AM exercisers: how do you do it?

[AllisonT]

I do it in the morning or it won't get done, I'll feel like crap, my weight and mood will be all over the place....when I think about it like that, getting up is easy!

My morning routine is similar to some others who have posted. I make sure to have my workout gear laid out - shorts, bra, top, socks, shoes. I also decide the night before on which workout I'm doing, so I'm not standing in front of the video cabinet going, "hmm, which one today? Weights? Cardio only? Ooh, weather looks nice, should I go for a run instead?"

I am not a coffee/tea drinker, so I need to ease my way awake instead of relying on a caffeine jolt to get me up. I give myself a good half-hour to wake up, dress, grab a small handful of raisins or a few dried apricot halves (my pre-workout snack), and glance at the newspaper.

Most importantly for me, I won't get up to work out unless I've had enough sleep. I can manage on six hours, but for a good focused workout I need closer to eight. On the days that I know I'm lifting heavy or doing a long endurance workout, I'm in bed before 11PM.

 

[Roses]

Hi Tracy!

Just last week I started getting up two mornings to lift. I have to admit it felt pretty good. My husband leaves for work at 6:45 and the bus arrives at 7:05. That leaves me and the baby. She's at the sitter by 7:30 and me to work by 7:50. It's very hard getting up at 4:45 to workout, but it went much better than expected. For now, I'm just going to try to get in two morning weight workouts a week. I try to drink a glass of milk and then go.

I typically workout at 5:00 in the evening. That works good for me except when the girls have activities. I know when I was breastfeeding morning workouts just didn't happen for me. That was a year ago, and I just now started trying to get up and workout in the am. Good luck, and if its any consolation, it is harder with little ones in the house.

Sami

 

[tknelsen]

Okay, so I am going to try and hold myself accountable to all of you who responded. Today was the 1st day I was going to get up - I set my alarm just in case the baby didn't get up for her normal feeding. Wouldn't you know, she slept in today, and my husband turned off the alarm when he left for the airport early this morning. So, I did not get up today. But I will try again tomorrow.

I think I am going to try and get up for weightlifting days first, and then add cardio days later. Part of the problem with doing cardio 1st thing in the morning is that I am still breastfeeding, and my breasts are huge with milk and I don't really want to take the time to pump (that would mean getting up even earlier). I did get up once a couple of weeks ago, and ended up holding onto my chest the whole time so I wouldn't flop around! It was not comfortable.
so... weights at 5:30 am tomorrow. I am starting a new rotation this week, I just got the Intensity series DVD's and I going to do the weightlifting rotation that Cathe posted, so that means PUB and PLB 2x per week, and only 3 cardio days. I know I can do it!
Tracy

 

[briee]

Hi Tracy, just a note to let you know that I understand completely. I feel like I'm almost always nursing a baby and I would have to pump before morning workouts whether she nursed or not!! (I couldn't stand that "huge" feeling either and boy did they seem to get in the way - but on a brighter note, it didn't seem like I had to go down so far for pushups ) Just do your best and if you can't make it up, try try again!! Some days it just doesn't work when you have little ones!!

Briee

 

[honeybunch1]

You are the boss of your schedule, so just make up your mind to get up early then JUST DO IT! Don't think about why you can't, you KNOW you can, you don't have the enthusiasm to do it.

It will be over and done, and besides that, we ALL know how mothers are notorious for not doing things for themselves, so do this as another way of taking care of yourself, like taking vitamins.

 

[susanz]

Hi there! I too for some reason have found it easier to get up early for weight training sessions! Usually I wake up at 4:30. On a day where I have IMAX2 or something similar scheduled the thought of bouncing around like that so early gives me pains!! So it has been up at 4:30 for weights and on cardio days I let myself wake up a bit more! Hope things worked out for you today! Susan