How to Work Out in the Morning

Buy one, get one free deals get me every time.

Thanks to a fantastic BOGO deal at Publix yesterday, I now have two packages of Toufayan thin bagels in the delicious “everything” flavor.

Everything bagels are so flavorful. I don’t generally like thin bagels, but the everything flavor is a good one. I love the combination of the onion flavor with the texture of the poppyseeds. Yum!

For lunch I made myself a Provolone cheese bagelwich that I enjoyed with a side of grape tomatoes and a sliced red pepper.

Lunch also included a fresh apple.

Operation Healthy appears to be in full swing! 😀

How to Work Out in the Morning

Beep, beep, beep!

What? The sound of your morning alarm doesn’t motivate you to wake up early and hit the gym? 😉

In all seriousness, it can be very hard to get to the gym at any time during the day, let alone before the sun comes up.

I remember when I made the transition from afternoon workouts to morning workouts. In my first job after college, I hit the gym after work. I got off work at 4:30 p.m. and was able to work out and still be home by 6 p.m. This schedule worked very well for me.

Then I changed jobs. All of the sudden my hours were all over the place. I’d often be at work after 7 p.m., and frequently found myself in the office later than 9 p.m. It was not fun. (Side note: I was seriously miserable in that job and quit after finding a new job less than eight months later. Lesson learned: Bigger pay check does not equal happiness!)

As I became accustomed to my new schedule, I found myself irritated that my varying hours and demanding workload cut into my gym time.

Gradually it became clear to me that if I wanted to make my health a priority and get my heart pumpin’, I had to work out before I went into the office. This meant waking up in the 5 a.m. hour. The horror!

The first week was a challenge. My workouts were not nearly as intense and I felt sluggish.

The next week wasn’t so bad. By Wednesday, I felt like my workouts were returning to their normal intensity. Plus, it felt amazing to be done with my workout as I headed into the office. Checking something off my to-do list before 7 a.m. felt great!

Once the third week of my new morning workout routine rolled around, it felt natural. I didn’t have the desire to sleep in anymore because I felt like I would be missing something. I didn’t want to drive to work without that feeling of post-workout satisfaction.

As I shifted my work outs to the morning, I found the transition easier by following these little tips:

• Commit to it: Your first morning workout will not be fun. You’ll be tired and cranky, but that’s okay! Don’t give up. General consensus says it takes around 21 days to make a habit. Commit to keeping up your morning workouts for 21 days and they will begin to feel like part of your routine.

• Schedule a Workout You Want to Do: For your first morning workout, schedule a workout you want to do. Don’t tackle sprints or a five-mile run on your first morning workout if this is the workout you dread the most! Plan to take your favorite spinning class, walk your dog, or bring a friend with you for an early morning yoga session to give yourself something to look forward to when you get to the gym.

• Revel in the Post-Workout Sense of Accomplishment: When your morning workout is over, make a mental note to remember how great it feels to have your workout done before the day really begins. Remember this feeling when the alarm goes off in the morning.

• Make it Easy on Yourself: Make getting to the gym in the morning as effortless as possible by laying out your workout clothes, filling up your water bottle and having your keys ready the night before. (Click here for my tips on streamlining your morning routine.)

• Enjoy that “I’d normally be at the gym right now” Feeling: When I switched my workout to the morning, I loved thinking “I’d normally be at the gym right now” around 5 p.m., when I would typically be working out. It made me appreciate the effort I put into getting my workout done earlier in the day.

*Special thanks to blog reader Katie for inspiring this post! 😀

Of Possible Interest:

• My yogurt mousse mentioned on WomansDay.com (WomansDay.com)
• A beautiful post from Gabriela about learning to love yourself (Une-Vie-Saine.com)
• Red face following a workout: What’s the deal? (FitSugar.com)

Question of the Afternoon

• When do you prefer to workout… morning, afternoon or night?