If you exercise first thing in the morning...

[Anonymous]

...how do you do it?

I usually exercise late afternoons but have become very unmotivated.
I'm not really a morning person, but think I need to change my routine somehow.
Maybe if I did it at the start of the day, I could get it over with. (walking and upper body weight routine)
I know that's not a positive attitude, but it's how I feel right now!

I have been exercising regularly for years and have never been in such a slump.
Can't figure out what I need to do.
Any advice welcome!

[Anonymous]

I get up, walk the dog, get the kids to school, go work out, shower and change into my outfit for the day, and then start work.

This works because I work for myself. If I had to be at some office at 8:30 or something, it wouldn't work.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like you're in a slump exercise wise so I don't see how combining that with something else you don't like (waking up early) will help. You need an exercise program you can be excited about. Or a buddy to workout with that's more motivated than you. I would need to know a lot more about your goals & fitness level to be able to even suggest something.

[Anonymous]

Lack of motivation later in the day is one reason I like to exercise in the morning. But even if I'm trying to get out the door for a run starting at 5 am, I budget time for a cup of coffee. Otherwise I think that the whole experience would be miserable (but maybe that's just me being a little too dependent on caffeine). I remind myself that my whole day will be so much better if I exercise and that it will really only suck at the very beginning. Bite the bullet and just do it. After a while, not so long really, it will get easier.

[Anonymous]

When I run in the mornings I start the coffee so it's ready when I get back. Most of the run I fantasize about that cup of coffee. It keeps me motivated during the run. Now if only I could get my butt outta bed

[Anonymous]

I run with the dog in the morning. She needs to get walked/jogged anyway, otherwise she is unhappy and destructive while we are at work. Not having my house wrecked by a bored, under-exercised dog is my motivation.

[Anonymous]

I've been exercising first thing in the morning for nearly 20 years, since I started rowing in college. A few thoughts:

-First thing means just that. It's the first thing I do after getting out of bed. If I had any other tasks (kid-related or otherwise), I'd get sucked in and it wouldn't work.

-To make it work, I set my alarm before the rest of the family gets up. It's a bit challenging with a toddler and baby, but it works so far. Having an elliptical in the basement and the option to run outside when it's lighter earlier really helps.

-I'm a morning person by nature. Not sure it would work otherwise. It's hard enough for me to do, and it's habitual by this point.

[Anonymous]

I taught myself to get up and exercise after years of late afternoon, mid-afternoon, late morning, etc. It's hard at first, but I love the feeling of being done by 7 a.m. Lay your clothes out the night before.

[Anonymous]

I signed up for the Sergeant's Program that meets at 5:45. That's 5 days a week of hardcore exercise. I'm paying for it and after 5 years I've made friends with others in the group. I see my friends, get a workout and I'm home by 7:10am.

[Anonymous]

I'm definitely not a morning person, but I've been getting up at 6 to go for a run 3 days a week for the past year. I'm not even entirely awake as I get dressed and get outside which helps me from second guessing should I really go or not. It's quiet and often dark, and no one bothers me. I've come to love it as a great way to wake up in the morning. And like many others have mentioned above, running in the morning is the only way I can be sure that nothing will come up and prevent me from running.

[Anonymous]

Also not a morning person, but I have been getting up for the past twenty five years to exercise - except for a break during the time when my kids were young and getting up through the night. If I go to bed late, I just sleep in my workout clothes because it saves me five minutes in the morning and I am all about saving time. Before kids, I went to the gym and after working out did my shower, etc. there and went directly to work. After kids, I bought a treadmill and cross trainer for the house.

[Anonymous]

I used to be an after-work exerciser, but DD came along and that stopped working.
So now I wake up at 4AM! to get in a workout. At this point it's automatic... i think that it works for me b/c I make sure everything is out and ready to go, work clothes and lunch packed, etc - so it would take MORE mental effort to avoid it than to just get my butt out of the house.
Also, I keep my shower stuff for the gym IN MY CAR - which includes the hair dryer. So if I don't work out, then I need a shower, thus requiring me to go out to the car first. At which point I may as well keep going.
DD is so accustomed to having Daddy only in the AM, that it actually throws off their routine entirely if I am home. So avoiding a screaming, crying preschooler is a good motivator

[Anonymous]

I go to an exercise class every day during the week at 6am. There are a few times that I have to miss because of early conference calls or meetings, but I try to do it everyday. If I don't do it at that time in the morning, I won't get to do it the rest of the day. If I do it everyday, it becomes a habit and then I don't even need by alarm clock to get me up. It helps that I just have to show up to a class. Once I get there, the rest of the group and instructor gives me the motivation I need. I don't think I could get up at that time and self-direct and self-motivate an effective workout.

The 5:45 am class sounds interesting. Could the pp provide the name and location?

[Anonymous]

PP, I'm 9:02 who mentioned the Sergeant's Program. Go to Sarge.com and you can see all the locations for the program. I go to the one at Horace Mann School in DC that meets at 5:50am. There is another group that meets at Carter Baron around that same time. I also think there is a class in the evenings in Georgetown but I've never looked into it.

If you aren't in the city, there are a bunch of classes that meet all over the area. It is a boot camp style class. Two days of upper body and core work, two days of lower body and core work and one day of straight cardio. The days that aren't straight cardio include some cardio, for example "run across the field drop and do 10 push ups, run back and do 5 burpees, repeat cycle for 3 minutes." (we meet at a school with a 1/8 mile track and a soccer field in the middle) You bring a mat and weights to class. The class meets outside most of the year, with many having an indoor location for Jan and Feb. We deal with the elements most of the time. (I actually prefer the cold to the heat)

[Anonymous]

I don't consider myself a morning person, but I love morning workouts because you get it out of the way, you feel like you had a productive start to the day, and it can give you energy. Plus you only have to shower once, which is a time-saver.

pack all your stuff the night before, and/or consider sleeping in your workout clothes. eat something light before or immediately after your workout and then eat breakfast at your desk if you're going straight into work. try to streamline your beauty routine so you're not lugging a ton of stuff around.