4 Ways to Get Yourself Out of Bed and to the Gym

For many of us, the last thing you want to do first thing in the morning is work out, but sunrise is actually the best time of day to get moving, something night owls and sedentary individuals are missing out on. Not only will this boost your calorie burn for the rest of the day, but you’ll feel more motivated during the workday, and you’ll be able to sleep better when you go back to bed. From here, you can see how this begins a cycle of healthy habits, all because you didn’t decide to hit snooze. But how do you take that plunge?

1. Ask Your Friends

There’s a big difference between letting yourself down and disappointing someone who’s important to you. When you know that you have a friend to greet you at the gym, it makes the whole process seem a lot less intimidating, and you can’t flake out as easily either.

Ideally, your gym buddy will have the same availability as you and can meet you at these early hours. Make a schedule, and stick to it so there’s never room for confusion, conflict, or cancellations. If you can get a roommate or live-in family member to go, even better! You can pump each other up as you get ready, eat a light breakfast, and carpool. Sometimes, it’s difficult to find someone in our vicinity who’s committed to a healthier lifestyle, so in this case, there are apps available just for the purpose of finding a workout partner.

2. Prep the Night Before

When you have to put on your workout clothes, pack your protein bars, find a clean towel, and fill up your water bottle, this can be enough to send you running straight back to bed. But if you have your fitness gear laid out the night before, you won’t have to worry about running around the house while you’re still rubbing the sleep from your eyes. To take it up a notch, you can opt for sleeping in your workout clothes, so you can get up and go without a second thought.

3. Get Enough Sleep

When you’re trying to get to the gym first thing in the morning, this means setting your alarm at least 30 minutes earlier, which can have a big impact on your sleep schedule.  With 15-20% of the population suffering from short-term insomnia disorder, sleep-deprivation has become ubiquitous in our stressed-out, workaholic culture.

But you’ll notice that when your body is used to drifting off at 1 A.M. or later, you’ll have a tough time trying to get to sleep at 10 P.M. However, you can gradually adjust your sleep schedule by going to bed 30 minutes earlier each night. This allows your body some time to adjust to the new schedule, and eventually, that 6 A.M. alarm won’t feel so dreadful.

4. Money = Motivation

If you pay for a fitness membership or class, there’s a good chance you’ll attend just to get the biggest bang for your buck; after all, no one wants to throw away their hard-earned money. Plus, you can find gyms and studios all over that offer discounts at least a few times per year if you join in advance, especially ones that haven’t opened yet.

You can relish the immediate satisfaction of sleeping in, but risk feeling groggy and demotivated for the rest of the day. Or you can get through the initial unpleasantness that comes from an early wake time and enjoy the energy that comes after a productive workout. In this latter case, all it takes is a little willpower and some behavioral adjustments before you can reap the rewards of a morning workout routine.