Ok, raise your hand if you love to relax and sleep in. Now, raise your hand if you love waking up early for a workout.
If we had to guess, we probably lost a few hands with that second answer... But rightfully so. Getting quality sleep is super important. And when you're cozy under the covers, hitting the snooze is so tempting and makes hitting the gym early in the morning feel nearly impossible.
We know there are a lot of benefits to working out in the morning: it gives you more energy, improves your mood, and increases your focus during the day. But, it can be tough to remember those fitness goals when you're half asleep.
You don't have to be a natural morning person to get those early morning workouts in. (In fact, a lot of the gym pros aren't morning people either!) So how do they manage to get up and get to the gym?
Here are the top tricks they use to wake up early that you can do too!
Turn on the lights.
It's the parents' age-old trick of getting you up. No one loves getting blinded by the light first thing in the morning. It was the worst as a kid, but remember how well it worked?
Nothing that startles your senses more than the sound of a morning alarm and a flick of the switch. This will help get you up and reaching for your morning coffee instead of the covers!
Switch up your alarm.
How many times have you heard the standard alarm sound? If we had to guess, it's probably more than you can count.
Switching up your current alarm could be just the change you need! You can try changing the alarm sound you use. Change the location of your alarm to somewhere other than beside your bed. You can also try a new alarm app like My Math Alarm Clock or Alarmy that makes you think before turning it off.
Have breakfast ready.
When you first wake up, the last thing you want to do is stand around wondering what to eat. Prepping a delicious breakfast that's ready right when you wake up can make a huge difference in how your morning starts!
Try these overnight oats recipes to start - they're delicious and super easy to make!
Find a group that you can't let down.
A great way to make waking up early easier is to have a friend or find a group of people who hold each other accountable.
It's easy to talk yourself into staying in bed. But if you've already given your workout buddy your word that you're going to meet up for that 6:00 a.m. sweat session, you have an incentive to get up and get moving (or you risk getting some playful-yet-serious texts of 'thanks for standing me up, PAL.')
Plan (or daydream) about everything you can do later!
One of the biggest benefits of morning workouts is that it frees up your afternoon. Just thinking about what you can do during the free time you'll have later can be a great motivator to get up and work out.
Next time you're debating hitting the snooze, give yourself time to weigh your options before dozing back off. Would you rather go back to sleep for another hour or go to the pool after work? Have time for "one more episode" of your favorite show? Get an extra hour of sleep to get ready for tomorrow?
If you get your workout out of the way, you can look forward to an easier, leisurely night of rest at the end of the day!
Final Thoughts
It's not easy to wake up and work out every day, but you can do a few different things to make those early morning wake-up calls a little easier!
By using these tips, you can find new ways to get up and out of bed a little easier than before and start enjoying more of those long summer nights.
Do you have a special morning routine to get up and going? Let us know in the comments!
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