Morning workouts- even though we have the best intentions, sometimes we just can’t make it a habit. The alarm goes off and we hit snooze, thinking “I’ll just work out after work” or “I’ll go tomorrow”. Then the sun begins to set and various things pop up: kids need help with homework, friends invite you to go out to eat, or you are just too tired and make a pact to try again tomorrow. This is a vicious cycle and I find myself in it too. And in all honesty we are only hurting ourselves, we need to give ourselves a pep talk and truly commit. Research shows that when you do something for 17 days it becomes a habit, so let’s make morning exercise a habit. Not only will we become healthier and happier, we will finally do what we say, #stopthesnooze.
Here are some helpful tips that will make getting up early a little less impossible:
- Go to bed at a reasonable time. Aim for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. So if your morning workout starts at 5:30, you need to be in bed between 9:30 and 10:30 PM.
- Put your alarm (whether that is your phone or an actual clock) across the room. This way when the magic number pops up and your alarm goes off you have to get out of bed to turn it off. Hardest part is now over, you are out of bed!
- Now that you are out of bed and across your room you see the workout outfit you tripped over on the way to turn off the obnoxious beeping. How smart, set your clothes out before you go to bed. One less reason to get back in bed, you don’t even have to fumble sleepily through drawers to find the essentials.
- Turn on some lights! You are awake and need to see.
- Finally, if you are still not awake splash some cool water on your face. This is bound to wake you up!
Now that we have the tools to overcome the warm bed calling our names to go back to sleep, its time to get our hearts pumping! I am one of the STAT Wellness Bootcamp instructors and we start at 5:30 am. Don’t tune me out just yet! I know it is early and still kinda dark, but there are benefits to working out in the morning.
At first it is hard to get up and work out, but once you get in the habit, you will see that the benefits far outweigh the negatives. When you work out at the start of your day, it is over, you’re done and you hardly know it! You can come home at night and relax, hang out with your family, read a book, do whatever you want. Another positive is when you get up in the morning and work out, you are jump starting your metabolism, especially if your workout includes resistance training (like STAT Bootcamps) which will increase the amount of calories you burn long after you are done working out. Who doesn’t want to burn more calories during the day? You are also going to feel more alert and energized after your early morning workout.
If you are sold and ready to accept the early morning workout, check out the STAT Wellness bootcamp at Lassiter High School every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 5:30am! First class is free, email Katelyn@stat-wellness.com if you have any questions! Look forward to seeing you early and not so bright!
Katelyn Corbin, B.S, PT-C, SPT
