5 Tips For Getting The Most Out of Your Morning Workout
I love getting in an early morning workout. The feeling of getting it out of the way and having the rest of your day to focus on other activities is great. I use to be the complete opposite though and use to struggle to get out of bed and into the gym. It took some time but I am now a MORNING PERSON believe it or not!
Having to get out of your cozy bed on a cold day can be a daunting task. But I try to push through those voices in my head saying “stay in bed” and get up. The sense of accomplishment is great once you overcome them. I usually find that getting out of bed is the hardest part of my workout!
Working out early allows me to have a great day by freeing up my evenings to be at home with my family. Early morning workouts are not for everyone though, so if you already have an established evening routine, you may want to skip this post.
GO TO BED ON TIME
This is the most important and simplest way to get ready for a morning workout. Ideally you want 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Some people can get by on a little less but if you can get 8 or more that is ideal!
GET QUALITY REST
I mentioned getting 8 hours of sleep a night. That is true but it has to be QUALITY sleep. That means no interruptions. Make sure to have an ideal sleep environment. That means no screens (TV, computers, kindles, phones) for about an hour before bedtime. I personally use an essential oil diffusion to make sure I get the best quality sleep possible. Getting quality sleep will not only help you with our workout but in all aspects of your life.
HAVE YOUR PRE-WORKOUT SNACK ALREADY MADE
In order to save as many precious sleeping minutes as possible have your pre-workout snack already made. This can be anything from left over eggs, protein bars or a protein shake. I really enjoy cliff bars in the morning and actually look forward to eating one as soon as I wake up. You can also mix some coffee into a pre-workout protein shake to give you that extra caffeine boost if needed. Check out this Morning Coffee protein shake if you still need that caffeine to be productive. Eventually try and wean yourself off of the caffeine though because you don’t want to become dependent on it.
GET YOUR CLOTHES AND GEAR READY THE NIGHT BEFORE
This may be the most important advice next to getting good rest. Having your clothes, shoes, and equipment ready to go in the morning is a huge time saver and allows for an extra couple minutes of precious sleep. If you’re going to work after the gym make sure to have you work clothes packed away in your gym bag so you can get a quick shower at the gym and head to work. Having all you stuff organized in a nice gym bag like this is a huge time saver! Another approach I use to take when going on long morning runs is to actually sleep in my running gear. That way as soon as the alarm goes off I can hop in my shoes and out the door for a nice run. There is nothing like waking up while running into the sunrise.
FIND A WORKOUT PARTNER
Finding a workout partner is a great way to be held accountable. You are less likely to skip a workout if you know your buddy is waiting on you. Joining a social workout class like crossfit, yoga, or spinning can be very beneficial to early morning gym goers. You and also search locally for free morning workout groups on meetup.com to find like-minded individuals.
These are my tips for a getting up for an early morning workout. It does get easier the more you do it so the quicker you get in a routine the faster you’ll be on the road to success.
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