Tips for Morning Workouts

One of the most common emails I get is tips for morning workouts. How can you wake up early and get out the door? If you know me, you know I like to get my workouts done early. There is rarely a time I’m running after 9 am. The later the time, the less likely I’m going to run.

While there is no right or wrong time to time, getting your workout done early means it’s one less thing you have to worry about it. We shouldn’t be stressing about when we can work out during the day.

With the heat and humidity on the East Coast, running early (or at night) becomes essential.

I’ll be the first to tell you it’s much easier to run in the morning during the summer. It gets lighter earlier, and it’s warmer. You don’t feel as though you’re ripping blankets off to go for a run in the dark and cold. One of the most common questions I get in my inbox is: What are some tips for morning workouts?

We aren’t all morning people and that’s ok. I haven’t always been an early morning person. Like most things, it takes time and consistency to get used to it. There are many articles, blogs, and overall knowledge for tips for morning workouts. These tips for morning workouts are just what have helped me throughout the years.

Here are a Few Tips for Morning Workouts:

Just go it. The easiest and best tip for morning workouts is just to get out the door in the morning. Set an alarm and stick to it. That’s easier said than done. That doesn’t seem like the most fun answer, but the best tip for morning workouts is when your alarm goes off, rip the blankets off and go.

Sleep: The biggest life factor for tips for morning workouts is sleep. Our bodies need sleep. I turn technology off between 8-9 pm. While I might not fall asleep then, I’m not mindlessly scrolling the internet wasting time. When the alarm goes off early, I usually haven’t gone to bed too late. Even with waking up early, I still usually get 8 hours of sleep.

Set an Alarm Clock (or 2 or 10): There is no shame in the number of alarms you might need to wake up. If I gave you one tips for morning workouts, it’s that no one knows how many alarms you set. It’s easy to hit the snooze button once but continuously gets annoying. If the best tip for waking up early is set 12 alarms or even a wake-up call from a friend, then set as many as you need to get out and go.

Turn a Light on Immediately: In college, when we had swim practice at 6 am, we would turn a light on immediately. There was no going back to sleep after that. Our bodies were wide awake.

Check the Weather: What does weather have to do with anything? You want to know the elements you’ll be dealing with. Mentally I like to have an idea if I’ll be running inside or outside. Or if it’s going to be snowing, pouring rain, or windy. Not all surprises are good ones.

Make Sure You Have Appropriate Gear Clean: Many bloggers will tell you to lay your workout clothing out, and I think that is fantastic advice. However, for me if I have appropriate gear cleaned and findable, I consider it a good day. Have workout clothes clean so you can work out in the morning.

Start Small: Your morning workout doesn’t have to be long. Starting small doesn’t need to be limited to tips for morning workouts. If you can make it out for 15 minutes or 20 minutes, that’s good too. As workouts become your morning routine, you can make them longer to 45 minutes or who knows.

Visualize How You’ll Feel Post Workout: The time pre-workout is the hardest part. You think about how warm and cozy your bed is. Remember how you’ll feel good post-workout. Sometimes visualization is all we need for a morning workout.

Finally, Stick to It: I can’t emphasize this enough! The best tip for morning workouts is sticking to it. Sometimes we want to change but aren’t willing to give it time. Give your new early morning workout routine at least two weeks. If after two weeks morning workouts aren’t for you, it’s not for you, find a time of day that is!