Morning gym people

SBmini

Since getting my new job, I've been pretty good about waking up early and working out before work. But it's getting darker and darker in the morning. Today the sunrise wasn't until 7 am. So when I started running it was still pitch black out. This will only get worse for the next month. I've been thinking about renewing my gym membership and taking advantages of the morning classes, which start at 5:30 AM. I'd have to leave the house at 5:15 to make them. Which isn't impossible. DH already wakes up at 4:45 so I'd probably just start waking up with him. 

For those of you crazy ladies who wake up this early to wake up- how do you make it happen?

holyguacamole79

I did this years ago.  I would have to psych myself up to it and really mentally guilt myself if I didn't.  It was not easy.

princessofgenovia

I just kind of...made it a habit. When I first started, I'd tell myself once I was done I'd stop and get McDonald's breakfast on the way back. Which made me want to do it. Cause I love me a sausage mcmuffin. And after awhile I stopped stopping for the McDonald's and it was a habit.

I feel better when I work out in the mornings. I'm more awake and better able to focus at work. Plus then...when I go home I can put on yoga pants and eat nutella straight from the jar because I already worked out that day.

theartistformerlyknownas

Ugh. I used to be good about it, and wish I still was, but I just CANNOT drag myself out of bed now. I need to try harder because then it's already dark again by the time I get home, and all I want is to sink into the couch and not move.

Things that used to help were setting a lamp on a timer when I wanted to wake up, because I really need the light to feel awake if the sun isn't up yet, and sleeping in my gym clothes so I was already ready to go. :-p

cafarrie

I have been TERRIBLE the last month about getting up early to work out.  However, when I'm in the swing of things (which is most of the year), I find that I'm much less stressed if I have my workout clothes laid out and ready to put on, my work clothes/makeup/etc packed, and lunches ready to go.  That way, I can wake up at 5, and easily make the class at 5:30.  I think the planning and having a specific start time make me much more motivated than just going to the gym (which I do at 6am if there's not class). 

 I make sure to not go back home after morning workouts.  I have the time and it's not far, but i'm easily distracted by my bed and my couch and would never make it to work on time. 

lacqueredlover

I love it.  If I work out in the morning, then I don't have all day to talk myself out of doing it on my way home from work.  And then I can do more important things after work like go to happy hour with my friends.

I pack my gym bag the night before (I shower at the gym before work so I include my flip flops, makeup, clothes to wear for work, shoes) and lay out my gym clothes.  Wake up, get dressed, put on my pump up mix to listen to on the walk to the gym and just do it.  I always feel better!

NowIamMrsKlein

I'm attempting my first ever morning workout tomorrow. I am a very grumpy morning person. And i live in northern Canada so sunrise isnt until 9:00am. (bleck! it isnt even the shortest day yet!) So getting up early in the dark and -35C weather just is not the most motivating way to start the day.

However I've been having some trouble with restless sleeping and Im thinking its somehow associated to working out at 5pm. So tomorrow is an experiment.

My game plan is to get up with the FI, He leaves for work on Tuesdays/Thursdays when i am usually hitting snooze for the first time. So I think getting up together will help the initial 'I don'twanna'

I'm going to have my gym clothes and work clothes laid out and lunch made and coffee on timer. That way the only extra time I need is solely the workout. (At home workout)

lc07

Making it a habit is the most critical part. Don't tell yourself you have to run for an hour and lift weights for half an hour. Tell yourself you just have to get up and get to the gym and spend 10 minutes there. (You will spend more. The hard part is getting up and out).

I also second PPs comments about having workout clothes, work clothes, lunch, etc all packed and ready so you don't have to think about things in the morning and there aren't a bunch of reasons to make it hard to get out of the house. Make it as easy as humanly possible for yourself to go without having to think.

I sleep with my workout clothes on. Then I just have to put on socks and shoes which are layed out. Everything I need for after work is packed and ready, too.

lc07

Oh, I also go to bed really early. If I were getting up at 4:45, I'd be going to bed by 8:45 at the latest. 

jenna8984

lc07 said:

Oh, I also go to bed really early. If I were getting up at 4:45, I'd be going to bed by 8:45 at the latest. 

This! I haven't done it in a while but it was my habit for about 3 years. If I got adequate hours of sleep then it became to a point where it was impossible for me to fall back asleep if I skipped. So that was a big factor because why would I skip to just lay there awake for an hour?

JCbride2015

I don't start work until 9:30ish, so for me working out "early" means like 7:30am, which isn't so early at all.  But I still have a hard time getting enough sleep because I work late frequently.  So I will lay out my gym clothes, pack my bag with all my work stuff, and make sure all I have to do in the morning is throw on my gym clothes, grab my bag, and run out the door.  Then I do all the dressing and primping at the gym before work.  It makes it much easier to get out the door when I'm not running around looking for things in the morning.

morewineplease

As long as I set the alarm I will get up most mornings because I am already awake (trying not to wake him up at 4:40). Then drag my butt out the door, but I will say it is hard to go for a run when it is pitch black, cold and raining. 

I find laying everything out the night before to limit the prep time so there is less time to talk myself out of running or bootcamp. It really does get easier after a few weeks getting up early and working out.

The plus side, I do not have to say "No I can't come out tonight, I have to workout." because it is already done!

[Deleted User]

I miss morning workouts- not possible with my train schedule now. In the winter when I'd hate to go out in the cold I would sleep in my workout clothes and pack my gym bag and car the night before.

All you pretty much do is roll out of bed and get in the car.

dcbride86

I worked out in the morning until I started my job.  I try to get to work by 7 AM, which means I already have to leave my apt at 6 AM.  If I worked out, I'd have to get up at like 4 AM so I could have time to get ready for work.  4 AM is just too early - FI is often working until 8 or 9 PM, so if I did that I would never see him during the week

arrippa

I get up at 5:00 am to run.  I do two things, one I use this <--linky  and two, I put my alarm far from my bed so when my alarm goes off, I have to actually get out of bed to turn it off. Getting out of bed is the hardest part of getting up early. Once you do that, the battle is almost over.

raissyrais

That's what I do too, as soon as I get out of bed I skip rope, do my sit ups/crunches or weights, depending what day it is. However I don't have to go out to the gym since all my equipment is already here. But I find it easier to just do everything as soon as I wake up, that way I feel good about it the rest of the day.

l9i

I get up early for work, up at 5:15 and out the door by 6:15.  Winters are horrible to wake up because of it being dark, summers are a breeze.  For me coffee gets me out of bed.  It's on a timer and I get smell it from the bedroom so it helps wake me up.... not sure that's going to be a trick for workout though :P  I do find I get more sleep in the winter because with it being dark earlier I'm more likely to go to bed earlier.  For example, last night I look outside and my reaction is "wow, its late time for bed" I look at the clock, it's 7:30pm.

lovegood90

Wow, mad respect for all you morning gym people! I just can't do it. I go either on my way home from work if it's a specific workout class I'm going to that's between work and home, or as soon as I get home before I cook dinner. It helps that BF has the same routine, so if one of us is going to the gym and the other is feeling lazy, the lazy one will feel motivated to go knowing the other one is :P