10 Tips For Becoming a Morning Gym-Goer:
This article is compliments of Pinterest, that a client forwarded to me. I do not know who wrote it, and I wanted to make sure the credit goes, as far as I can track it, to Pinterest.
10 Tips For Becoming a Morning Gym-Goer:
- Schedule it. You probably wouldn’t miss an appointment with your doctor, your dentist, or your hairdresser. Just like these appointments, make your morning exercise session something you can’t skip.
- Get out your gear the night before. That way, you won’t arrive at the gym without socks or with your shirt inside-out.
- Write it down. Jot down an exact workout plan before going to bed. When you wake up, you won’t have to think about what machine to do next or how long you’re going to run.
- Consider a workout you have to pay for. I used to work out with a trainer at 5 am, and some days it was very tempting to stay in bed. But then I’d think about how much money I’d waste if I missed a session, and a few minutes later I was out the door and on my way. A commitment to personal training sessions or small group fitness workouts like TRX might help make sure you get out of bed.
- Find a buddy. Maybe it’s a friend you already know, or maybe it’s someone you meet on your first early-morning trip to the gym. Make a commitment to each other that you’ll show up and hold each other accountable.
- Make it a competition… with a reward, of course! If you and a gym buddy are both on a quest to make early exercise dates a habit, come up with a little challenge. Maybe you’ll decide the first one to miss a day has to do 20 extra push-ups. If you’re working out solo, treat yourself to new gym gear after a solid month’s worth of commitment.
- Do a class. Many gyms offer one-hour classes that start around 6 am. Since no one wants to be the person that walks out in the middle of the class, I’d be willing to bet you’ll stay through the end.
- Take baby steps. Start by setting back your alarm by five minutes this week. Next week, go for another five. You’ll be getting up an hour earlier before you know it.
- Have something tasty to look forward to. Some experts say the golden window for post-workout nutrition is 30 to 60 minutes after we finish exercising, so make breakfast your next priority. Try a blended smoothie with greens, protein powder, and frozen berries or a parfait with granola, yogurt, and fresh fruit.
- Preserve those endorphins! Make great feelings last by writing them down. The next time you think hitting snooze sounds like a better idea than lacing up, read what you wrote and remind yourself how on-top-of-the-world you felt last time. Then get moving!
And I have four more things to add:
- Sleep in your workout clothes if you can. I have a client that does this and I must say this works well for her! Sleeping in her workout clothes really helps with her overall get-ready-and-arrive-on-time-to-training process.
- BE OKAY with the baby steps. Small consistent changes in wake up time, in food prep and in weight loss are important to recognize. Refer back to the end of #6: “treat yourself to new gym gear after a solid month’s worth of commitment.” There is no “judgment” to your personal progress. Do the work and the results will follow.
- Results happen with a change in your brain. The change in your brain happens when you own your behavior. Owning your behavior happens when you believe in yourself. Believing in yourself happens when you act in a different manner. Acting in a different manner starts with changing what you say when you hear about early morning training. If the first thing that comes out of your mouth is something like:
- Oh HELL no that’s only for crazy people!
- Are you kidding I would never do that!
- Not in a million years! ……
Then change those thoughts before they become words. EVERY SINGLE TIME. And change what you say to:
- That might be an option, one never knows
- I suppose I could be willing to try that
- I wonder what getting up that early feels like
Those words are words of possibilities and openings. rather than the immediate smack down that will lead to more openings of thought. The more you practice the changing of your words, your brain will change into exactly what you are saying. In either direction. Early training– it’s not impossible, it’s just that you haven’t done it yet.
- Back to number 8 in the baby steps for setting your alarm clock back five minutes at a time–do the same when it comes time for going to bed. One of the biggest sabotages for missing your morning workouts is due to lack of sleep. You need it guys! Go to bed a half-hour earlier , one week at a time and in about one month’s time, you will be in bed, and able to sleep, by 10pm. It like everything else happens with practice. Does this 10pm feel absolutely impossible right now? Refer back to the bold red lettering above. 😉
- And lastly, you are your greatest tool for change. And change does mean discipline. And discipline means: doing whatever you need to do for your desired goal- -whether you want to or not.
You heard me.
Leave the crowd and blaze your own trail by clicking here for the MORNING CRUNCH
Speak Your Mind