♠ Posted by Paul Naylor at 11:00 PM
The New Year is approaching, and many are making the last minute tune-ups with their New Year Resolutions. Many at the top of the list of these Resolutions is to get in better shape, that's not a bad thing, its something that everyone could do.Now with these Resolutions of getting in better shape, many would probably set their exercise routines in the morning. The morning is the most convenient time to work out. Things around the house are more calm, traffic outside is not as busy, and working out in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Definitely a lot of benefits to workout in the morning, but there is this hurdle that usually needs to be cleared by many people, and that is.....getting out of bed in the first place.
This has been and still is a struggle with many people wanting to workout in the mornings, including myself. I have battled the mornings for most of my adult life. Its sometimes still is a struggle. But this is why many, including myself, love running; its all about overcoming challenges.
If waking up early in the morning is a struggle for you, here are some tips that I have tried over the years. Apply some of them, and see if they help you.
Alarm Clock
-Place alarm clock across the bedroom, this forces you to 'get out of bed' to turn it off. The trick is though, to stay out of bed. This is time of year brings cold weather to most places in the country, and the warm bed is very inviting. The temptation will be strong to climb back in, but fight to stay up.
-Use different sound for the alarm. If you use your smart phone for your alarm clock, download an app that allows you to choose alarm sound. Sometimes replacing music or the radio is better than your typical alarm sounds. These annoying sounds will 'shock' the body to wake up, while music will gradually wake you up.
-App for waking up. Again, with the smart phone, download an app that makes you solve a complex math problem to turn off the alarm. I have tried this one before, I suggest you exercise caution with this one. For starters, make sure you're decent at math! You don't have to be Steven Hawking, but good enough to solve in a matter of moments. The second reason is your significant other might be a bit upset with you if you cannot solve the problem in a timely manner, that's bad for both parties(trust me, I know).
Out of bed routines
-As I stated before, getting out of a warm bed is not inviting, its sounds horrible to me and many other people. But there are some things you can do to help you out.
-You can do a few small workouts to get the blood flowing. Workouts like, pushups, situps, jumping jacks or lifting weights. Doing activities like these will warm you up, and make the trip to the bed less tempting.
-Drink a full glass of water right after waking up. After sleeping for several hours, you wake up slightly dehydrated. Drinking water will not only help wake up faster, feeling refreshed. But it'll also help hydrate you for the morning run. Two with one stone!
Prepare
-Having everything set the night before makes it a lot easier to get out running in the morning. Try these tips to make the morning routine a lot more smooth.
-Have your running gear laid out on your dresser, or chair in your bedroom. This makes it easier to get dressed in the morning without making a lot of noise to wake up your significant other.
-Sleep in your running clothes. I have not tried this one yet, but it makes sense. Once you get out of bed, just slip on your running shoes and your set. I might try this one later this week.
Behavior
-They say that there's morning people and non-morning people, and the non-morning people are fairly active night people. Staying up really late does not help your cause with waking up early. So if your one that likes to stay up late, try going to bed earlier. This will take you to break some habits.
-If you find yourself laying in bed with your tablet, you probably found yourself on for hours before falling asleep. Try setting it down, and see how you feel in the morning.
-Along with tablets in bed, staying up to either watch TV shows, play video games, or just alone time. These can also hinder your ability to wake up. I know that many consider this time of night their 'me time' and trust me, I get it. This is my 'me' time as well. But changing this will help you wake up earlier. It won't happen quickly, this will be a gradual process.
-Zzzquil, Melatonin, glass of warm milk can help you relax to fall asleep. This helps if you're one that stares at the ceiling while in bed, waiting to fall asleep.
Motivation
-One sure way to help you wake up each morning is to make a commitment or goal. Have something to work towards. This is huge! When you have a goal in mind, it'll come to mind every morning you wake up. Look at it this way; waking with the thought of working towards a 5k race is a lot better to waking up wondering how far you should go, or what type running workout should be done.
-Have a running partner; if you can. This can be a great way for two people to train together. It helps you on your toes, and hold each other accountable. Some of my best years running is when I had a faithful running partner.
-Use motivation. Reading stories from other runners, watching their training videos on YouTube, or reading articles from running magazines. These will constantly motivate you to run more. Motivate yourself with stuff like this daily, you'll never run out of material or resources. Zig Ziglar once said; "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing, that's why we recommend it daily".
I'm hoping that some of these tips will help you wake up earlier to achieve your New Year's goals, because so many of them die at the hands of waking up earlier in the morning. The above tips mentioned are ones that I have used through out my running career, and I think that they can help you as much as they did me.
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