Do you ever wake up in the morning with the intention of working out, but find yourself hitting snooze five times instead? You’re not alone. Motivating yourself out of bed is hard on most days if you aren’t an early bird, and this can be doubly true when you have a fitness class to attend or a jog to go on before you start your day. However, having time in the morning to workout has many benefits. Not only can you anticipate having more energy throughout the day, you don’t have to worry about hitting the gym after work when your couch sounds so much appealing after a long day. If you are ready to reap the benefits of a morning workout but lack the motivation to do so, read these tips to help you get out from under your comforter and lacing up your tennies in no time.
Visualize
If you have ever sought out advice for self-motivation before, you are probably familiar with visualization as a tool. You’ve heard of athletes picturing winning the big game and making it a reality; you can do the same with your morning workout! Visualization is an effective tool because the mind does not differentiate between what you visualize and what actually happened. When you vividly visualize something, you make it more real in your brain, pushing you to be more committed to making it a reality. Before you go to bed at night, visualize yourself getting up in the morning, and be very specific. What time are you waking up? What will you do first? What will you wear? How much energy will you have? Be optimistic and picture yourself kicking your morning workout’s butt. Believe it to be true and you’ll be surprised how much easier it will be to follow through. If it helps, write it down in a journal to solidify your resolve.
Think differently
So you are “not a morning person.” Whether you have been saying this all your life orhave only recently determined it to be true, your attitude is getting in the way of you getting up and working out in the morning. Don’t think of yourself as “not a morning person” who will never like waking up in the morning, as this will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Consider that people change. Maybe if you change your morning, you will actually come to think of yourself as a morning person.
Make mornings better
If you’re not a morning person, consider what time of day it is when you feel your best. What makes you feel better throughout the rest of the day? Is it how much energy you have? How happy you are? What you are doing? Who you are with? Once you figure out what makes you like other parts of the day better, you can make your mornings better. Find ways to make you happier in the morning (hint: a great workout will help!). Go to bed earlier, start the day with an activity you love, or wake up and call a friend who makes your day. Make mornings more pleasant, and you will be more excited to wake up and workout.
Get a buddy
If your plan is to workout by yourself in the morning, who is going to know better if you go back to sleep instead? If you want to workout in the morning, it helps to have someone to hold you accountable. You are much less likely to hit snooze again if you have someone who is up and waiting for you at the gym. If you are set to disappoint someone if you don’t wake up, you will be much more committed to waking up earlier and exercising.
Prepare the night before
It’s much easier to make excuses to get out of a morning work out when you have a whole list of things to do before you can hit the treadmill. Avoid this problem by preparing yourself the night before. Pack your gym bag, prepare your workout clothes for you to throw on, and prep your breakfast for post-workout. If you are prepared, that is one less excuse for not getting out of bed in the morning.
Make it a habit
The key to not only getting out of bed and working out tomorrow morning, but every day after that, is to make it a habit. You can establish a workout routine by reinforcing it with smaller habits. For example, waking up at the same time every day, going through the same routine in the same order every day, and reminding yourself every day why you are waking up. Establish it as a habit now for success in the future.
At Spunk Fitness, owner Bernie Caplan is determined to provide a gym membership that is affordable and valuable. If you are interested in one of our memberships, come in for a free day pass today to check it out!