You wake up late. Again. You promised yourself last night (just like a lot of other nights), that tomorrow morning, you definitely would get up in time, you definitely wouldn’t hit snooze, and that you would 100% make it to the 6am spin class. You even signed up online. And yet, here you are, 7:15am, still lying in bed, loathing in your feelings of failure, only to have those thoughts clash with visions of everyone else who did make it to the class basking in their post-workout glory, already now getting on with their day and not having to worry about working out again for another 24 hours. “Plus,” you think, “when am I now going to actually workout today?” We’ve all been there: on the early morning workout struggle bus. And if you know you’ve been there too long, here’s how to finally get off for good and make it out the door in time, every single day.
Give yourself a day off
Whether it’s actually a day off from working out, or simply a day off from doing your workout early in the morning, where you workout later in the day instead, having a later start one day a week is like the light at the end of the tunnel. Each morning, when you feel yourself struggling, or thinking that you can’t do it, your reward is knowing that you only have to do it for 4 more days, or 3 more days, and then you get a day off! And we can all get through 1 more day!
Go to bed
It sounds obvious, but if you are expecting to get up earlier, you need to be going to bed earlier. This is not only because of the loss of sleep in the morning, but because if you are working out more and working your body harder, you need more time in shut eye mode to recover properly and adequately repair your muscles. Letting yourself get sore and rundown will make it even harder to get up and this will just give you an extra excuse to not get your workout in like you planned.
Find something you love
Getting up early is hard enough; it’s even harder if you have to try to get up early to do something you hate! Find the workout that works best for you and makes you the happiest. Maybe it’s a yoga class, or going for a run. Maybe it’s a solo gym session or a group fitness class. Whatever it is, if you enjoy it, not only will you be more likely to want to do it, but you will also be more consistent, push yourself more and see results sooner – which become further motivation to push harder!
Prepare everything
From your workout clothes to your breakfast to your shoes ready at the door, there’s nothing to throw your workout off like getting up at 5 am and stumbling around in the dark trying to find your shorts and sports bra and then realizing you don’t have anything to grab for breakfast. The night before, take 20 minutes to get your workout clothes together, find your clothes for after your workout, pack your gym bag and work bag, make your breakfast and lunch, and even lock and load the coffee machine. Doing everything will minimize the chance of anything going wrong in the morning!
Check out our popular blog post: Timing Your Workout: Morning Vs. Evening Gym Sessions
By: Laura Peill – (Check out her blog Viand Nutrition & Facebook)
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