If you're one of those rare breed of humans, it's a time
when you bounce out of bed prepared for exercise, feeling
energetic, mentally sharp, and ready to give the world a good
dose of yourself, than you don't need to read this article -
just kidding!
But... If you're like most people, you get up in the
morning with an "oh, no not again!" attitude and
hazy vision that only a shower, black coffee, and a few hours
of being upright will cure. On top of that, morning is usually
a study in hurried chaos. You hit the snooze button one too
many times. You try to find clothes that match. You just did a
load of whites, but you can't find a pair of socks. You forgot
where you put your checkbook and the keys.
Is this a time to be working out? Are you kidding, you say,
absolutely out of the question. You know what? The morning
hours may by the best time for a "busy person's
workout." You just have to learn how to plan a morning
exercise routine, and then stick with the plan. Here's your
wake-up call.
Try these techniques to make time for a morning workout.
Set your alarm clock to go off 15 minutes earlier. NOTE: give
yourself 1-2 weeks to adjust to your new wake-up time, then
set it back another 15 minutes. Now you've just added a
½ hour to your day that you can completely devote to
your A.M. workout. But you must make sure you give your body
time to adjust to your new schedule. Setting your alarm back
30 minutes is too much of a shock to your system.
Go to bed earlier once you're committed to morning
workouts, don't expect to be able to go to bed at midnight
like you used to. Put simply, if you're getting up earlier, go
to bed earlier. (Some people have a problem with that.) You're
better off cashing it in earlier than watching your favorite
late night comedy show.
Get ready the night before. Normally, you waste a lot of
time if you roll out of bed, stumble to the bathroom, take a
shower, put your clothes on, then to the kitchen for some
coffee and a quick eat-on-the-way-out-the-door breakfast. Once
you think about your morning routine, you may find dozens of
little things you could do the night before to give yourself
some extra time for a morning workout. For example:
• A coffee maker with a timer you set before going to bed
• Making your lunch
• Setting your keys, checkbook, and briefcase by the door
so you don't have to look for them
These will save you minutes in the morning - and it only takes
a few minutes to add another set of reps or another mile to
your workout.
Consider going to bed in your workout clothes! Go to bed in
shorts and a T-shirt (or if it's cold, sweatpants and a
T-shirt). Then, when the alarm goes off, get out of bed, jump
into your shoes, and you're ready to go. While you're at it,
get your work clothes ready, too. If you work out at a gym,
pack them in the car so they're ready to go.
One of the best ways to stick to a morning exercise routine
is to go to bed and get up the same time each day, even on
weekends. Sleeping in more than an hour will throw you
completely out of whack. Once your timing is down, STICK WITH
IT. You will be rewarded with a body and mind that functions
smoothly - almost like clockwork.
