5 Tips for Successful Morning Workouts

Let's face it.. the last thing we want to do when we're warm and cozy in our beds is get up and WORKOUT. I am the BIGGEST push-over with getting AM workouts done. I set 3 alarms and somehow manage to sleep through all of them and constantly miss my workout. Does this sound like you too? Good. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Benefits of morning workouts:

• More energy and focus throughout the day. 
• You'll start your day in a better mood
• Less stress throughout the day
• Increased likelihood that you will stick with your diet throughout the day
• Frees up the rest of  your day  

Disadvantages of morning workouts:

• Well, there really aren't any. 

 So there you have it. A few reasons WHY working out in the AM is completely beneficial for you and your overall well-being. So, why is it SO HARD to stick to a plan and get out of bed for that workout? I don't have the answer to that but what I do have are 5 tips to help you get out of bed and get that workout in!



ONE: Set yourself up for success. Either sleep in your workout clothes or have them laid out and ready to go. If you don't like sleeping in a sports bra just sleep in the rest of your workout outfit and throw the bra on in the morning.  If you go to the gym, have your bag packed and ready to go. If you workout at home (like me) have the dvd that you are doing already set up in the dvd player so all you have to do is turn your TV on and press play.

TWO: Get to bed on time. I say on time because there is no set bed time for everyone but you need to give your body enough rest. I find that 7-8 hours of sleep is ideal for me. With that said if I want to be up and working out by 5:15am I need to be asleep no later than 10:00. Most nights this isn't too hard for me to do but I do have those days where I get a second wind around 9pm and stay up until 11:00. When that happens I try to drink some sleepy time tea and really focus on calming myself down so that I can fall asleep better.

THREE: Set your alarm across the room It's easy to turn your alarm off when its sitting right next to you. I do it all the time and find that I don't even realize I turned it off. I do it in my sleep lol Putting your alarm across the room or far enough away so that you have to get up out of bed to turn it off will get your heart rate going and you'll be more likely to stay awake. Give yourself a good 5 minutes to get up and get going before jumping in to your workout. It's important to also get a nice warm up in as well.

FOUR: Get an accountability partner Find someone who will act as your accountability partner. Text each other when you wake up and pump each other up to get up and motivated. It's nice knowing that someone else is also waking up at the crack of dawn to workout and you're not the only one missing out on your sleep.

FIVE: Stick with it. Waking up early to workout is not going to happen overnight. It's going to take a few days, maybe weeks, for your body to adjust to the changes. You just need to stick with it and before you know it you'll be waking up without that alarm clock!

I hope these tips will help you make the decision to get that workout in first thing in the morning. If you are finding that you want more accountability, feel free to find me on Facebook where I hold monthly accountability groups. It's a great way to meet new friends and live a healthy lifestyle!