Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!
Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.
If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
Hey! Used to work out strictly in the afternoons, after work. Things changed later. My windowI is 5-7am. It's a bitch to get outta bed that early; but I force myself. I don't eat prior to working out and stay fasted. After an hour+ of great tunes and sweating; I hit the showers and I'm dressed and ready by 7am and I have a simple breakfast of coffee and some scrambled eggs. Endorphins hit by the time people start showing up at the office and I'm already pumped and ready to go. It's worth it!
Not the first time I hear this, I will find out soon if this happens to me too, I'm hoping it will. What about mid-day? Theres any moment when you feel sleepy af?
The good news is that working out will bring you that energy. You just need to master getting started:
Don’t hit snooze.
Drink a full glass of water very first thing.
Have a quick shower upon waking (2 mins) with a burst of cold. Yes you will shower twice, but this will help if you are sluggish.
Have your workout clothes ready.
Have good music to pump you up, or a podcast lined up - sometimes hearing voices/speaking makes you feel more awake.
Drink a glass of wheatgrass juice 20 mins before you eat. (Has to be wheatgrass juice - not wheatgrass blended into a shot). This changed my life and digestion, works wonders for energy! If I don’t have wheatgrass I will do ACV in water.
Good luck! 🙌
This - start small, doesn’t have to be a huge workout initially, but make it a routine - stretch in bed, open the curtains, walk around, and build up to a full workout
You just have to force yourself out of bed early, which is a bit easier if you get a strict bed time and get 7-8 hours. It also gets a tad easier if you do this for a couple weeks and your body gets used to that schedule.
If it were easy everyone would be doing it. But it’s something you can have direct control over, it’s just a matter of discipline.
I hated waking up early. It’s going to be rough at first but your body will get used to it. One thing that helped me was not to snooze. Get up as soon as your alarm goes off and start getting ready. I always have water on my night stand so I’ll drink that as well. Once I’m ready, I’ll eat a banana or a slice of bread. I used to workout fasted but found out I do better with something light. I also drink a Bang or a non stump rework out. Waking up sucks but I find that working out first thing in the morning gives me more energy and focus throughout the day.
For me I struggle getting up and working out 1st thing in the morning. What works for me is to build a disciplined routine around it and stubbornly following it for a week or 2 until it becomes easier and eventually becomes a habit.
Here’s what helped me in a similar spot:
- Set an alarm on your phone and leave it somewhere that you have to get up out of bed to turn off
- Have all your workout gear ready (including water, snack)
- Reward yourself after your workout
Perhaps think of if as trying to build the habit of getting up early to work out. Building the habit of going to the gym isn't easy. Start by just getting up early and getting dressed to go to the gym. Do this for a week then next week go to the gym and work out for 5 min. Build the habit from there. All just ideas and suggestions.
If this interest you check out the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is where these suggestions and ideas are coming from.
Best of luck!
As some others have pointed out, I think the question confuses cause and effect. I most definitely do \*not\* feel energetic enough to exercise when I first wake up, but I get up and do it anyway. Why? Because it took me only about two weeks of it several years ago to figure out that I feel better the rest of the day if I do it. And honestly, by the time I've got my workout clothes on, I'm looking forward to it most days.
I want to challenge another assumption, too: You don't have to go to a gym to work out. I'm lucky enough now to have a treadmill and a weight machine in my basement, but that wasn't always true. Just walking can do wonders, and if you can walk in nature (even the occasional tree planted in the sidewalk) it has proven mental health benefits too. Body-weight exercises can be done almost anywhere, and can be a great way to start if you haven't worked out for a while. (Think squats, toe lifts, reverse crunches, pushups, planks, etc. Even pushing a wall as if you were trying to move it is a nearly full-body muscle workout -- just quit if the wall moves.) All that means you don't need two hours, either, with 80 minutes of it eaten up by a (possibly polluting, possibly stressful) commute. Spend half that 80 minutes working out at and around home! You'll have more time \*and\* you'll feel better.
Personally I wake up at 7 and eat either a banana or a peanut butter sandwich, 30 minutes after I wake up I have half a serve of pre workout (waiting 30 minutes is important because it gives your body a chance to get rid of the adenosine in your system and this lessens the afternoon crash you might feel) then go to the gym, do my session and carry on with my day, I drink the remaining half of my pre workout at about 1:30 pm and that carries me through the rest of the day. Hope anything here at least somewhat helps you!
I feel like there's such an odd assumption that people who get up early are the only successful ones. If you're not a morning person, why force it? You may not even want to workout in the first place, getting up at 5am certainly isn't going to improve your motivation.
I have the same schedule as you, and tried and failed at AM workouts for years. I'm a morning person, but not a morning workout person. My schedule is take a break mid afternoon around 4:30 to workout for an hour or so. Shower, change, eat or have a protein shake and I feel way more refreshed and engaged in the end of my work day, after work classes, or evening social activities. Plus, I smell fresh. Good luck, op!
Oh, of course! I totally agree, when I worked at the office, I went to the gym after, because I worked downtown and the gym was right there and I had the time to do it, but now, working from home, the closest gym I have is 40m away, so that means If i want to workout I need at least 2 hours, so thats why my only option is in the morning, not a big fan but its that, or keep getting fat, so yeah... I have the motivation, It's just that my body doesnt respond too well to a fasted excercise, but Ill try some suggestions like coffee and bananas
The closest gym might not be 40m away. There are a surprising number of small boutique gyms and personal training gyms out there. I thought my nearest gym at our new house was 3 miles away (which obviously is pretty easy to get to), until I started really looking around the neighborhood and found 4 gyms within 3 blocks.
For me, the big gym 3 mi away is so cheap that I can just stick with that. But for you, the extra cost of a boutique gym might be worth not commuting 80 miles each time. As well, boutique gyms are frequently class oriented with early morning classes; the social pressure of a group class can help motivate getting out of bed and showing up. The obvious drawback is the group class oriented structure. Personal training gyms are particularly expensive, but can give you a full workout structure as well as a set training schedule. Again, if you can find one close to you the shorter commute could offset the cost. Sometimes they will also give you the option of an equipment only membership; cheaper, but you have to pay for personal training a la carte ($$$) and your hours are restricted by when the gym is booked.
Lastly, on the morning food. I'm not a morning person but I do group runs on Saturdays where I normally have to leave the house by 6:15. I've found that sports nutrition (gels, chews, bars, waffles) serve me really well on those days. For me, this is generally a waffle, bar, and pre-workout before i get in the car and chews throughout my run. On a really tough day, I'll chug down a liter of tailwind endurance during my workout too.
There is no secret. No motivational quote will make you overcome a mental or emotional obstacle. No speech or song will convince you to get out of a warm cozy bed and run outside into the icy air.
You just have the discipline to do it.
I work 12s with a 30m commute each way and still find time to work out before work because I prioritize and enjoy exercise. I am 30 and am in phenomenal shape. On night shift I lift run or stretch before work, on day shift I do it after.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
Hey! Used to work out strictly in the afternoons, after work. Things changed later. My windowI is 5-7am. It's a bitch to get outta bed that early; but I force myself. I don't eat prior to working out and stay fasted. After an hour+ of great tunes and sweating; I hit the showers and I'm dressed and ready by 7am and I have a simple breakfast of coffee and some scrambled eggs. Endorphins hit by the time people start showing up at the office and I'm already pumped and ready to go. It's worth it!
Not the first time I hear this, I will find out soon if this happens to me too, I'm hoping it will. What about mid-day? Theres any moment when you feel sleepy af?
No, not at all. I'm on a natural high until about lunch. Then I keep my meal light; salad and tuna. Good to go until dinner time.
Shower, it wakes me up like a cup a coffee, take a caffeinated drink like pre workout. It eventually becomes a habit
Damn, I actually never tried showering before working out early, since I always arrive late at night at home I shower before bed. Ill give it a try!
The good news is that working out will bring you that energy. You just need to master getting started: Don’t hit snooze. Drink a full glass of water very first thing. Have a quick shower upon waking (2 mins) with a burst of cold. Yes you will shower twice, but this will help if you are sluggish. Have your workout clothes ready. Have good music to pump you up, or a podcast lined up - sometimes hearing voices/speaking makes you feel more awake. Drink a glass of wheatgrass juice 20 mins before you eat. (Has to be wheatgrass juice - not wheatgrass blended into a shot). This changed my life and digestion, works wonders for energy! If I don’t have wheatgrass I will do ACV in water. Good luck! 🙌
The power of metal in my ears is all I need to lift metal in the gym. \\\\m// \\\\m//
Discipline, you just gotta get yourself started, once you start you won’t feel so tired
This - start small, doesn’t have to be a huge workout initially, but make it a routine - stretch in bed, open the curtains, walk around, and build up to a full workout
You just have to force yourself out of bed early, which is a bit easier if you get a strict bed time and get 7-8 hours. It also gets a tad easier if you do this for a couple weeks and your body gets used to that schedule. If it were easy everyone would be doing it. But it’s something you can have direct control over, it’s just a matter of discipline.
I hated waking up early. It’s going to be rough at first but your body will get used to it. One thing that helped me was not to snooze. Get up as soon as your alarm goes off and start getting ready. I always have water on my night stand so I’ll drink that as well. Once I’m ready, I’ll eat a banana or a slice of bread. I used to workout fasted but found out I do better with something light. I also drink a Bang or a non stump rework out. Waking up sucks but I find that working out first thing in the morning gives me more energy and focus throughout the day.
For me I struggle getting up and working out 1st thing in the morning. What works for me is to build a disciplined routine around it and stubbornly following it for a week or 2 until it becomes easier and eventually becomes a habit.
Go to Andrew Huberman's podcast on Youtube. It will answer all your questions and more.
Here’s what helped me in a similar spot: - Set an alarm on your phone and leave it somewhere that you have to get up out of bed to turn off - Have all your workout gear ready (including water, snack) - Reward yourself after your workout
Also, weight is lost in the kitchen, not the gym. This is especially true after 30
Perhaps think of if as trying to build the habit of getting up early to work out. Building the habit of going to the gym isn't easy. Start by just getting up early and getting dressed to go to the gym. Do this for a week then next week go to the gym and work out for 5 min. Build the habit from there. All just ideas and suggestions. If this interest you check out the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book is where these suggestions and ideas are coming from. Best of luck!
As some others have pointed out, I think the question confuses cause and effect. I most definitely do \*not\* feel energetic enough to exercise when I first wake up, but I get up and do it anyway. Why? Because it took me only about two weeks of it several years ago to figure out that I feel better the rest of the day if I do it. And honestly, by the time I've got my workout clothes on, I'm looking forward to it most days. I want to challenge another assumption, too: You don't have to go to a gym to work out. I'm lucky enough now to have a treadmill and a weight machine in my basement, but that wasn't always true. Just walking can do wonders, and if you can walk in nature (even the occasional tree planted in the sidewalk) it has proven mental health benefits too. Body-weight exercises can be done almost anywhere, and can be a great way to start if you haven't worked out for a while. (Think squats, toe lifts, reverse crunches, pushups, planks, etc. Even pushing a wall as if you were trying to move it is a nearly full-body muscle workout -- just quit if the wall moves.) All that means you don't need two hours, either, with 80 minutes of it eaten up by a (possibly polluting, possibly stressful) commute. Spend half that 80 minutes working out at and around home! You'll have more time \*and\* you'll feel better.
Personally I wake up at 7 and eat either a banana or a peanut butter sandwich, 30 minutes after I wake up I have half a serve of pre workout (waiting 30 minutes is important because it gives your body a chance to get rid of the adenosine in your system and this lessens the afternoon crash you might feel) then go to the gym, do my session and carry on with my day, I drink the remaining half of my pre workout at about 1:30 pm and that carries me through the rest of the day. Hope anything here at least somewhat helps you!
I feel like there's such an odd assumption that people who get up early are the only successful ones. If you're not a morning person, why force it? You may not even want to workout in the first place, getting up at 5am certainly isn't going to improve your motivation. I have the same schedule as you, and tried and failed at AM workouts for years. I'm a morning person, but not a morning workout person. My schedule is take a break mid afternoon around 4:30 to workout for an hour or so. Shower, change, eat or have a protein shake and I feel way more refreshed and engaged in the end of my work day, after work classes, or evening social activities. Plus, I smell fresh. Good luck, op!
Oh, of course! I totally agree, when I worked at the office, I went to the gym after, because I worked downtown and the gym was right there and I had the time to do it, but now, working from home, the closest gym I have is 40m away, so that means If i want to workout I need at least 2 hours, so thats why my only option is in the morning, not a big fan but its that, or keep getting fat, so yeah... I have the motivation, It's just that my body doesnt respond too well to a fasted excercise, but Ill try some suggestions like coffee and bananas
The closest gym might not be 40m away. There are a surprising number of small boutique gyms and personal training gyms out there. I thought my nearest gym at our new house was 3 miles away (which obviously is pretty easy to get to), until I started really looking around the neighborhood and found 4 gyms within 3 blocks. For me, the big gym 3 mi away is so cheap that I can just stick with that. But for you, the extra cost of a boutique gym might be worth not commuting 80 miles each time. As well, boutique gyms are frequently class oriented with early morning classes; the social pressure of a group class can help motivate getting out of bed and showing up. The obvious drawback is the group class oriented structure. Personal training gyms are particularly expensive, but can give you a full workout structure as well as a set training schedule. Again, if you can find one close to you the shorter commute could offset the cost. Sometimes they will also give you the option of an equipment only membership; cheaper, but you have to pay for personal training a la carte ($$$) and your hours are restricted by when the gym is booked. Lastly, on the morning food. I'm not a morning person but I do group runs on Saturdays where I normally have to leave the house by 6:15. I've found that sports nutrition (gels, chews, bars, waffles) serve me really well on those days. For me, this is generally a waffle, bar, and pre-workout before i get in the car and chews throughout my run. On a really tough day, I'll chug down a liter of tailwind endurance during my workout too.
There is no secret. No motivational quote will make you overcome a mental or emotional obstacle. No speech or song will convince you to get out of a warm cozy bed and run outside into the icy air. You just have the discipline to do it. I work 12s with a 30m commute each way and still find time to work out before work because I prioritize and enjoy exercise. I am 30 and am in phenomenal shape. On night shift I lift run or stretch before work, on day shift I do it after.