5 Ways to Become an Early-Morning Exerciser

I’m strange; I love getting up early. Not just early...4:30 a.m. early. I'm a 100% early-morning exercise. It’s quiet, it's dark and it’s my time. I wasn’t always like this. I used to struggle with getting out of that warm, cozy bed first thing in the morning. That said, there are ways you can convert to those early morning workouts.

First, I have to say that I LOVE to work out and look forward to it each day. It’s my time, and that’s an important first step. Find a workout that you love, whether it’s weight training, walking, yoga, spinning, or running outside.

Become an early-morning exerciser

I used to rely on my vibrating Fit Bit alarm, which definitely helped and I highly recommend it if you have one. But my Fit Bit alarm has since stopped working and now I get up early naturally. (Yes, I even wake up at the crack of dawn on the weekends.) How? Here are five tips on how you can retrain your brain to become an early riser:

1)  Put your alarm clock across the room.

If you have to get up and get out of bed to shut off your alarm, you’re more likely to stay up. The covers are off, you’re out of your comfortable bed –  there’s no going back!

2)  Go to bed earlier and at the same time every night.

You can’t go to bed at midnight and expect to wake up at 5 a.m. You’ll definitely be in zombie mode with that amount of sleep. You need to get at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep each night. For me, I try to get to bed by 9:30 p.m. and wake up at 4:30 a.m. Everyone is different, so you may need to play around with your ideal sleep time. Once you find it, you’ll see that waking up comes very naturally.

3)  Go to bed with your workout clothes on.

Save yourself a step and put on your workout outfit before bed. It’s one less step in the morning…and you’ll truly have no excuse but to get your butt to the gym.

4)  Gradually set your alarm 10 minutes earlier each week.

If you like easing into a new routine versus going cold turkey, try the gradual approach to getting up early. Each night, go to bed 10 minutes earlier and wake up 10 minutes earlier. Each week, add five minutes. Before you know it, you’ll be waking up well before your alarm ever goes off.

5) Get an accountability partner.

Whether you meet at the gym, the park or share the same bed, having a workout buddy could be the motivation you need to become an early-morning exerciser and get your butt out of bed. Another option is hiring a coach or trainer to personally text or call you to ensure that you get out of bed.

There are so many benefits to getting up before the sun to get your workout in. From having more energy and feeling well rested, to not having a single excuse to miss your workouts. Try out waking up early for 30 days and see how it feels. If you need a coach to help you, I’m here! Shoot me a message. I'll make you an early-morning  exerciser yet!