Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Morning Workout

Ugh. To workout in the morning or to not workout in the morning. That is the question.

Pros:
  • Workout is DONE for the day
  • Only one shower/getting ready session for the day
  • I won't be as likely to not workout as things come up in the evenings or my days get longer than anticipated
  • A “great way” to start the day – possibly more sustained energy throughout the day?

Cons:

  • Getting ready at the gym - I'd rather get ready in my comfort zone at my house
  • GETTING UP EARLY. I am NOT a morning person (nor do I think I EVER will be...I'm convinced that this is something that you can’t change...probably thoughts for another post)
  • Breakfast - I've been better about my eating habits (again, for another post), especially breakfast. I'm not sure what I would do for breakfast if I was at the gym. I wouldn't be coming back to my house to make my coffee and breakfast, so I'd have to figure that out

I’ve been meaning to start working out in the mornings for some time now. I thought that I would start after I got back from Lithuania since my jet lag was getting me up so early in the morning, but the hard thing about that jet lag was that even though I was up, I was way too exhausted to get in a decent workout. So I never started the habit. I’ve gotten to the point where my race is done and I know that I will put off more and more workouts (due to fun summer evening plans and not really having anything that I “have to” workout for) if I don’t get it done in the morning. I have to decide that getting up early and working out is more important to me than sleeping in a bit. I think it will mean I also need to change my evening habits some so that I am well rested, but I need to stop putting it off. I’m not happy with my fitness level right now, so I just need to make that more of a priority than my sleep and laziness. There will never be a “good” time to start this habit, and now is as good as any since it isn’t the brutal winter cold I will have to wake up to. I “bit the bullet” and signed up for a class at the gym for two mornings a week at 6am, so that is even extra motivation. The class starts tomorrow, so…….morning workout here I come!!! Do any of you have any good workout habits I can steal? Any ideas to make it easier to get up and get to the gym? Any additional “pros” I can focus on when I’m feeling extra against working out? Any solutions to my “cons”? I appreciate any motivation/advice you have to offer!!

3 comments:

Jen said...

Ahh. I have thought much about this! I used to be a VERY faithful morning work-out person. I'd say the pros by far outweigh the cons. Have a little coffee on the way to the gym and keep the rest in a travel mug while you work out. You can have the real coffee cup on the weekends or the non-work out days. :) You just have to start doing it and you'll LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. And it's easier to be consistent if you do it in the mornings (once you pass the hurdle of starting to wake up early). Keep a locker at the gym and just have double stuff - don't drag it back and forth each day. It does take a little more advance planning (with outfits), but you'll be glad you converted to the morning work out. And you'll be free to enjoy summer evenings! You could take something microwavable for breakfast - or eat a light breakfast before you work out while you do devos?! Sorry about the super long comment!

Hannah said...

Oh, I love the suggestions, Jen! Thanks for your input and enthusiasm....it really helps!

Terri said...

Vance works out in the morning...he swears that it's rough at first but your body adjusts. For healthy breakfasts on the go, I either pack him some nut bars (ask Becca!) and fruit, or fry an egg with a little cheese the night before...he toasts the bread at work and has a nice little egg sandwich. You could always eat it untoasted if you don't have access to heat...