tips for working out early in the morning?

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#1

Hey Gang,

Looking for some tips on working out early in the morning, as short as two years ago I use to do all my work outs early in the morning, however this year and last year…I really seem to hit a wall when it comes to it

one of my excuses of not exercising has been “I’m so burned out after work” which is why mornings use to work so well

but lately when I try to wake up early to exercise I’m either so tired I can’t get up (even if I go to bed early for the very fact of getting up early to exercise) and I also seem to be dehydrated badly whenever I wake up no matter how much water I drink before going to bed the night before (this is a rather new development, I’m thinking I’ve started sleeping with my mouth open?)

if you exercise early in the mornings whats your motivation for that initial “okay time to get out of bed and do this!” ?

as for the dehydration thing I was thinking I’d set one alarm for an hour earlier than I intend to wake up…chug a bottle of water next to my bed…and lay back down until the next alarm would go off an hour later for when I need to actually get up. Thoughts?

Just looking for some insight, thanks all!

#2

damn … I feel ya brother.

In summer time it’s easier, but these shorter days coming mean hitting the road work in the dark, which sucks.

Mostly I adjust my sleep to hit the rack by no later than 9 p.m. Then I silent alarm my pasty Irish ass out of bed by 6.00 am. My better half and baby girl are snuggled up sleeping while I haul my bones around the neighborhood. Podcasts in the ear buds help but there is a whole lot of minus on the plus/minus of jogging in the winter.

As far as water, I’d say drink it to exclusion. Some things you drink, like diet soda can dehydrate you as well. So try a day or two with two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen only and see if that helps.

Keep on keeping on :slight_smile:

#3

Dammit. This is hitting my lazy self a little too close to home. I’m currently busy NOT getting up in the mornings to really work out…and I have all the stuff in my house! My man cave has a full set of hex dumbbells (5-50), an incline/decline bench, awesome pullup rig and I also have a killer treadmill…fast enough to sprint on.

I hang clothes on it.

sigh OKAY! I’M OFF MY BUTT! STOP BUGGING ME!

shakes tiny fist

-Trey

#4

ugh failed again this morning!!! going to resort to popping a 5 hour energy tomorrow morning :eyebrow:

#5

This right here? This is why I don’t work out in the morning. It is REALLY hard for me to make myself go to sleep at midnight. Granted, I don’t have kids yet. I’m sure it will be easier 7 years from now. But I go to bed at 12 and get up at 7:20 and I really just can’t handle getting up any earlier. If I wanted to work out before heading to the office I would need to be up at 6, out of the house by 6:30 and done with my workout by 8:10 so I could shower, put on makeup, and get on the Metro by 8:50. I am naturally more night-oriented than day oriented. It’s just not going to happen.

Another thing that would be a problem for me would be waking up at different times on different days. My body functions best when I get up at 7:20 every day–it would be unhappy with 3 days a week at 6, 2 days at 7:20.

I have made early morning workouts approximately 3 times in my life. Seriously. It’s just not for me.

#6

see what’s odd is I’ve always been a morning person, even now the latest I can sleep in no matter how late I stay up is 7:30, which is usually what I do on Saturday (the one day I turn off all alarms)

I actually felt okay physically when I got home from work today…but had some kind of mental block about working out…seriously I’m not sure why I’m having it…I know once you get going you can feed off of what you done and keep going…but that initial getting back in for more than a day or two at a time has been really hard for me this time

#7

oh this thread is so right up my alley right now!

Two years ago I purchased the Wii Fit Plus and hooked it up. And I was getting up every morning at 5am to do my yoga, cardio & various other body shaping things. Since then I find I go through phases-either I am religious about getting up and getting going or-I look at the pad under the coffee table and wonder if the batteries need to be taken out before they corrode. I am in one of THOSE phases now.

I have noticed that I am more lethargic, less motivated, depressed and moody when I don’t excersize. I also know that by getting up and getting the blood moving and the heart pumping and a bit of sweat happening, I tend to have more energy throughout the day. I’m actually able to get up early in the AM to start it all again. The trick is to start up again and build that momentum.

Onward and upward, folks. Let’s do this! (typed from the recliner in my living room) :oops:

#8

I know exactly how you feel on this. I can be a ‘work out in the morning’ person and sometimes I just fail. So here are some things I tried that seemed to help when I was in the ‘on’ groove:

  • if it’s comfy enough (and assuming you wear clothes to sleep) wear your running shorts, etc to bed. Then you feel less like you have to put an effort into getting ready for the run in the morning. If that’s not a good option, put your clothes right there next to your bed so again, less thought and morning prep. You get up, put on your gear and walk out the door.
  • Have a protien bar next to the bed with your water. If you give your body a little food for a blood sugar boost, even if it’s just one bite, you’ll be more willing to roll out of bed instead of just rolling back over on your pillow.
  • Sometimes I would also turn on my running music while I’m still laying there (use headphones on a low volume if there’s someone you don’t want to wake up next to you) Gets your mind going which the key to getting you going. It’s all a mental thing that early in the am : )

As for making sure I would actually work out after work even though I know I’ll be a tired bum if I let myself:

  • Change before leaving the office. Makes sure that your mind is right to hit the road or the gym, you’ve already done half the prep work!
  • Another thing is to make sure that when you’re coming back from your ‘off mode’, don’t try to overdo it right away. You’ll have to build back up to where you were so take the small steps first and go for a shorter run or lift a little less so you’re more excited about making sure get back to it the next say.

I think we’re all having the same feelings with going in and out of a cycle of working out and being lazy, so at least we’re not alone and hopefully something from my extended brain dump up there will help : ) Good luck Wolverines!

#9

hmmm good pointers about the sleeping in the running clothes thing, though I exercise at home

also I think I’ve figured out the dehydration thing, during this time off is actually the first time in my life I’ve started drinking coffee, now usually the latest I’ll have any is 11am but I’ll have 2-3 cups in the morning, perhaps this is the cause of my dehydration?

#10

Caffeine is definitely a diuretic. It could be.

I’m a cyclist myself, and one thing we learn is that if you wait to drink until you’re thirsty, it’s too late. Better to sip as you’re exercising to match the sweat that’s coming out of you.

#11

agreed. I keep my running gear in the mud room. Pad down to kitchen in my undies at 6:10 or so. Down some water and then gear up in my chair surrounded my Cornflakes and canned veggies.

Click start on the pod machine, open the garage door like I’m heading out to find Luke on Hoth and start moving my feet. Turn the corner at Firehouse #1, wave at the younger guys having their morning coffee. Pass Motor City Guitar and turn west to airport road. Turn and touch nose of Huey at VFW branch. Home stretch, pass the daycare and the pizza joint then back to Rebel Command and the waiting arms of my Princess Leia. Fill a sippy-cup with milk and get a chewy vitamin and go wake up my beautiful daughter.

In short, routine and habit are excellent slaves and terrible masters. Move you feet, free your mind.

#12

Heya gang,

I am definitely a morning workout kinda guy. My evenings are reserved for time with my wife and dog (and these days a glass of wine and the PS3), so if I want to work out, it has to be in the morning. As Oddball pointed out, a routine that eliminates any aspect of thinking it perfect for me.

Night before
Immediately after work: Empty gym bag and put clothes & work lifting gloves out to dry
After dinner: 1. Pack gym bag & garment bag (towels x2, shower/shaving kit, work clothes, shoes etc), 2. Lay out gym clothes, 3. Prep protein supplements in individual shaker cups (pre, intra and post), 4. Put clothes, gym bag and proteins (except pre) in the trunk, 5. Make lunch
Before bed: Drink casein protein (slow acting so I don’t have to come out of ‘fasting’ mode before a workout). Try and be in bed by 11:00, actually make it by 11:30…

Morning
4:55 Turn off both alarms (yup, set two, and try to get out of bed before the second goes off a min later and wakes up my wife)
Change, take vitamins & other supps, read twitter, grab lunch and pre-workout shake from fridge, and out the door at 5:20. At the gym at 5:45, sort stuff into a locker and on the gym floor at 5:55. Back in the locker room at 7:35ish, shower and out the door by 8:00, at work by 8:10…

If I break this routine, I usually don’t make it to the gym, which sucks because I realize I am a slave to it, again, pretty much like Oddball noted. I shift this a couple hours on Saturdays to keep things simple, to make it into the gym by 7 or 8am, but get away without having to prep work clothes.

BTW, this is the antithesis of how my sweetie operates. She hates routines :slight_smile:

#13

So truuuuuue. I am a slave to my gym routine. I can count on one hand the number of times in 2011 that I’ve broken it for reasons other than travel for work. Otherwise, it doesn’t work. I go in the evenings, of course, because the mere idea of setting my alarm for 4:55 makes a small part of my soul shrivel up and die.

And S is absolutely the antithesis of my regimented self. Too much schedule makes her heart sad.

#14

Well…
You could get the alarm that runs around!
Orrr… just like there’s breathalyzer checks to turn your car on, you could make-shift something and make it a bicep measurnment gizmo that doesnt let you turn your car on unless it sees a size increase!

#15

well I’ve been doing P90X in the mornings

basically what I’ve been doing is setting my cell alarm for 4:40…then I have my regular alarm that’s half way across the room go off at 4:50, the ten minute window gives me a bit to come to, wake up, and get in the mood

generally speaking other than say Friday when I’m just absolutely wiped out I’ll pop right up and go turn off the alarm and get dressed

#16

My spouse literally kicked me out of bed this morning so I would go to the gym. I go to bed dressed pretty much to work out so even if I don’t want to I know I am half way there. This am, I was dragging and he helped motivate me out by kicking me out. Some times a little healthy motivation helps. Good luck!