Morning Workouts

I was talking to a friend about why I like getting my workout in first thing in the morning, so I thought I’d write a post about it. I love working out first thing in the morning. I get it in before I can get distracted by the rest of my day. I have energy when I wake up rather than waiting until after work and I’m tired. Here are my tips for working out first thing in the morning:

Get your workout clothes out the night before.

I make sure to lay out my clothes for next morning before I go to bed. That includes everything from a hair elastic to shoes. If I have to think about it and look for things I’m less likely to get to my workout.

Get your equipment out and ready to go the night before.

Similar to the above tip, I like to get all my gear out and in one spot the night before. I’ll put the DVD in the DVD player so that in the morning all I have to do it turn it on. I’ll fill a water bottle and put it in the fridge. I’ll get the weights out that I need and put them where I’ll be working out. I’ll lay out my yoga mat and strap so it’s one less thing to do in the morning. If you’re going to the gym make sure your gym bag is ready to go before you go to sleep the night before.

Go to bed early.

Make it easier on yourself to get up in the morning by going to bed at a decent time. I find the more I press the snooze button, the less likely I am to workout. It might take a couple weeks to get used to going to bed earlier, but it’ll definitely be worth it when you’re ready to go when your alarm goes off.

Plan a fun workout.

Looking forward to working out makes all the difference when it comes to getting out of bed. Sign up for your favourite early morning yoga class or find a DVD that you really enjoy.

Make sure your electronics are charged.

Charge your iPod or Garmin the day before. Trying to charge them enough to work in the morning isn’t going to make working out any easier. Double check to make sure that playlist you made is on your iPod.

Find a workout buddy.

If you know someone is waiting on you for at the gym or at the park to go for a run, you’re more likely to get out there. I don’t know how many times I didn’t feel like going for a walk when the time came, but I went because I knew my friend was counting on me to show up. Having someone to be accountable to makes all the difference.

What do you do to make working out in the morning easier?