Have you ever had a mental fight when you are trying to make yourself get up to work out in the morning? Last night/week, the plan was solid and sounded great until....the dreaded alarm goes off. I'll bet a lot of you think that a "workout-a-holic" like me just bounces out of bed with a smile on my face ready to go get it, right? Well, I am all about keeping it real with you so I will confess....it does not work that way. If I am being honest, MOST mornings when the alarm goes off, I tell myself all kinds of creative reasons why staying in the bed would be much "better" for me! I do! But I still get up and get it done most mornings. How? Because those aren't the messages to which I choose to listen!
You see, I also have messages telling me things like, "You always regret it when you don't get up" or "Just 30 more minutes of rest is not going to do as much good as 30 minutes working out" or today's was, "You can do yoga tomorrow if you get up and do Dirty 30 today"! As you can see, I have quite the conversation going on inside of your head! Working out is such a MENTAL game. It really is!!! You have to use your body to override the brain. What? Translation: You have to get up and move anyway to show the brain who is boss! Think of the brain as your parent and your body as the teenager. What would a teenager say if you told them they "can't" do something? Most would say, "Well, I'll show them!", right? So you are now granted permission to access that teen inside of you and sass that negative brain by moving your body into the action you promised yourself! Just do it! I find that once my feet hit the floor, I am good to go. Maybe for you, it will be actually getting to the place in which you workout. Whatever "your place" is, get there without thinking one more second about it! Your body will do the rest!
Okay, that's for starters and it's a big one! You MUST GET OUT OF BED TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS! Got me? :) Now you might be asking, but why workout first thing in the morning? But Robin, I'm NOT a morning person! That's okay! I'm not either. Ask my husband! But I still prefer mornings for working out! I have tried it many other ways utterly refusing to give up my pillow time, but have found that nothing, I mean nothing, beats first thing in the morning. There are so many awesome benefits, but here are a few I liked:
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Since we are being real here......Do any of you really LIKE to get up to an alarm clock for ANY reason? I'll bet you have many MORE reasons why you don't like the alarm than that you do. My point---it doesn't matter the reason you set it, when it goes off, more often than not, its going to be a somewhat unpleasant experience anyway, right? The reason you DO get up most mornings is probably because you HAVE to due to work, an appointment, kids to get to school, etc. When this happens. you not being the boss of yourself, but allowing circumstances to set the tone for your day. SO why not challenge yourself to set it just 30 minutes earlier and gift that time to bettering you because you CAN?
Here are some tips for us "non-morning" people that have helped me be more successful at answering the "call of the wild" (aka: alarm clock) to workout in the mornings.
- Think about your "why". Why do you want to workout? It has to be something bigger than just losing weight, changing your appearance, to feel better, etc. Dig deeper! Is it that you want to live longer for your kids, you want to stop using food as a comfort, you want to prove to yourself and others that you can? Those are deeper seeded reasons beyond the scale/mirror that will matter more when you are struggling to make it happen.
- Design your workout ahead of time—is it going to be cardio? If so, what machine(s) will you be using and for how long? Is it going to be weight lifting? If so, decide what body part you will be working and write out what weights, sets, reps and exercise you will be doing. Just like with food, planning is key to success.
- Put your workout clothes out the night before so that you know what you are wearing and it is easily accessible. Plus it saves time getting ready so you can sleep a little longer. (I'm all about the minutes-LOL) I have read where some people who are just starting out will actually sleep in their workout clothes so that they awaken ready to go minus their shoes! Now that's motivation!
- . Limit the debate in your head about whether or not to get up while lying in bed. It WILL happen. Instead, GET UP with your body! MOVE towards your clothes you laid out OR towards your shoes if you're already dressed for success. :) The debate may continue, but keep moving! Your body is so much more capable than you mind allows you to believe.
- . Drink a large glass of water to hydrate before you ever start working out and take water for drinking during your workout. You will likely lose some water sweating during your workout, so it is important to replenish it AND (BONUS), you get a jump start on getting some of your ounces of water in for the day! Win-win!
- If you are a beginner, keep is simple! You don't have to do a long drawn out workout. It isn't the length that matters. Just get up and move. Google and Pinterest have dozens of ideas on what you can do at home or on the go with no equipment needed ranging from just 10 minutes to an hour! Start small and work up as you become accustomed to it.
You're here so you already have your dream/goal/wish. Now go and make it a reality by taking action. A month from now, you will be glad you started today!
fitnessbarrnone@gmail.com
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