5 Tips for Morning Workouts
It feels like amongst the ‘health and fitness’ crowd (or maybe more broadly the #hustlers of the world) there is a deeply held belief that the early bird gets the worm. Early morning workouts, long before the sun comes up, are the way to put you on the path to success and productivity.
But what if you hate mornings?
Sure, it feels great to get your workout done for the day. There’s less temptation to pass on your workout due to the mental fog that can come from a long day of work or for social events (no one is asking you out for post-work drinks at 6 AM). But if you’re someone who feels like they are continually battling what they “should be” doing (i.e. getting up and working out) and what they “want to be doing” (i.e. getting a few more hours or sleep) then we’ve got some tips to help you actually make it to your AM workout.
How to Get Out of Bed & Workout in The Morning
Change Your Mindset
As far as we know, there isn’t any magic potion out there (including coffee) that makes getting up at 5 AM feel good, (especially so if you aren’t a morning person). But instead of thinking about all the work that needs to be done (i.e. miles to run and squats to bang out) think about the chance to get some alone time just for yourself before the rest of the world (work, family, etc.) starts knocking at your door.
Don’t Jump Out of Bed
It might seem counterintuitive, especially if you want to hit the snooze button, but give yourself a moment to transition from sleep to awake. Sit up in bed. Hit the light. Drink some water. Over time these small queues will help your body recognize that sleep is over and it’s time for the next phase of the day.
Add In A Pre-Workout
Now that you’re actually out of bed, it’s time to give yourself a little mental boost. Pre-workouts often contain caffeine (amen to not having to waste time brewing a pot of coffee), plus a variety of other cognitive workout enhancing ingredients such as β-Alanine, Citrulline Malate, Creatine, and amino acids like tyrosine which have been shown to help with mental focus giving you the extra boost you need to crank up the dial for an intense workout. If you’re concerned about feeling too jittery after taking a pre-workout, come into one of our locations and chat with our team of experts. We’ve got lots of different formulas with various ingredients to give you the boost you’re looking for.
Start Slow
Mentally you might be feeling more alert thanks to the previous tips, but physically your body still isn’t there yet. Give yourself the space to allow your body to warm up slowly. Try a 5-7 minute run at a slow pace (we’re talking a 3 or 4 out of 10 on the exertion scale) coupled with some dynamic stretches to really get the blood flowing to the muscles. Taking the time to add this warmup onto your workout may seem like wasted time that you could have spent in bed, but it will actually help you go harder once you get to the ‘main’ part of your workout and avoid injury to muscles which aren’t quite ready for the grinding workout you have in store.
Better Yet, Start the Night Before
Going back to our first tip, there may not be a magic potion to make getting up feel any easier, but there is something to be said for a good night’s sleep that has you waking feeling well-rested. If you’re someone who spends the night tossing and turning thinking about how many hours it is until you have to get up, you might want to try adding a product like Magnum G-Spring into your nightly routine. It contains 5mg of melatonin (your sleep hormone) that helps you fall asleep, while other ingredients like L-theanine and Deanol help you relax and support your nervous system.
What are your tips for getting out of bed for that sweet Rise & Grind? Let us know. Tag us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. We are #ReflexNation
