If there’s anything crazier than fitness fanatics, it’s early morning
fitness fanatics. You know the type: These are the deranged souls who
wake up at ungodly hours to squeeze in a full workout before the rest of
the world has even sipped their morning cup of coffee. They post
statuses on Facebook humble-bragging about how hard their 6 a.m.
bootcamp was; they regularly Instagram photos of sunrises with hashtags
like #earlymorningrun #noexcuses; they show up to morning office
meetings strangely chipper, sporting a post-workout glow.
Are morning workout fanatics crazy? Maybe. But they’re on to
something: When you exercise first thing in the a.m., you get those
awesome endorphins fired up; you jump-start your metabolism; you feel
empowered to conquer your day. Not to mention, it’s an undeniably
satisfying feeling to check “exercise” off your daily to-do list before
you’ve even eaten breakfast, freeing up your schedule for other
activities (aherm, happy hour) after work hours. If you’re the
type who complains that you don’t “have time” to work out, doing it
first thing in the morning might be the solution for you.
One little problem: You hate mornings. Maybe you’re the kind
of person who needs a Starbucks double-espresso Venti first thing in
order to transform you into a functional human being. Maybe the thought
of leaving your warm sheets at 5:30 a.m. to hop on a treadmill fills you
with dread. Maybe you’re a night owl and can’t fall asleep until past
midnight. So how can you join the ranks of the early morning workout
crew, you wonder? Well, fear not. These seven simple tricks are
guaranteed to convert you into an early bird exerciser in no time.
Wear workout clothes to bed. You might get strange
looks from your roommate/significant other, but wear your workout
clothes to bed the night before an early workout. Yep—sports bra,
leggings, tank top, the whole shebang. That way, the minute your alarm
goes off, you can spring out of bed, ready to go. Plus, you’ll save
yourself the hassle of shifting through your drawer for a clean pair of
Lululemon’s.
Put your alarm on the other side of the room. It
forces you to get out of butt to turn it off. That way, when your
dreaded iPhone ringtone starts blaring in the wee hours of the morning,
you won’t be able to reach over and hit the snooze button multiple
times.
Go to bed earlier. It sounds like a no-brainer, but
it won’t be easy to wake up if you stayed up until 3 a.m. the night
before binge-watching “House of Cards.” Make it a priority to squeeze in
at least six hours of sleep the night before a workout, even if it
means that you have to hit the hay earlier than you usually would.
Induce sleepiness. Don’t get sleepy before midnight?
If you’re a night owl, try inducing sleepiness by taking a bath,
dimming the lights, avoiding TV and computers, meditating, reading a
book, etc. Also, try to limit your caffeine use throughout the day.
Go with a friend. Enlist a buddy to sign up for a
morning workout class with you—it holds you accountable. You wouldn’t
stand up your friend at 6:00 in the morning, right?
Snack for success. You don’t want to sprint on the
treadmill with a full breakfast rolling around in your stomach, but you
don’t want to run on empty, either. To power you through your workout, I
would recommend consuming a small snack—such as a banana and a smear of
almond butter or a small energy bar—20 minutes before your workout.
Afterwards, refuel with a healthy, balanced breakfast containing carbs,
protein, and fiber.
Sign up for class the night before. That way, when your alarm goes off, you have no choice but to go….or else you risk losing your money.
The more you get into the habit of waking up early to exercise, the
easier it will become. In time, who knows…you might even transform into
one of those crazy, cult-like 6 am bootcampers yourself. And trust
us—your body will thank you for it!
Source : Spry Living
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