5 top tips for early-morning workouts

 

But don’t give up! Instead, read on for a few tricks that might just make those early mornings a wee bit easier…

1. Prepare EVERYTHING the night before

Let’s face it, even the brightest of early birds won’t be firing on all cylinders at the crack of dawn. And when you’re half asleep, with a limited time window and a strong urge to stay in bed, the last thing you want is to be rummaging around in the dark for half your kit! Instead, make things as easy and straight-forward for yourself as humanly possible: have your breakfast prepared, gym bag packed and work stuff sorted, so that you can just grab it all and go when the alarm goes off!

2. Put your kit on the radiator

We may have left winter behind (well, almost – what’s with this weather!?) but it can still get pretty chilly in the mornings. And if you’re anything like me, the hardest part of getting up in the morning is leaving that warm, cosy bed! To take the edge off a little, hang your gym kit on the radiator the night before, and set the heating to come on 30 minutes before you get up. You’ll still have to prise yourself away from the duvet, but at least you’ll be toasty once you do!

3. Plan your workout

It’s all well and good telling yourself you’ll do an hour in the gym, or 30 minutes in the pool. But if you don’t have a specific workout planned, it’s far too easy to roll over and go back to sleep. I mean, what would you really be missing, right?

Instead of setting vague intentions, try setting yourself a concrete goal before you go to bed; something to really aim for. Whatever you choose - ‘run 5k’, ‘complete X strength routine’, or ‘swim X lengths’ are some examples - give yourself a real reason to get up and at ‘em. It makes all the difference!

4. Make yourself accountable

It’s much harder to skive a workout when you know that someone will be on your case if you do. Whether it’s telling your colleagues, arranging to meet a friend, or posting it on social media, make sure that people know about it! Tough love, sure – but guilt can be a surprisingly good motivator! ;) Besides, think of how smug you’ll feel when you can sit at your desk, basking in those lovely post-exercise endorphins, and say ‘I did it!’

5 Treat yo’ self

If all else fails, go back to basics and give yourself a nice little treat for finishing your workout. You earned it, after all! ;) For me, it’s generally a trip to Starbucks, a cheeky bacon roll, or an evening of binge-watching Netflix (because hey, if you work out first thing, you won’t have to squeeze it in later in the day!). Whatever tickles your fancy, give yourself something to look forward to!