If you know anything about me, it’s probably that I like to sleep. And I hate waking up early. These are usually the facts people learn about me first, and for good reason. In college, I slept past 12pm (read: usually 1pm) as often as I could. It was actually quite scary, looking back… anyway. I now wake up around 9am on weekdays and 10 or 11am (latest) on weekends. Having a 9-5 job will do that to a person, haha! I’m lucky though, because pre-COVID, I woke up at 7:45 every day *insert wide eye emoji here* I don’t even remember what that was like… haha, JK. But I do feel lucky that as a current remote employee, I can sleep more than I did when I commuted to the office.
However, after five months of working from home (in Florida) I moved back to my NYC apartment. I continued the process of sleeping until 9am (ish) and then starting my work day, and then working out after work, like I had been doing in FL. But after about one week of this, I discovered this was no longer going to work for me. Working out after work ended at 6pm wasn’t working in NY, no matter how hard I tried. This is due to many reasons, but the fact of the matter was, the horror dawned on me that the only way I would be able to successfully keep up with my work out routine, was to wake up early… and work out….. before work.
I really wasn’t sure if it was going to work. After all, anyone who knows me knows I sacrifice a LOT (makeup, doing my hair, coffee runs, etc.) just for a few extra minutes of sleep. But with the pandemic, shift of workplaces, and life schedules, it seemed like the right time to give it a try. I told myself, why not try working out before work during a time when I normally would be commuting? When I (someday) go back to working in an office, there’s no way I’m waking up early enough to work out before commuting, so it was now or never. If this sounds like you, keep reading for the ways I was able to make this impossible task possible for me… for the last two months!
1 – Lay out your workout clothes the night before
This is not a joke. I know it reminds you of when you were a little kid and you used to pick out your outfits before school. But, this is important. When that alarm goes off at 8am, I tell myself all I have to do is walk to the living room where my workout clothes are waiting. If I had to dig through my drawers and shelves for shorts, a sports bra and socks, I would just roll over and go back to sleep because it’s not worth it. This way, I have no excuse.
2 – Drink Vital Performance’s “Sleep” line the night before
This was a game changer for me. I received this product gifted by Vital Proteins, and I LOVE it. I mix one scoop with hot water, climb in bed and drink it while I watch TikTok, and then I put the mug in the sink, put my phone away and let myself drift off to the sleep. I love this product because it doesn’t have melatonin in it, but it does have a bunch of other nutrients (and collagen) that help you fall asleep. It also is supposed to help you wake up feeling more ready to work out, which I feel like it does do. (Well, as “ready” as you can feel at 8am… lol.) I’ve tried Apple Cinnamon, and then Vital Proteins also sent me Orange Vanilla, so can’t wait to try that flavor next!
3 – Reward yourself
Since I got back to NY, I only let myself buy coffee out two days a week. It helps me save money, and of course, I just got a Ninja coffee maker for my bday, so I’m basically set! But I still like to treat myself to a large iced coffee here and there, so I do it on Mondays and Fridays, to start and end my week on a good note. These two days just happen to be two of the three days I wake up early to work out for, too. So, I know that after I drag myself out of bed and I crush the workout, I get to treat myself. Bribing yourself isn’t a shame, it’s a necessity if you want me to wake up before 9am.
4 – Lastly, remind yourself why you’re doing it
I don’t mean remind yourself why you’re working out. I mean, of course that is important but I can work out any time of the day. So I’m saying remind yourself why you’re working out so early in the AM. I do it because not only will I feel so accomplished, awake and ready to work by the time work starts at 9:30am, but I also will have an entire evening to enjoy after work ends at 6pm, to work on blogging, spending time with Ryan, watching my favorite show, cooking dinner, etc. When I was still working out after work, I couldn’t stand that I would work out from 6-7, then shower, and the night had gotten away from me. There are so many benefits to getting up early and getting my workout in then, that it’s worth it. As hard as it is to do, it truly does make me more productive and happy, and I can’t imagine to going back to working out after work.
I hope these tips helped you! If you have any tips of your own to get up early and work out, comment them down below. Would love to swap secrets xx
