Hey, friends! As I am away for work, and likely getting up before the conference starts to get my workout in, I thought it would be helpful for me to share my tips that help me get out of bed and not hit snooze. Even when we go to bed with the best intentions to workout before work or an event or trip the next day, it’s pretty common for our nice, comfy bed and good dreams to prevail, thus causing you to hit snooze and skip the workout. Trust me, I have been there many, many times, but at this point, there are a good handful of things I do to make this NOT happen.
Pick out your workout clothes the night before
Seems easy enough, right? For me, though, if I have my clothes laid out, it’s almost like they are looking at me, telling me NOT to skip my workout. Plus, saving those extra few minutes it might take to pick out something to wear while you’re still half asleep really does add up! For me, once I am up and out, I end up wishing I had more time to workout; therefore, if I don’t dilly-dally when I get out of bed figuring out what I am going to wear, looking for my head band or watch or socks, I have more time to work out! Sometimes, I even sleep with my running or workout socks ON, so that it’s one less thing to put on when I wake up!
Plan your workout or running route the night before
Getting up with no idea what I want to do for a workout is the absolute worst! I have found that if I go to bed, thinking about what I am going to do when I wake up, it’s that much easier to get up and just do it. Whether it’s running, kickboxing, Nike Training Club, On Demand, Deck of Cards or any other type of workout, go to bed knowing exactly what one you’re going to do- have it written out if need be and place it right next to your clothes and shoes- is key. Morning time is so precious to me, that I don’t want to waste any time figuring out what to do. I want to get up and just do it.
Bribe yourself
Sometimes if I tell myself that I can have a treat if I get up and workout before work, it makes a huge difference! This could be something as simple as going to a coffee shop to get an iced coffee or buying lunch out. Just giving yourself some type of reward for committing to your morning workout really does help!
Start Small
Your first morning workouts don’t have to be big or long. It’s a totally different workout for me when I workout in the morning vs. the night, but as I workout in the morning more often, it does become easier! Your body will get used to it and adapt better and better the more frequently you do it. And as far as length, you don’t have to be out there for an hour doing something. Start small- say you’re going to run a mile and then stretch and do abs. Then the next time, do more. Pick 20-30 minute at-home workouts that will still leave you sweaty and feeling like you got a great workout in. My sister, for instance, works out before work about 3-4 days a week. It might just be a few mile run or a 10-15 minute On Demand video, but you know what? She is getting up and committing herself to SOMETHING, and that’s really what it’s all about. Something is better than nothing; ALWAYS.
Remind yourself of how good you’ll feel AFTER your workout vs. how you’ll feel knowing you willingly skipped out
This is probably the number one thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s really as simple as that: if I workout before work, I feel GREAT all day. Seriously, there is nothing better than knowing your workout is DONE throughout the whole day and knowing that you have the evening to do whatever you want. It’s like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders, right? When/if I simply skip out on a morning workout in favor of sleep, I feel awful all day and I’m so mad at myself. Yeah, it may suck to pull yourself out of bed an hour earlier than usual, but within 5 minutes, that feeling is usually gone. However, if you skip out, that feeling of regret stays allll day.
Questions for you: Do you prefer working out in the morning or at night? What did I miss? What’s the number one thing that gets you out of bed in the morning to get a workout in?
Burpees to Bubbly 
night! im more bendy at night 😉
haha ditto!
ahhh! Love this post! Very relatable. Summertime is pretty busy and it’s easier to get distracted in the evenings with all the things going on. A simple solution – go in the a.m. and get your workout done. Your tips are straight on. Put your clothes out (sometimes I even sleep in mine!), know what you’re going to do the night before, when the alarm goes off roll out of bed before you even have time to think about the snooze button, know that it’ll be worth it once you get going (and that you’ll most likely regret it later that day if you don’t go). I also know what time I need to leave the house by so that i’m not dilly-dallying – it’s all ready to go. I have learned what works for me and what doesn’t. I can do cardio like crazy, but I can’t seem to lift as well in the morning, so I plan my schedule around that. There are many benefits from early morning workouts!
Thank you!!! I feel the same way, especially in the summer; after work drinks outside are way too tempting to skip in favor of a workout:) I think knowing when you have to be out of the house is a great tip! I do the same thing, I plan when i need to start my workout in order to achieve what I want!
I’ve been trying to get better about morning workouts. I agree- you feel SO MUCH better after and you feel great for the whole day. Plus, you have less time to make up excuses and skip out on your workout later
Exactly, especially if you are someone who can’t say no to drinks after work! So, if you get up early and workout, you can have fun guilt-free:)
I love morning workouts!! When I trained for the marathon a few years back, I ALWAYS ran in the morning. I definitely pick out my clothes and have an idea of exactly what type of workout I’m going to do. Sometimes morning runs can be hard, because you never know what your body is going to feel like, so I try to adapt to how my body is doing. I don’t like to dilly dally because you’re right-in the morning, there’s less time to spend working out. I pretty much always work out in the morning, because I like to be able to have it off of the “to do” list so that if I’m tired in the evening or something comes up, I don’t feel like I have to forfeit one or the other. I only work out in the evening if there is some serious incentive (i.e. your classes). Otherwise, I’d much prefer to have my night to get other things done!
I totally agree with running in the morning! My energy is never where it is when I run after work and my miles are not nearly as fast, but it’s the fact that I get out there and get it done which prevails not getting it done! When I don’t teach after work, I do like to get up and get my workouts done in the morning, but if I don’t have anything after work, i’ll generally workout after work since I know it will be a better workout!