Working out in the morning can be difficult, but once you make it a habit you will feel great and have more energy to get through the day. Here are some helpful hints to make morning workouts easier and more rewarding.
1. Plan ahead
Getting organized can make it a lot easier to get out and do your workout in the morning and also to make sure you fit it in the time frame you have available. Laying out your exercise clothes, plus your outfit for the day the night before can save valuable time and mean you can have as much time as possible for your workout.
It may also be helpful to decide what you are having for breakfast and have a plan for the type of workout you are going to do. Decide how much time you need to work out, get ready and factor in any travel you need to do and get up early enough to allow for all this plus an extra ten minutes for unforeseen circumstances.
2. Fuel your workout
Many people do not like to eat breakfast before working out, but you may find a small snack is well tolerated and gives you the energy not only to get through your workout, but to work harder.
A handful of nuts, a glass of milk, half a banana or a few spoons of yogurt make an ideal quick bite that is easy to digest.
3. Adjust your workout to the season
It can be very difficult to make it out of bed and hit the road for a run in the middle of winter in the dark, and it can also be unsafe if you do not have an area that has good lighting. To avoid this, change your workout to suit the season.
Indoor workouts such as in the gym, an indoor pool or even an exercise video in the comfort of your own living room may make morning workouts less challenging and therefore easier to stick to.
4. Go to bed early
Getting up in time to work out in the morning can be even more difficult if you go to bed late the night before. Try to set yourself into a routine of going to bed early and waking up earlier to make sure you are not sacrificing sleep for your workout.
5. Don’t press snooze
Once you have pressed snooze, it is easy to keep on doing to until finally there is no longer any point getting up to work out as you haven’t got the time. A good way to make sure you get up when the alarm goes off is to put it on the other side of the room so you have to actually leave the bed to switch it off.
6. Make it a habit
Once you make getting up and working out a habit it will become a lot easier. Although the first few weeks will be difficult remember that once you have established the habit you will miss it when you don’t do it.
7. Give yourself something to look forward to
To motivate yourself to get up and out, give yourself something to look forward to. Whether it is a hot shower after your gym session, or a tasty bowel of fruit and muesli, make sure you allow yourself time to enjoy it.
8. Find a workout buddy
It is much easier to skip a morning workout if you are only letting yourself down. Find yourself a morning gym buddy to support you and encourage you to get to your workout. You are much less likely to miss a workout if you know someone else is expecting you to be there and you ask why you weren’t there.
9. Reward yourself
If you manage to get up workout according to your plan for a week, reward yourself for your efforts. Avoid food based rewards, but a shopping trip, a massage or even just a hot bath make good rewards to motivate yourself to continue.
10. Make a motivating playlist
Nothing makes it easier to work out that an uplifting, motivating soundtrack. Make time to create a playlist that makes you want to move and push through the early morning lethargy to get the most out of your workout.