Transform your mornings from PAINFUL to PRODUCTIVE!
Struggling to stay on top of your morning workout routine? Finding that your bed has a way of trapping you as you try to get up? Well I’m here to help, or at least offer some advice that I’ve found works for me!
Somewhere a long the road I became a morning person. It wasn’t always this way. I used to hang on to every last minute of sleep in the morning, setting my alarm to disturb my peace at the latest chance possible. In high school, If I needed to be to school at 7:30, I would literally wake up at 7 to get the most sleep I could, and rush out the door in the morning. Going through college and into real life, I’ve shifted to where I absolutely love my mornings and my routine. I know that to “non-morning people” that probably sounds so annoying. But I’m here to share some tips on how anyone can become a little bit more of a morning person, and take advantage of those early hours. Hopefully with these tips, your mornings will be a little less painful and you can reach those goals you’ve set for yourself this year.
1) Go to sleep with a plan: This simple task can work wonders! if you go to bed thinking “I MIGHT wake up to workout in the morning” the chances of you escaping your comfortable bed are very slim. Before you get into bed at night, right down your plan of attack for the next morning. If its set on your schedule, physically and mentally, your much more likely to actually do it!
2) Lose the Snooze button: Yes, thats right, take away the temptation of the “just 10 more minutes” because as soon as you give yourself that ability, the 1 time snooze button, turns into 6, and there goes your workout time. Sit up with the first sound of your alarm. It can be painful at first, but try it for a week and the habit will start to sink in.
3) The h20 wake up call: The first thing I do when I wake up to assure I don’t roll back into bed is splash my face with cold water. And yes, it needs to be cold. This will wake you right up! I’ve found its really hard to even want to roll back in bed after you’ve shocked your face with a cold splash. If this doesn't do the trick, take the plunge into a cold shower. That should definitely do it!
4) Plan something to look forward to: For me, a lot of the time I’m so excited to wake up in the morning so that I can eat the breakfast that I’ve imagined in my head the night before (guilty). The other part of it is that I get excited to work out! When you’re creating your plan for the next day, make sure there’s something in your morning that you’re looking forward to, that gives you that extra little nudge to get out of bed. If its just a drag, your bed is always going to win. If its your post workout shake that you love, thats great! Use that as your boost to jump out of bed so that you can workout, so that you can have your shake after! Or if its meeting your friend on the street for an early morning run that works to. If its to watch the sun rise up over the city while you enjoy some morning oatmeal, that sounds fabulous! Find what works for you and plan on it.
Now I'm not saying the only way to be healthy and fit is to workout in the morning, because that is not true at all! Plenty of people prefer night workouts over morning workouts. However, In my experience with training clients, I found that most people have a chunk of time they can create in the mornings before they get started on the rest of their hectic day. It seems that the reality of fitting in a workout can become smaller and smaller as the day goes on. If you start your day with it, then its checked off the list! But if the night routine works for you then go with that! Its all about figuring out what works for you and your own personal success.
Don't expect the morning thing to come easy right away, and don't get frustrated when it doesn't. It takes time and consistency to form good habits. You'll have to push through a little bit of pain in the beginning, but in my experience, that satisfying feeling from a productive start to my day keeps me coming back for more. Give it a shot, and believe in your ability to change.