It took me years to become a morning workout person. For most of my early 20s, I went to the gym in the evening, usually after dinner, from 8 to 9 p.m. I never thought of it as a perfect system, but I managed to get four workouts in a week, and at least two of them were always solid. It wasn’t until I started working out mornings that I recognized some serious issues with the schedule.
As in, I used to yawn during workouts. I used to avoid cardio or core work because there was still food in my stomach. I used to blast uptempo songs into my ears at a time of night that I should be winding down. I used to skip sets or reps because I’d “had a tough day at work.” I used to come home and crave sugar.
I was somewhat aware of these issues at the time. But I didn’t care. Optioning my workouts to the morning sounded legitimately revolting. I got my best sleep in the morning hours (I had trouble falling asleep at the time), so it was a non-starter. Life eventually forced my hand, though, and I started running/lifting/stretching before 8 a.m with regularity.
And I’ve gotta say, the switch felt good. Working out boosts the metabolism, inciting the body to burns calories for several hours. Those processes are far more effective during the day, as opposed to while you lie in bed. As for lying in bed, I used to come home jacked up — from the music and adrenaline — which definitely contributed to my inability to sleep. (Though, it should be noted, some people have little trouble sleeping after exercise.) Plus, when I threw in a starchy snack, I’d give my body and brain even more homework for the night.
Meanwhile, years of working out in the morning have almost certainly led to more productive mornings and healthier choices. Early exercise releases endorphins that help prioritize tasks, improve mood and manage impulse control. In other words: I’m, getting a head start on my work, I’m better adjusted for the day’s inevitable curveballs and I’m eating less butter.
The biggest hurdle to becoming a morning workout person was the reinvention it required — and by extension, my understanding of who I am. I get it: if it isn’t in your programming (morning people literally have a different genetic profile, by the way) it seems impossible. But you just have to build in some fail-safes. Strategies that ensure you can defeat your old morning self, whose judgment (and sleepiness) is generally in line with that of a tyrannical, drunken toddler.
Below, we’ve detailed nine methods that can help. You won’t need all of them to stick, just two or three. See you for sunrise.
1. Join a more expensive gym. No, really.
One of the biggest strategies I can impart here, and this will be relevant for a few tips on this list, is make sure there’s money on the line. You gotta wager on you. If you’re paying less than $50 a month on a basic gym membership, you’re not that invested, are you? Find a local gym with new equipment. Without dust under the racks. Where the towels are folded and you can make morning showers part of your routine. That’ll mean spending anywhere from $100-$200 on a membership each month, but that’s good. Your gym will be a veritable destination you look forward to visiting, and you’ll feel bad any month you don’t get your money’s worth.
2. Join a run club.
Run clubs are everywhere right now, and not just because people are sick of dating apps. They’re one of the best ways to find community, grow as a runner…and get up in the morning. I even started one myself this year (check it out here), which meets at 7 a.m. As the director, it would be a terrible look for me to no-show on account of general grogginess; so I have maximum accountability getting me up in the morning. But I’ve spoken to some of our runners about this, and they feel a similar tug to make those early sessions. Besides, the run’s over in a half hour anyway, and soon after we’re eating croissants and drinking coffee. Everyone leaves feeling pretty jazzed about how they started the day.
3. Make plans in the evening.
There’s nothing like remembering at 4:30 that you’ve already worked out and are free to do anything, anywhere. (Well, assuming you don’t have kids at home. Huge caveat for all of this! You’re already a morning person whether you like it or not.) As a general rule, I recommend making plans on days you know you’re supposed to work out in the morning. That way you can’t bail yourself out later with an evening workout. You’ve gotta get up. Also, don’t underestimate how much more confident you’ll be going out on dates, to dinner, to the DMV, after a big morning session.
4. Set an alarm clock that isn’t your phone.
We all know how to snooze our iPhones in perpetuity. Either get a legit alarm clock (love the Loftie, above) or just go the budget route and put your phone across the room. Once you take that first step out of bed, you’re good to go.
5. Use ClassPass
Another instance where money is on the line. ClassPass has a $20 cancellation fee if you blow off a class and a $15 cancellation fee if you fail to cancel 12 hours before the class starts. Research what class you’d like to try the night before — HIIT, hot yoga, jiu jitsu, what have you — and then go to bed. Unless you go to bed the same time as a kindergartener, chances are you won’t even have 12 hours to cancel the class. That means when you hear that alarm in the morning, you better be ready to sweat and get your money’s worth.
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You’ll get ’em tomorrow. Or three weeks from now.6. Work out only three times a week.
An overly ambitious workout schedule just sets you up for failure. Leave six workouts a week to pro athletes and Marvel actors. You just need to pick three days you can definitely get up, get to a class or the gym, and take care of your business. Upgrade that to four a week down the line, if you feel really on top of your routine.
7. Be declarative and annoying about your new routine
Tell the world! They’ll say they’re happy for you, then fume privately, but that’s not your concern. Saying you’re a morning workout person over and over again will help speak your new routine into a sustained way of life. Share your secrets, recruit friends to join you, whatever. Broadcasting it will just add another layer of accountability.
8. Buy a gym bag and pack it each night.
We mentioned earlier finding a gym with good showers. That’s a real thing you’ll need to think about as a newly-minted morning workout expert. Depending on your , you house in workout gear, carrying a gym bag packed with what I’m wearing to work that day. I shower and dress in the locker room, which I actually quite enjoy. Everyone’s in a sort of polite rush, so the showers are quick (colder is better, remember!) and I dilly-dally way less than I would back home. Crucial to this process is a good gym bag, which I pack the night before. (On the rare occasion I haven’t been able to get up, I’ve had to unpack my work clothes from the bag and dress in my room. It is unspeakably depressing, and you will not like yourself.)
9. Expand your definition of a “morning workout.”
Everything counts. That includes runs, lifts and yoga classes, but also walks around the neighborhood, or a 15-minute flow of bodyweight exercises in your living room. As long as you’re up and moving, it’ll be easier to keep your new schedule humming along. As for the weekends, when this aspirational cadence tends to collapse, I would recommend plugging in a sport. You know: golf, pickleball, hoops, fishing, etc. It won’t seem like a workout, but of course it is; and you’ll get to enjoy it with friends, and without the perceived drudgery of a morning appointment.
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