It’s 5:00 a.m. on a Thursday and your alarm goes off. You roll over and hit the snooze button, just like you did every day so far this week. And last week. “That’s ok,” you think, “I’ll get in a good workout tomorrow.” Well, you’re not alone. The hardest part of reaching your fitness goals can be just getting started and developing good habits. There is good reason to power through and get started with your morning workout goals.
A 2012 study from BYU found that a 45-minute morning workout with moderate-to-vigorous exercise reduced women’s appetite for food. You read that right; instead of working up an appetite, the study participants worked off their appetite, along with all the calories they burned during the workout. In addition, their daily activity levels increased after the workout compared to those that didn’t work out.
That all sounds great, but back to the alarm clock. How exactly can you motivate yourself to be the early bird that gets the worm, and not the lazy sloth that stayed in bed all day and ate TV dinners? Worry not, Genesis Health Clubs has the ten proven ways to get you out of bed and getting your sweat on every morning.
Alarm Clock
This one may seem simple, but simply setting a daily alarm clock (or cell phone) is half of the battle. The trick? Put it on the other side of the room and set a loud volume. That way, you’ll have to physically get out of bed to hit the snooze button. Just standing up is half of the battle.
Buddy System
Accountability will be a recurring theme in this article. You don’t want to be the sort of friend that bails all the time, do you? So set a date with a buddy and make it happen. Use the fear of guilt against your procrastination. Just make sure you choose the most motivated friend you can find and hold them accountable, too.
Go to Bed in Your Gym Clothes
Fumbling in the dark for your gym shorts is no fun, so put them on before you go to bed. That way, when you jump out of bed to turn off your alarm clock (across the room, of course), you’re ready to go. Plus, it means less laundry to soak up your time after work.
Work Out With a Personal Trainer
This may be the ultimate accountability. When you work with a Certified Personal Trainer, you’ll have a professional there to help guide and motivate you toward your specific fitness goals. A personal trainer is someone who knows the proper exercise techniques and nutrition strategies, and has a vested interest in your success.
Coffee
Nothing beats a good cup of coffee in the morning, but did you know it can help you burn calories, too? A 2015 Spanish study showed that drinking caffeinated coffee increased performance during exercise and increased calorie burn post-exercise. Just leave out the sweeteners and creamer to avoid the extra calories.
Bonus tip: Get a coffee maker with a timer and set it to brew a few minutes before your alarm clock. That way, as you jump out of bed to turn off your alarm clock across the room, already dressed in your workout clothes, you’ll be lured into the kitchen by the pleasant aroma of your favorite Jamaican java.
Reward Yourself For Hitting 21 Days in a Row
But don’t stop there. Unfortunately, the 21 days to perform a habit saying seems to be a myth. Research published in the European Journal of Psychology has shown that it actually takes between 18 and a whopping 254 days to make a habit fully stick, depending on what that habit is. The moral of the story? Get started, and get started today. If you fall off the horse, get back on and use all of the strategies and tips outlined here.
Try a Group Exercise Class
Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, Cycling, Heart-Rate Based Interval Training. It doesn’t really matter which group exercise class you try first, but get started and try a variety. The structure of having to be somewhere at a specific time can help you get out of bed faster, and you’ll have an enthusiastic pro to guide and encourage you through your workout. Try them all; you’ll never get bored!
Join a Health Club
If you're a member at Genesis Health Clubs, you are already on the right track! Signing up for an affordable gym membership is one of the surest ways to get started with your goals. After all, how are you going to work out in the morning if you don’t have a place to go? Whether it’s cardio, strength training, group classes, personal training or just catching the morning news on the treadmill, you’ll have variety, experts and every tool you need to reach your fitness goals.
Set a Goal
Challenge yourself to make it happen every day. Buy an old-fashioned paper calendar, hang it on your wall and mark a giant X every day you achieve your goals. After the month ends, write the total number of days you succeeded across the calendar and beat it the next month!
Reward Yourself
What else would you be doing with your morning if you weren’t exercising? Sleeping in? Eating a donut? Streaming a show on Netflix? Give yourself a reward once in awhile. If you’re able to hit your goal of working out five times a week for a whole month, treat yourself to that raspberry-filled donut you’ve been craving. Then go hit the gym to work it off and get started on your next month of success.
Be sure to share this article on Facebook and let us know your favorite morning workout tips. For more tips on how to reach your weight loss goals, check out our recent blog on Defeating the Weight Loss Plateau. Now go enjoy that cup of coffee and get your sweat on!
