Want to up your fitness? Exercising first thing in the morning is a game-changer. If you struggle with waking up early, here are seven tips to help you out.
Rise and shine!
The sun is up, and so are you. It’s time to get your butt in gear and start sweating…
Hello? Did you hit the snooze button again? You promised you wouldn’t!
Alright, it’s time to get serious now. There are a lot of health benefits of getting out of bed to work out early in the morning.
It’s time you learn the best ways to jump right out of bed, ready to take on the day. Or at least make it a little easier.
These seven tips for waking up to exercise early are foolproof. You have our “no more snoozing” guarantee.
Table of Contents
1. Get Ready the Night Before
The fewer things you have to do first thing in the morning, the better.
Prepare everything you’ll need before you go to bed, so it’s ready and waiting for you as soon as your alarm rings.
Pick out your workout clothes and the outfit you’re going to wear for the rest of the day. Pack your bag with all the things you know you’ll need. Get out your water, fill your bottle, and pack your snacks.
You can even sleep in your (clean) workout clothes if you want to!
If you exercise to music, go ahead and put together the perfect workout playlist in advance. Change it up every so often to keep it fresh or pick out an epic pre-made playlist.
Being ready as soon as you wake up is a huge perk. It motivates you to get out of bed instead of lying there, thinking about all the things you have to do before your workout.
2. Set Your Alarm Right
Creativity pays off when it comes to getting your booty moving in the mornings.
Start by setting multiple alarms.
Two may be enough for you. If you snooze one, the next one will bug you again a few minutes later, making sure you don’t doze off.
You may need to set up more to ensure you get up, even if they are going off every minute or two.
Customize them with messages from wide awake you.
- “Time to get up.”
- “Seriously, you need to move.”
- “Don’t you dare push snooze again.”
- “Today’s the day you get up on the first try.”
- “Time to sweat!”
Use your imagination. Bribe yourself if you have to. Just make sure you aren’t going to keep pushing snooze or — even worse — turn the alarms off altogether instead of waking up.
If that doesn’t work, motivate yourself to get up by putting your alarm far away from your bed.
Set your phone or alarm clock on a table on the opposite side of the room. Try putting it in your closet or your bathroom where there is no hope of reaching the obnoxious beeping until you leave your bed.
Physically getting out of bed is half the battle.
You can even take the cozy darkness away by purchasing a wake-up light alarm clock to replace the one you have now. It will flood your room with mock sunlight, so you rise and shine quicker.
3. Treat Yourself to Some Motivation
Here’s where that bribe you promised yourself comes in.
How much easier do you think it will be to wake up and exercise early if you know there’s a reward waiting for you?
It doesn’t have to be a big reward. You’ll be doing this most days, and you don’t want to go broke. But even small things can make this entire process totally worth it.
Make yourself a healthy pre-workout snack that is delicious and waiting for you to get out of bed. Get yourself a programmable coffee maker that you can set to make your coffee up to 24 hours in advance, so you wake up to the smell of a freshly brewed pot.
Start your day with something you enjoy.
Watch an episode of a tv show you’ve been meant to check out. Play a round of your favorite video game. Listen to a podcast while you’re getting ready to go out the door.
Or leave the reward for after your workout, if it motivates you more. Schedule something fun with friends. Go get brunch and talk about your progress.
Nothing makes you want to work more like knowing there’s something good waiting for you on the other side.
4. Exercise With Friends
Like most things in life — exercising is better when you don’t have to do it alone.
Friends keep you accountable. When you don’t get up in the morning and choose to sleep instead, it’s suddenly not just you that you’re letting down. It throws a wrench in carefully laid plans.
We can’t have that.
Make plans to go on this journey with one or more of your closest friends. Pick a time to meet up for a run or sign up for an early class together.
Not only will you be more motivated to keep your commitments, but you will always have someone there cheering you on!
5. Wake Up Before Your Responsibilities
You thought 6 am was early? Go ahead and try 4 or 5 am.
But why, you may be asking, would I ever do that?
Simple — it gives you more time to yourself before the world wakes up too.
Having a morning routine that involves getting up so early is something you will get accustomed to. It can be incredibly peaceful to wake up with the sun when everyone is still sleeping.
You’ll get your workout done and have time to relax, drink a cup of tea, take a shower, or even get something done you don’t usually have the time for.
It’s the perfect time to be productive before the workday starts or the kids wake up. You can focus entirely on exercising without distractions getting in the way.
6. Choose a Workout That You Enjoy
It’s absolutely crucial that you enjoy the workout you’re doing each morning. Otherwise, what’s the point in doing it at all?
Find a trainer that you connect with well. One that knows your goals and pushes you to them in a way that lights that fire inside you.
Sign up for an early morning class that you’re actually excited about attending.
Don’t stick to a program that bores you or that you hate just because it’s easier than switching things up. That pretty much ensures you’re going to hit that snooze button.
Make it a point to find the exercise you love.
When you look forward to working out every day, you’re much more likely to stick with it.
7. Get to Bed Early
Getting up early in the morning starts with getting to bed early at night.
The hour leading up to bedtime should be your relaxation time.
Don’t leave yourself a bunch of chores or work to get done right before bed. That pretty much ensures you will be too wired up to sleep properly.
Spend some time doing something that winds you down.
Go for a short walk. Take a hot shower. Read a book. Watch an episode of tv. Let yourself unwind and get sleepy so that you are ready to close your eyes once you climb into bed.
When the morning comes, you’ll be ready to jump up and do it all over again.
In Conclusion
And just like that, you’re not pushing snooze anymore!
Getting up in the morning can be a struggle, especially if it’s before the sun. So take these seven tips to wake up early and make yourself a morning person.
Eventually, getting up and exercising early will be second nature.
