A question I always ask my self is how do I become an early riser so I can exercise and in general get more done, so I have been doing research and this is what I have found.
The first thing I found was don’t go all gun ho and try it every day of the week that you would normally work out. Start with 1 or 2 days a week and gradually add days every few weeks, this gives your body the power to adjust instead of just jumping all in at once and end up giving up right after you start, which believe me, I have done.
I have also found that if you put your bedroom lights on a timer it helps your body realize it is day and with that, time to rise and shine. My alarm also has up beat music that helps to convince your body it is time to rise and shine. I have tried this and it worked, I usually chose music I love to dance to such as Flash Dance or Dirty Dancing sound track and it gets me totally revved up in the morning. Find music that, when it comes on, you can’t help but want to get moving.
An added idea is to maybe have a friend call you in the morning, one that may be a natural early riser. If your anything like me when people call in the morning I usually wake up to the phone and answer it, the more I talk the more I wake. I have come into the problem of not answering because I know they will wake me and I don’t want to get up, that is the down fall but if you have more will power then I do then it is a great idea. Someone who is also your workout buddy can also add some inspiration and go in you. People are always more likely to follow through with things when they are accountable to other people.
Those are a few ideas for waking up, now getting your self to the gym is a whole other story.
The first thing I have found is being prepared. The night before lay your gym clothes out or pack your gym back if you are hitting there before you go to work, that way after you wake you can just head out. If you don’t have time for a full on work out you may just lay your running clothes and go for a quick run or maybe some wake up yoga to get some exercise in before you start your day. I read once that a great idea is to create a calendar and mark with with a bright red X for every day you exercise and the more Xs you see the more capable you will feel. The key to all this is creating a life style change which will be the true benefit.
blueappleblossom 