I am NOT a morning person. I have no problem staying up until 4am and then sleeping until noon but on the days where I plan to workout in the morning, I have no problem going to bed early and waking up bright and early to the annoying sound of my alarm.
Honestly, I do it because exercise is my priority and on the days where I know I won’t have time to workout in the afternoon, that is enough motivation for me to get up early in the morning. If you don’t have that mindset, here are some tips on how to become a morning workout person:
- Get EVERYTHING ready the night before. Clothing, socks, hair tie, deodorant, sportswatch, heartrate strap, sunscreen, bug spray, waterbottle, mug and coffee supplies, bars/gels/snacks… EVERYTHING.
- Remind yourself: I never regret a morning workout. That is the first thing I say to myself once my alarm rings. Works like a charm everytime.
- Hydrate yourself well the night before.
- Force yourself to sleep early. If you are a nightowl, try sleeping an hour or so earlier everynight until you get to bed at a reasonable time.
- Don’t snooze the alarm.
- Eat a light snack. Forget about working out on an empty stomach because your body needs carbs to function and if you are going to wake up in that ungodly hour to exercise, you better make it count— which means make it intense. Eat a granola bar, banana, apple or something to give you the energy and trust me, it makes a huge difference on your energy levels. Only Cardio Queens exercise on an empty stomach because you don’t need that much energy doing pointless steady-state cardio. Cardio Queen-ness is out!
- Make yourself accountable. Post on social media that you are going for a morning workout. Even if no one reads it or cares, you will most likely keep to your word because you put it out there already.
- Find a friend who is willing to suffer with you. If you have a date with someone, you most likely wouldn’t sell them out.
- PLAN PLAN PLAN. Write down your workout the night before so you know exactly what you’re doing and not waste any time.
- Take it slow. Start with morning workouts once a week and then gradually increase.
