How to Wake Up Early for a Morning Workout
If penciling in a workout into your daily routine is proving to be challenging, you may be prioritizing some extra shut-eye over fitness. If you are experiencing burnout and extreme stress, these extra Zzzs are actually beneficial to combat stress and prevent weight gain. But in most cases, that small margin of time in the morning before you hit the office could be your chance at building a fitness regime for yourself so you never skip out on a workout and can hit those fitness goals. Read on for our tips on how to wake up early for a morning workout!
Many celebrities and fitness professionals swear by the early morning workout, so how can you join them and make it happen? Simple. Employ a few of the tips below and you’ll be an early bird scratching fitness goals off your bucket list before your friends even pour their first cup of joe.
1. A productive morning starts with a productive evening:
The perfect productive morning actually starts the night before. In the evening, simply take 10 minutes to write out a timetable or add it to your calendar for the next morning. Include what time you’ll wake up, a time slot for your workout, when you’ll eat breakfast, and whatever else. Be as specific and detailed as possible. This process can alleviate any anxiety you have in the morning that could ultimately hinder your productivity. If you stick to your plan, you’ll be sure to check off the highest priority item: your workout.
2. Clean up your sleep hygiene:
It can be a struggle to wake up early when the sun isn’t out yet, but it’s even harder if you haven’t had enough or good quality sleep. Like working out, eating healthy, and drinking enough water, sleep is foundational to our health, which is why we suggest to take the extra shut-eye if you are experiencing a bout of distress or burnout. In any case, adults need approximately 8 hours of quality sleep every night. Achieve a good night’s rest by minimizing your exposure to blue light throughout the day and especially a few hours before bedtime. Consider purchasing a pair of blue light blocking glasses, or adding a blue light blocker on your computer or device if you must be on technology through the day and at night. Other ways that you can enhance your sleep hygiene include going to bed and waking up at the same time everyday, not eating at least two hours before bed, sleeping in a cold, dark room, and including sleep enhancing supplements, like chamomile tea or melatonin, before winding down.
3. Acquire accountability:
Whether you recruit a friend to meet you at the gym, or you schedule in a non refundable workout class, there’s really no better way to make the early morning workout happen than by having someone, or something, holding you accountable. Not to mention, by either working out with your bestie, or hitting up a high energy workout class early in the morning, you’ll be sure to start your day on an endorphin high. We’re sure your day will be off to a pretty good start!
4. Don’t hit snooze:
Hear the alarm? Don’t hit snooze. Research from The Cleveland Clinic in 2019 showed that hitting the snooze button had no benefit to fighting fatigue. In fact, hitting snooze only disrupted healthy sleep patterns. And this actually causes us to feel more tired throughout the day. If you’re struggling to wake up upon hearing the alarm, try something new, like:
- Changing your phone’s alarm tone to a song that will pump you up in the morning
- Setting your coffee maker to brew a cup of java a few moments before your alarm goes off
- Putting your phone or alarm in a different room so you can still hear it, but you have to physically get out of bed to shut it off
And if waking up in the morning is still a challenge for you, consider reaching out to your primary care physician to rule out any serious issues with your health.
5. Lay out your workout wear:
Whether it means packing your gym bag the night before or simply laying out the outfit you plan on putting on, this tip is timeless, tried and true. Not only are you relieving yourself of a morning decision (we have way too many of those throughout the day already) but you are also setting an intention in the evening that prepares your brain for the event to take place the next morning. When we set an intention for ourselves, we’re more likely to take action.
Did you try these tips? Let us know by tagging us at #ReflexNation and head on over to @reflexsupplements on Instagram and Facebook. We love hearing from you!
