How to be a morning person?

[hatenik_the_barbarian]

I'm sure a lot of y'all hate mornings. I'm also sure a lot of y'all bite the bullet anyway and have somehow become "morning people" to accomplish your workouts and achieve goals.

I want to start my day with working out, I swear I do! Just get up and go, and enjoy the post-workout high all day and not feel anything nagging at me. My bio-clock, I guess you could say, is used to working out around 930 or 10 at night, feeling like staying up another couple hours after I finish, and then struggling to wake up to get to work the next morning. BUT, throw in two evening activities a week, one or two late shifts, and all of a sudden I have time at night for...not as many workouts as I want a week.

Last month, I tried to quit coffee, and it was unbearable, so I switched to yerba mate, which is slightly better than nothing. So without addictive chemicals to light a fire under my sleepy carcass in the morning, I need some tips to quit hitting snooze six times and just WAKE UP. The couple times that I've forced myself to workout in the morning, it went well enough, but I can't keep it up. One 20-30min workout 6 days a week isn't that hard, I know. For that matter, getting up after 6-7 hours of sleep shouldn't be that hard in any case.

So, anyone, have you had to convert to being a morning person? What am I missing? Steve's got an aspiration to never use an alarm clock, and I can't even fathom that. If left to my own devices, I could go to bed at 11pm, and not wake up til 9am at the earliest, usually more like 11am, which is why I now use an alarm on my days off of work. I think I have a problem.

[The Tin Man]

Commenting to subscribe. I want to work out in the morning so I have more time in the evening for standup night, trivia, and cooking proper dinner. I know it's a matter of prioritizing and making sure I get to bed on time (not easy in my apartment of night owls).

[msuroo]

What's wrong with coffee? I hate waking up. Hate it. Due to family obligations though, evenings just aren't an option for working out - so I go to the gym in the mornings. *Shrug* just do what you gotta do.

[andygates]

It definitely gets easier as you get older (I think there's literature on this). For me: 6am alarms are easy, but going to bed early enough is still a challenge.

The impetus for me was that most triathlons - I was racing 'em for a few years - start ungodly early to avoid traffic. Gonna race at 7am, you have to train at 7am, or it's one hell of a shock. So with that motivation, I knuckled down to it.

[Leimanu]

I always wanted to be a morning person and had a hard time waking up. I even got a blood test to see how my thyroid was doing. Chugging like champ.

This month, along with a paleo challenge, I tried some morning workouts. So here's me, someone who enjoys getting up at 9:30 and having coffee, getting up earlier and just going for it, trying for 8am or 8:30am. And I'm totally surprised. It doesn't happen everyday, but I kinda like it, especially to get it done early.

1) go to bed at the same time very night

2) Set the alarm and get up at the same time every day.

3) aim for 8-9 hours of sleep Well, for me. Maybe you can do less, but I like 8 or more.

4) Prepare the night before. I track my workouts, so I write down my weight and sets and reps, so I have a plan so I can start quickly, and I like weight lifting so I look forward to it. Have your clothes out.

5) Eat well. With the paleo thing, I've been sleeping deeper. You don't have to be paleo, but less processed foods.

6) Don't watch tv or play with the computer about 30min before bed. Excites the mind too much

I also workout at home, so I just have to get up. I might have a harder time if I have to drive to the gym. Then I'd have to plan on going to work after or doing whatever the day needs afterwards, so that'd take planning.

I think it's OK to have some coffee before working out. A little jolt! Just drink water during and after since it'll dehydrate you.

I find that I can't lift as much or do so many exercises in my circuit in the morning as compared to evening, but that doesn't mean it's not effective.

[humanperson832]

When I go to bed has so much to do with it. I aim for anywhere between 9-11pm, and I read an actual book instead of bringing my computer with me to bed. In fact, I only do three things in bed, and two of them are sleep and read books.

I don't know if this will work for everyone, but instead of drinking coffee, I drink a Nalgene bottle (16 oz.) full of refrigerated water. I have a big Brita dispenser in my fridge and I'm always refilling from that throughout the day. I'm usually pretty thirsty when I wake up, so I end up drinking this pretty quickly. This wakes me up better than coffee, and no shakes! I also always walk my dog first thing, so that wakes me up too. By the time we come back inside, I'm ready to start the day, (usually) grouch-free.

I've been wanting to do morning workouts too, but I'm not sure what to eat beforehand. I don't want anything too heavy, obviously, but I don't like fruit and that's what most people do.

[Lachy]

I'm a morning gym goer. I'm up at 4:50am, drive half an hour and workout from about 5:30. I used to be quite the night owl in my younger days, and even when I got a 9-5, I would only get up as late as possible. It took me a few attempts to get in the habit of rising early, so hopefully some tips can help you.

• Get up early every day, even if you're not working out, get up at the same time, go for a walk, cook lunch, read a book. But get up, get out of bed!
  
• Prepare the night before. Have your bag packed, you gym clothes laid out. I put my bag in my car sometimes. Have lunch/breakfast/whatever ready to grab and go.
  
• Go to bed on time, even if you're not tired. Try reading about half an hour before bed to wind down.
  
• If you drink coffee still (and I do), avoid any after midday, I found it prevented me from falling asleep easily
  
• Don't drink too much water before bed, full blader wakes you up in the night, makes it hard to sleep, which all makes getting up when the alarm goes off that much harder
  
• When its time to get up, don't debate it, don't hit the snooze, swing your feet out of bed and start moving. That's the hardest part, once your shoes are laced, its all easy!
  

If I think of anything more, I'll update. Good luck

[Barbarossa]

Showers just a little colder than you think you can stand. Always works for me.

[BeckyBuckeye]

Showers just a little colder than you think you can stand. Always works for me.

See those never work for me. I always end up grumpier than I started (and that's saying something).

[msuroo]

I'm a morning gym goer. I'm up at 4:50am, drive half an hour and workout from about 5:30. I used to be quite the night owl in my younger days, and even when I got a 9-5, I would only get up as late as possible. It took me a few attempts to get in the habit of rising early, so hopefully some tips can help you.

• Get up early every day, even if you're not working out, get up at the same time, go for a walk, cook lunch, read a book. But get up, get out of bed!
  
• Prepare the night before. Have your bag packed, you gym clothes laid out. I put my bag in my car sometimes. Have lunch/breakfast/whatever ready to grab and go.
  
• Go to bed on time, even if you're not tired. Try reading about half an hour before bed to wind down.
  
• If you drink coffee still (and I do), avoid any after midday, I found it prevented me from falling asleep easily
  
• Don't drink too much water before bed, full blader wakes you up in the night, makes it hard to sleep, which all makes getting up when the alarm goes off that much harder
  
• When its time to get up, don't debate it, don't hit the snooze, swing your feet out of bed and start moving. That's the hardest part, once your shoes are laced, its all easy!
  

If I think of anything more, I'll update. Good luck

These are sage words right here.

I'm not sure I'll ever be a "morning person", but all of these things help me keep up my routine. (Edit: except the going to bed on time part. I suck at that.)

[hatenik_the_barbarian]

What's wrong with coffee? I hate waking up. Hate it. Due to family obligations though, evenings just aren't an option for working out - so I go to the gym in the mornings. *Shrug* just do what you gotta do.

Nothing, I guess. Read something that said drink tea instead of coffee and it made enough sense to try it for a while. I miss it, was raised on coffee and love it except for how it irritates my stomach. The yerba mate doesn't irritate, and I even like it black, but it doesn't have the same power.

Thanks everyone for your experience and advice! I appreciate it and hopefully I will soon hit morning workouts with the best of y'all!

[Leimanu]

I've been wanting to do morning workouts too, but I'm not sure what to eat beforehand. I don't want anything too heavy, obviously, but I don't like fruit and that's what most people do.

I do it without eating. That was the thing I thought I couldn't do. I'm like a baby, hungry the second I wake up and waah waah waah until I get breakfast. So this really surpised me! I guess I try to eat a good supper the night before. It's OK to workout a little hungry, and not push yourself if it's too much.

[msuroo]

I've been wanting to do morning workouts too, but I'm not sure what to eat beforehand. I don't want anything too heavy, obviously, but I don't like fruit and that's what most people do.

Check out these links on fasted training.

[Lachy]

I'm not usually hungry when I wake up, whatever the time, but I usually have a small drink of juice (w/ come creatine), or a half a protein shake on the way in, just to have some fuel in the tank. If you really need something, a banana would do. You don't want to fill up with a meal.

[Guest Gemeaux]

You used to be a night person ?

[Guest Gemeaux]

That was meant for mr Hayes up there

[Fogo]

Put the alarm clock across the room so you have to get out of bed to shut it off. If my alarm is within arms reach, I'm sleeping in. But if I have to get up and move across the room, 90% of the time I stay out of bed and get moving.

[hatenik_the_barbarian]

Put the alarm clock across the room so you have to get out of bed to shut it off. If my alarm is within arms reach, I'm sleeping in. But if I have to get up and move across the room, 90% of the time I stay out of bed and get moving.

Totally tried this. My alarm is my phone, so if its across the room, it ends up in my hand, back in bed, hitting snooze a couple more times. I'm really bad at waking up.

[Rosie]

• Get up early every day, even if you're not working out, get up at the same time, go for a walk, cook lunch, read a book. But get up, get out of bed!
  
• Prepare the night before. Have your bag packed, you gym clothes laid out. I put my bag in my car sometimes. Have lunch/breakfast/whatever ready to grab and go.
  
  • When its time to get up, don't debate it, don't hit the snooze, swing your feet out of bed and start moving. That's the hardest part, once your shoes are laced, its all easy!
    

  If I think of anything more, I'll update. Good luck

This is the biggest one for me and you just have to make sure that when your alarm goes off, dont hit snooze, not even once! If you hit snooze one time then you're awake enough to realise how comfy and warm the bed is and before you know it, you're still in bed 45 minutes later, missed your work-out and still have to get up for work anyway.

[Silentplanet]

I read a study that said that some people genetically function better at night than in the morning.. and it's just to do with how your body functions =)

http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/morning.html not the article I read but it says the same things.

[Bean]

I have been getting up at 4:45am and hitting the gym at five for a couple of year now. It was really tough at first, but now I quite often find myself waking up about a minute before my alarm goes off.

I think there are a couple of things that keep me going:

Firstly, this is the only practical time to workout that doesn't interfere with family and home life and doesn't leave me sweating away in my office all afternoon.

Secondly, I want to be fit and healthy (and look good naked) and I use this mantra whenver I don't feel like getting up.

Finally, it is the routine. As Lachy says, get up every day at the same time (although I do confess to sleeping in a little on a Sunday). I read somewhere that it takes 42 repeats to create a routine, and once in the routine, it becomes much easier.

So, my suggestion - make this a goal for the next six-week challenge. Set the alarm clock, get out of bed and do the exercise.

I personally don't have anything other than a glass of cold water before hitting the gym and it doesn't seem to have affected me. When I get back from the gym I make myself a protein shake and then reward myself with a nice cup of coffee (freshly ground beans and all) before waking the kids to get ready for school.

Works well for me, but you have to find those motivators that work best for you otherwise you will resent the exercise and probably lose motivation.

[Rosie]

Great advice Bean, I know what I'm adding to my next 6 week challenge and if I can keep it up hopefully it will become a daily routine

[Centurion]

Totally tried this. My alarm is my phone, so if its across the room, it ends up in my hand, back in bed, hitting snooze a couple more times. I'm really bad at waking up.

Haha I'm exactly the same. I'm interested in this as well as my ability to get up early seems to fluctuate throughout the year (not having a regular schedule doesn't help) and the prospect of going into full-time employment soon means I'm going to need to sort myself out to be able to get up in the mornings. I know a friend how had success with an alarm clock that shot of a little toy helicopter when it went off, then you had to get up and go search for where the helicopter had gone and put it back on the base before the alarm would stop. Probably requires that little bit more effort that just walking to the other side of the room to grab your phone which should wake you up a bit more. I've seen similar concepts with the helicopter replaced with a puzzle that pops out and you have to put back together. I had one on my phone for a bit where you had to answer 3 simple maths problems before the alarm would stop, seemed like a good idea but I quickly found out it was too easy to solve them without fully engaging and therefore you could just go back to sleep afterwards. Saying that I think the most effective alarm I've ever been subjected to was an old school one with the two bells and a hammer at the top that a friend of mine had, there was no way you'd sleep through that

[msuroo]

I read a study that said that some people genetically function better at night than in the morning.. and it's just to do with how your body functions =)

http://www.rps.psu.edu/probing/morning.html not the article I read but it says the same things.

I'm certain that I'm one of these people. I can generally push myself harder in the gym in the evenings, and there's no doubt that my brain is sharper (I get my best work done after 5:00), but it's all for naught if you can't make it work with your other responsibilities. Alas, it's morning or bust for me.

[skip-tracer]

I've made many attempts at being a morning person over the years but I've never stuck with it, so my advice probably isn't worth that much on this subject...

The one thing I found did help is to stay out of your bed/ bedroom at all times unless you're sleeping. Doing so seems to forge a clear mental association between being in bed and sleeping rather than using a computer, watching TV, listening to music or whatever else. Some people might make an exception for reading but I'd avoid that too unless it really helps you fall asleep.

I've had to move back into the spare room of my parent's house so a lot of my leisure time is spent in my bedroom at the moment. It's like being a teenager again (that's to say that it really sucks).