets and reps for lifting on a notecard or if it is cardio, again I have my sets and reps on a note card.
6– Stick to a routine for bit
** They say if you do something for 12 days it becomes a habit. Well with working out, I think its more or less 20 days.. but you get it. If you continually do something it gets easier to do it. Keep your routine strict until you have it down to a tee. Once it is good, you will feel comfortable to be able to miss one day and then recover the next back to your morning routine. Don’t get me wrong though- if you feel you REALLY need sleep. Get Sleep. For example: Right away I made myself get up for 14 days straight at 4am. It stunk somedays but made me go to bed at 9. Now I wake up at 4Am even without an alarm clock. You just get so much more done in the morning.
7– Morning snack/drink set out
** If you need a pre workout drink? Or maybe a pre workout snack? Have that set out or prepared the night before so you could eat the snack, or drink the drink on the way to the gym. For example: Every night I make my water & lemon, put it in the fridge and set a banana by my keys. This is my routine and what gets me going in the morning. Find your niche.
8– The days “supplies” set out
** Again with being organized. When I say supplies I mean, get your life organized for that day. Get breakfast prepared, get your work bag packed, get your lunch packed, get your drinks together, snacks-pack em’. This makes the mornings go by more “smoother”. For example: I pack my lunch the night before, get my Ice Tea in the fridge, have my two sausages and eggs set aside in the fridge for breakfast, have dinner set out for that night, look at my calendar, work bag full & etc depending on that day.
9– Make it personal
** The biggest thing you can do is make it you. Make a personal morning for you. You might need 15 minutes to wake up, or to take a shower before working out, or to eat a bigger breakfast, or read the paper before you go. Whatever it may be, put it in your morning workout and keep improving everyday!
I hope one of these tips can help- it might seem hard to be in bed at this time and wake up at that time- but gets so much easier if you stick to a Routine.
