Hail to the early morning workout! If you keep traditional work hours (or traditional work hours and then some as a side hustling entrepreneur), you probably already know that if your workout doesn’t happen in the morning, chances are it won’t happen at all.
Not everyone is this way–there are those who love a good post-work sweat session as a way to rinse off the stress of the day. Way to go if this is you!
For the rest of us, who must move our booties at the break of dawn in order to supercharge our day, here are some ways to go pro at an early morning workout:
Decide the Night Before: This may seem obvious, but if you go to bed putting off the decision until morning, you are NOT going to wake up and think, “Why yes, I think I will leave my cozy bed and lace up my gym shoes instead of lying here.” Make a plan. Set out anything you might need–water bottle, gym shoes, clothes, etc., so you don’t want to “waste” your prep when you wake up.
Say “No” to Snooze: Don’t kid yourself. You set your alarm at the precise latest moment possible to still work out, grab some breakfast, and make it to your desk on time. Waiting 15 minutes will throw off your whole day. Set the alarm loud, move it way across from the bed, and preferably next to some noisy kids or dogs who won’t let you slip back into bed unnoticed.
Build in Waking Time if You Need It: Okay, this kind of goes against what I said about the alarm thing, but this is legit for those of us who are on the spiritual side and/or like the quiet of the morning before going full-speed ahead. To me, it seems mentally and spiritually harsh to roll from bed to shoes to blaring gym music. My husband and I never miss our “coffee time” together in the morning to ease into our day, even if that means setting the alarm at 4:30 instead of 5:30 some days. He teases me on the weekends because I’m so used to getting my workout in after about a half-hour drinking coffee on the couch, that I get antsy to go. In my mind, this is a good thing, because I’ve programmed my body to crave movement in the morning. But NOT before our coffee ritual. (Plus, up to a couple cups of coffee has been scientifically proven to boost exercise performance–score!)
Split it Up if You Have To: Some people think they absolutely cannot get up any earlier than they already do. I’d like to say that this is not true, but if it feels that way (or you were up way too late and your body truly does need rest), just set it 15 minutes earlier and start your day with some push-ups, squats, and jumping lunges at home. (Throw in a few downward-facing dog stretches to limber up the spine and get the muscles pliable for the day). Then aim to build in another 15 or 20 minutes in the evening–even if that’s a walk with the dogs. The evening workout may or may not happen, in all honesty. Hopefully so–those increments throughout the day will build up–but even if you only do the early-morning half, you’ll go to work with an alert mind, invigorated body, and a mindset that is primed for activity and healthy choices. You’ve paid attention to your body first thing, and that’s a great way to encourage self-awareness throughout the day.
What about YOU? Are you a morning or evening exerciser? Or do you make time during the day?
