How to Get Motivated for Morning Workouts

Hi Passion Fit Crew! Hope you all are doing well and enjoying the fall and soon to be winter weather and holiday season. With the changing seasons and Daylight Savings Time in full effect, there is one important benefit you can take advantage of when it comes to your exercise schedule–getting up earlier to do morning workouts! Now that the sun is rising around 6:30 a.m., it will make it easier to wake up and get out of bed. I just experienced this today when I woke up and got ready to teach my 7 a.m. Total Body Sculpt class. It was so nice to drive over there in daylight instead of the dark!

Now, I know some of you are thinking that it is getting colder and the thought of getting out of a warm and cozy bed when it is cold outside will actually make it harder, not easier to get out of bed. I hear you guys and believe me, I am naturally not a get-up-at-the-crack-of-dawn kind of girl myself. However, after being married for 11 years to my husband, who is an early riser (I am talking 5 a.m. daily) and having two kids who are also early risers like their Daddy, I have had to learn. 😉

That said, I do see the benefits of waking up early–quiet time, a chance to get your workout done and out of the way, a chance to get a jumpstart on your tasks for the day, less traffic on the way to the gym or work, fewer crowds at the gym (although many morning classes can often be packed with other early risers), more energy and productivity throughout the day, etc. Therefore, with all these great benefits in mind, I wanted to give you guys five ideas to help motivate you to work out in the morning. It does not have to be everyday, but maybe just a few days during the week.

1. Look to Passion Fit for inspiration: Come back and read this blog post whenever you need to be motivated and reminded of why it is great to work out in the morning, try my workout videos on YouTube, take one of my morning classes at Reach Fitness, Vivre or Bay Club (for my local friends) and/or follow me and write to me on social media (see all icons and links at the bottom of this page) and I will be happy to share more motivating thoughts and ideas with you guys and cheer you on! 🙂

2. Organize and pack your bag ahead of time: If you are going to work out at the gym or outside, pack your workout bag or organize your stuff the night before as it will make it so much easier in the morning. Do not forget to include your iPod, running or training shoes, workout clothes, a water bottle, your fitness tracking device or phone if needed, toiletries for showering after your workout at the gym if needed, a change of clothes and shoes for the day, a yoga mat, resistance bands, weights, balls or any other equipment you might need to take with you for your workout or class. If you are planning to work out at home, it is still a good idea to organize your stuff the night before, so you can pop out of bed, get ready, eat and go right to your workout area in your house, garage or yard.

3. Listen to your alarm clock: Find a motivating song that plays as your alarm goes off or place your alarm or the alarm on your phone far away from your bed so you will be required to get out of bed to turn it off. Then promise yourself you will NOT hit the snooze button and crawl back into your bed! Find ways to reward yourself for making the commitment and following through on getting up early. Maybe it is a massage once a month, some dark chocolate later that day, a new outfit or gadget you have been wanting to buy, etc.

4. Have a healthy, easy and possibly portable breakfast plan in place: Plan to have some options readily available such as whole grain cereal, oatmeal, fruit, hardboiled eggs, granola bars, trail mix, whole grain waffles or toast with peanut butter, etc. Make sure to give yourself the energy you need for your workout and also to help you refuel during and after your workout. Breakfast is definitely the most important meal of the day and will surely help motivate you for your morning workouts!

5. Work out with friends or a personal trainer to hold each other accountable: That snooze button will be much harder to hit if you know your best friend or neighbor will be waiting outside your door or saving a spot in class for you that morning. If you have a personal trainer, you will want to be sensitive to his or her time that is being taken out to train you and the money you are paying (or could be wasting if you do not go) for those training sessions. Hold yourself accountable to all of those great people in your life who are motivators for you and who are also depending on you to work out together as well. When the workout is not just about you and involves others, you will be more likely to adhere to your schedule and commitments. You will also be showing your respect to others and helping them in the process too.

Well, that is a wrap for today my friends. Cheers to morning workouts and I hope you guys are able to start incorporating them into your days/weeks if you are not already! Until next time…