How do you do cardio in the morning?

C

candice

Guest
Hi,
I try to get up and work out in the morning, like I used to, so that I get it out of the way and am sure to get it in. Lately though, I can get up to do weights but not cardio! The thought of running or stepping or whatever at 5:30 am makes me sick! I keep turning off my alarm and going back to sleep. I have been trying to do weights every other day, like PS series, and cardio on the other days. But what's happening is I'm getting up at 5:30 to do the weights but not the cardio. I have trouble fitting in a workout at other times of the day. Sometimes I can work out during my kids' naptime (1-3 pm) but it tends to wake them up and then I can't shower until after they wake up and I hate that. I just want to do my cardio in the morning! Any tips?

thanks,
Candice
 
Boy do I ever know what you mean!! It's about 7:30am and I just finished showering after doing Body Max cardio and the bicep, shoulders and triceps from the CTX series. It's hard getting up at that hour while my skinny husband sleeps in (did I mention he eats nachos for dinner at least 3 times a week??) I dont have an easy solution, for me it's sheer willpower and telling myself that in 60 minutes it will all be over. A few years ago I used to sleep in my workout clothes, that helped. This morning when I couldnt get up I actually thought of this forum and thought of all the other women getting up at the crack of dawn to pop in a Cathe tape and how we'd all probably rather be sleeping, and I said to myself "I'm with you girls!!" Dont beat yourself up though, doing strength is better than nothing!!

:)Stacy
 
I had to double check to make sure I didn't type your question - LOL.

I have always done my workouts between 1 and 3 when the boys go down for their naps. I was finding that I was worn out by then and I wasn't getting housework done because I would drop everything and go work out and wouldn't start up on my project again. I am a lot more productive when I don't have two domanding children hanging on me so I wanted my afternoons free.

I just started getting up early this week and Monday I was up at 5:45, Tuesday at 6:00, today I was up at 6:10 - see a pattern? It is HARD to get up so early and jump around when you still have sleepers in your eyes!

I joined the AM converts checkin at VF (video fitness). I am hoping that joining a checkin will motivate me enough to keep on getting up. If I am doing a video I really like I have no problem getting up. It is the ones I don't really like I have a problem with...

There was a thread on VF on how to get motivated. I'll see if I can post a link.

http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9102&highlight=AM+exercisers
 
I have to agree.I think that it has alot to do with will power.I got up on Monday morning at 6:30, gave myself 30min to wake up and then I went for a 8 kms run.And that is what I had to think about, was the thought that once I have this done I can feel better about my day.I don't get up every morning though.Cause I find that sometimes you do not get as good of a workout because your short on time or you just don't have the energy.I prefer to workout in the evenings when it comes to how long I can workout.In the evenings I usually do cardio for an hour and then weights but if I get up in the a.m then I only do cardio and no matter how often I tell myself that I will do the weights in the evening, it doesn't get done.
A couple of years ago I use to get up in the mornings all the time and if I wasn't running then I would take the dog for a walk.I eventually gave up on the dog because when I would get back from my walk I would be in a awful mood because the dog pulled me the whole way around.But I also lost that energy,Im not so happy to get up early in the morning.Don't be so hard on yourself as long as your getting your workout done then you'll be alright
Lori
 
Hi Candice:

I workout before work - which starts at 0630! This means that on a weights and cardio day, I'm out of bed at 0400!!! (More often it is 0430 or 0500) This is a natural thing for me since I am a morning person, but I do make the effort to rest and fuel my body differently on those days than I do when I'm sleeping in until 0600 or 0700.

I always make sure that I get at least 8 hours of sleep and more if I need it. My kids are 4 and 6 now, so they are sleeping through the night and I'm not nursing but when I was - sometimes I went to bed at 1900 (7:00 pm). Ordinarily I'm alseep by 2030 or 2100. I couldn't function with out adequate rest. Even now, I'm not above doing the bed-time ritual with the kids and then letting their Daddy put them to sleep while i go to sleep at their bed-time!

I also fuel differently than I would if I were staying up late. I don't always eat before my work out because I haven't had any trouble with blood sugar or energy levels, but I always eat breakfast before 0630 and a snack by 0900 or 1000. We eat dinner early too, around 1700, which leaves time for what my kids call their midnight snack at least an hour before bedtime.

I honestly believe that there are a few people who shouldn't switch to morning workouts because it is too disruptive to their systems. But since you are able to do the weight workouts in the morning, I suspect that tinkering with your fuel and sleep patterns will help you make the transition. There is another thread on sleeping well that you might search for if you are having trouble falling asleep at night.

Hope that helps a little. Katie
 
Here is a morning person checking in...
I do believe some people are morning people. I am one of those. I am mentally more alert and physically more energetic first thing in the am.

It takes me 30-45 minutes to be at full steam after waking up. So if you are a morning person, then you just need to work at adjusting your "get up" time. If you are not a morning person, well, good luck to you!!

Seriously, I don't have a solution. Just the observation that for me it is hard to fight my natural bio-rhythms, and maybe that is the case with you, too.

-joy
 
I am a morning workout convert, but it is relatively recent and I wouldn't say the pattern is set in stone YET. It took a couple of years of doing it off and on. You really have to do it for a few weeks in a row before it becomes easier.

Here's what I do: I set my alarm for 4:20 a.m. I have a programmable coffee pot, so when I stumble downstairs the coffee is ready. I sip coffee and orange juice for 15 minutes while I flip through a fitness magazine (M&F Hers, Oxygen, Energy) for inspiration. Then I get on the treadmill.

Also, I tape a lot of goofy old sitcoms from late-night T.V. to watch while I'm exercising: Caroline in the City and Designing Women are my current favorites.

30 minutes is my limit, then I'm off to shower and get ready for work.

I don't know how anyone lifts weights in the morning. The treadmill is all I can handle on an empty stomach. I do weights when I get home.

Here's my most recent kick-in-the-pants to get out of bed: my husband wants to lose weight and get in shape, and if I get up early to get on the treadmill, he will get up and get on right after me. But if I blow it off, he will too. So I'm responsible for both of us!

It's worth it to get exercise out of the way in the morning. To paraphrase Brian Tracy, If you "eat a frog" first thing in the morning, the rest of the day has to be great!
 
Hi,

No solution for you here either! :(

I'm just a morning person, have been all my life, so I'm at my peak just after rising, and cardio just seems "natural" since I gave up coffee in the mornings! It gives me a natural rush, and a kickstart to my day.
Perhaps it will just take your body a few days/weeks to accept the new routine. Adding a pm workout took my body about 2 weeks to accept. It tried to tell me I was too tired, not enough time before having to cook dinner for the family, etc., but once I just "dug in" and did it, my body and mind got in sync!
Good luck, and if you do get use to it, it really is great. You start your day with your motor running and just feel good all day. :)
Donna
 
I lay out my clothes the night before and leave them downstairs. I try to hit my feet the moment the alarm goes off so I am downstairs before my brain can talk me into rolling over and going back to sleep. Toss those clothes on and head out the door. Getting out the door is the hardest part. Once on the go, no problem! I also can't imagine doing weights first thing. I do try to schedule my weight training days so I get started no later than 10:00 or it's hit or miss. We hit 100 degress on Monday so getting up by 6:00 is necessary for me. And in a few months 5 or 5:30 will be the way to go. I saw a guy running in nearly hundred degree weather yesterday! Like Donna I like mornings best and go to bed early. I recently took a two week break and I have been a bum and gone back to sleep several times so I need all this advice too! Like the old Nike ad says: Just do it."

Bobbi http://www.plaudersmilies.de/chicken.gif Chick's Rule!
 
Hi Candice,
I suffer from the same problem but I have to workout in the early morning or I don't get it done.I focus on a quote I read fom Kathy Smith".Don't think about how tired you are but focus on how you feel after".I feel worse if I don't do it so I say this to myself as I stumble downstairs for 5:00 am.It's a constant battle.
Good luck
Ki
 
I start work at 6, so I get up at 3 to work out. I have to be in the shower by 4:30 to get to work, and have time for my oatmeal before I start. If I do an hour and a half workout, my alarm goes off at 2:42. Ouch. I am not a morning person, but I DO NOT want to do it when I get home!!!! I did that for 4 years, and it was the pits. By the time I got home, and got done it was 5:30 at night. I just went part-time, and on the two days I don't work, I am usually up at 5:45. Now I am so used to getting it done, I prefer it that way. Once you get in the habit of it, you probably will not want it any other way!!!! Good Luck to you!!!
Lori
 
That alarm clock going off in the morning at 4:40 has to be the worst part of the day. But for ten years, I have given myself the same a.m. speech that plays through my head: "If you get up now, you'll feel good all day. If you don't, you'll be in a funk all day. If you kid yourself into thinking that you'll work out later, you're fooling yourself. You know you'll be too wasted from work and life to do it.
There's nothing better than getting in that shower at 6:00 knowing that I did something good for myself. Sometimes being alone at that time of day is a reward in itself.
Also, I sleep in my workout clothes, lay out the socks and sneakers and headband, have the coffeepot ready to go, and am up and at it by 5:00. It's routine, routine, routine....
How about promising yourself a nap when the kids nap if you get up early?
Good luck!
 
That alarm clock going off in the morning at 4:40 has to be the worst part of the day. But for ten years, I have given myself the same a.m. speech that plays through my head: "If you get up now, you'll feel good all day. If you don't, you'll be in a funk all day. If you kid yourself into thinking that you'll work out later, you're fooling yourself. You know you'll be too wasted from work and life to do it.
There's nothing better than getting in that shower at 6:00 knowing that I did something good for myself. Sometimes being alone at that time of day is a reward in itself.
Also, I sleep in my workout clothes, lay out the socks and sneakers and headband, have the coffeepot ready to go, and am up and at it by 5:00. It's routine, routine, routine....
How about promising yourself a nap when the kids nap if you get up early?
Good luck!
 
That alarm clock going off in the morning at 4:40 has to be the worst part of the day. But for ten years, I have given myself the same a.m. speech that plays through my head: "If you get up now, you'll feel good all day. If you don't, you'll be in a funk all day. If you kid yourself into thinking that you'll work out later, you're fooling yourself. You know you'll be too wasted from work and life to do it.
There's nothing better than getting in that shower at 6:00 knowing that I did something good for myself. Sometimes being alone at that time of day is a reward in itself.
Also, I sleep in my workout clothes, lay out the socks and sneakers and headband, have the coffeepot ready to go, and am up and at it by 5:00. It's routine, routine, routine....
How about promising yourself a nap when the kids nap if you get up early?
Good luck!
 
I have to work out in the morning. Even on the weekends, I get up the same time everyday. If I did p.m. workouts and then something comes up after work, for instance, I couldn't workout that day. Plus, I think working out in the morning motivates me to eat cleaner throughout the day. I set my shoes, socks, workout clothes, etc. out on my dresser the night before. If I am doing a weight workout, I will load my barbell appropriately and set my dumbbelss up the night before, if it's cardio, I will set my step up. This way, I start my day out on a positive note. Last week, I had a terrible fight at work, but I thought to myself - 'hey, I did all of MIC this morning - nothing could be as tough to face as that!' It just suits me better I think to workout in the morning. Have fun!!!!!
 
commit yourself to 3 weeks

I have been a morning workout person for 12 years except for pergnancy recovery adn surgery recovery.
The best advice I have for you is to make a short commitment- say 3 weeks. Hopefully after 3 weeks you will feel so good about exercising in the morning that you will keep it up!

What I am saying is do it long enough to make it a habit and you WILL stick with it after that. (I even HAVE to exercise in the morning on vacation!) Keep it interesting. If a rotation bores you change it. If you don't like cardio in the AM, then try doing it every other day with weight training in between. Or mabye you can do a weight workout followed by a short (30") minute cardio session. If the weather is good and your spouse is home to monitor kids, perhaps you can power walk outside with a friend. If yu commit to a friend you may be less likely to skip your workout.

Good luck!

Take time to enjoy those who matter most to you & do all things in moderation :)
 
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON May-16-02 AT 12:33PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi, Candice,
I congratulate you for getting up so early to do something so worthwhile for just YOU! I don't know if this will help, but here are some ideas that help me...
-Have the coffee (or tea) ready to go or already brewing if you have that option. A quick cup of java always helps me.
-Could you invite someone else in a similar situation to meet you for your workouts? I know when I'm meeting my sister for a run or for morning cardio, it's soooo much easier to get out of bed.
-I wear my running clothes to bed. Weird, but there's no messing around in the morning. I have my running shoes right in the bathroom next to the toilet and put them on first thing!
-Reward yourself with something every time you do get up and get to it. Like a chai tea with skim milk...or whatever trips your trigger. I only allow myself skim chai when I've done my run.
-When I'm doing a tape for cardio, I que it up the night before so that all I have to do is walk in the room, hit play and there's Cathe.
Hope some of these ideas help. It's hard to get up early for cardio. I just try to remember that I can lift everyday, but you'll never really see what nice muscle tone I have unless I work off the fat with lots of cardio!
Good luck to you.
Amy
 
Lori,

I did this exact schedule (up at 3am to be at work at 6) one year and it was just really hard to get to bed on time in the evenings. I applaud you! I got some suspicious looks while running at 3:30 AM.

My motivation then (and now since I still work out early in the mornings) is that I know I will feel like crap all day if I don't work out. That gets me out of bed usually.

Ginger
 
GREAT question. I got some helpful hints from it myself. I was never a morning exerciser - until I had kids. When my first was born I thought no problem, I'll workout while she naps. Well, she didn't nap long enough and I was too tired anyway. I was totally miserable and resentful because of the guilt of not getting my workout in. I had to do something so I began (very grudgingly) getting up at 5am - dead tired, but determined. I promised myself a nap when she napped. I still do this 3 years later. I work 2 days a week outside the home. I take those days off from exercising. I've learned to live with the guilt over that! I know what tape I'll do the night before based on my rotation. I get out of bed and head to the dungeon, I mean basement, without thinking ANything(or else I talk myself into sleeping instead which is a recent struggle for me). I can't workout during my kid's nap because I'm too tired and need a nap myself so I tell myself, "I have to workout now SO I can nap later". On Saturday and Sunday I sleep in and workout during the day while my husband watches the kids. That gives me a reward too. I also recommend wearing your workout clothes to bed.
 
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