There are plenty of good reasons to become a morning gym person. The most obvious would be the health benefits of exercising. The other would be that you are creating a healthy habit and lifestyle change.
As someone who is not a morning person, you can imagine how difficult this was for me at first. I am also someone who loves to hit the snooze button to try and squeeze in five more minutes of sleep. The gym is also not my favorite place to be after work (or at all), I would rather enjoy the comfort of my bed. Ms. Rona really messed up my gym routine, and I can’t lie I fell off of my workout schedule completely.
Have you ever noticed how packed the gym is on a Monday evening? It is almost impossible to get to any machines. This is one of the main reasons I prefer working out in the morning. The gym is normally empty, and you get the machines all to yourself.
In an effort to create a healthy lifestyle, I started incorporating the gym in the morning. I wake up between 4:30 – 5:00 and utilize the gym at my job. It’s free, and there is nobody in there that early so I get the gym all to myself.
Crawling out of bed early in the morning is not easy, especially when you have to hit the gym. Here are my tips for becoming a morning gym person.
Go to bed early
I can tell you one thing, you won’t be excited about your workout if you don’t get enough sleep. Try going to sleep around 9:30 to 10:00 PM, a workout is so much better when you are well-rested.
Pack a gym bag
Be prepared for the gym by packing your bag the night before. If you’re going before work make sure you pack everything you need for a quick shower and don’t forget your makeup bag. Scrambling in the morning to find your sneakers could result in you just saying forget it, and going back to sleep.
Gym Bags I love
Prepare breakfast
This is optional and will require you to get up even earlier. I like to workout on an empty stomach. If you need something to eat, prep a smoothie before bed or eat a protein bar. I’ve learned from personal experience that preparing breakfast, and bringing it to work will stop you from eating a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. Lord knows how much I love those minus the cheese!
Set an alarm
Once the alarm goes off, get right out of bed. Do not lay there. I repeat. Do. Not. Lay. There. Turn the lights on and get up! If you have a really hard time getting up, try putting your phone across the room so that you’re forced to get up.
Plan it
It is best to go to the gym with a plan. Pick 1-2 muscle groups and 4-6 exercises. You will save so much time, and feel more accomplished after your workout.
These are the tips that work for me, and it’s okay if they do not work for you. I hope you can use my tips to transition into a morning gym person. I would suggest trying to workout in the morning once per week and adding on from there.
Listen, I am still trying to figure this out myself. I struggle every single morning. Sometimes I don’t even make it to the gym. That’s okay though, I figure that just getting up one to two days per week will eventually make this an every morning habit of mine.
Paticence is Key
Remember to be patient with yourself. It’s not realistic to go from Snoozing Sally to Energetic Emily. Try adding one workout and go from there. It gets easier as time goes on. If it makes it any easier, think of it as one less thing on your to-do list for the day.
I hope this helps anyone who is starting their fitness journey or anyone who wants to start working out earlier in the day. Do you prefer to workout in the morning or in the evening? Has gym closures made it difficult to exercise?
xx,
Brianna