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How I Got Myself To The Gym In The Morning
I was never really a morning person before college, but after some time to trying to figure out the best way to get everything into one day I finally figured it out. I need to go to the gym in the morning or between classes, or I just wouldn’t end up going. I know getting up early and then actually getting out of bed is hard, but I’ve found some tips to help.
1. Only set one alarm in the morning
This helps you get up because you can’t just stop the alarm and go back to sleep. There’s no other alarm to fall back onto so you have to wake up. Along with this tip, leave your phone on your dresser, desk or however far it needs to be for you to only access it by getting up and walking. Once you get out of bed to stop the alarm, you’ll already be up and out of bed.
2. Pick out your outfit the night before
It’s so much easier to change out of your comfy pajamas if you don’t have to search through drawers to find your outfit. Lay out everything you need on your desk or the end of your bed, including a water bottle, headphones, sneakers and socks! This makes it a lot easier to get your morning started and forces you to get out the door quicker!
3. Have a quick, easy and healthy breakfast
Personally, I always go with a protein bar or a banana and black coffee. Eating pancakes, waffles or sugary cereals will definitely not make you want to go the gym, when I eat pancakes I just want to sit in bed all day! Going to the gym on an empty stomach is not fun, so you need fuel. Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with some protein and carbs for breakfast.
4. If you don’t have time in the morning to go before class, go after your class
Of course after class the most ideal activity is napping, but trust me, your body and mind will thank you for going to the gym instead! Wear your gym clothes to class so all you have to do is go directly to the gym! If you plan on stopping at home or at your dorm first, you’ll most likely not end up leaving your bed.
How I Got Myself To The Gym At Night
As a person who enjoys going to the gym at night, I confess to using excuses such as “I need to study,” “Netflix is calling my name” and “I’m too tired.” As the semester went on, I found it hard to prioritize my health when there were heavy workloads and tests looming on the horizon. I eventually fell completely inactive aside from walking back and forth between classes. Slowly, I am trying to get back onto the bandwagon of exercising. It’s a learning process to discover ways to encourage myself to go to the gym when I am stressed out about other things.
I have another truth to confess. Not only do I use a lot of excuses, but I also prefer running outside over going to the gym. I enjoy the fresh air and changes in scenery on runs, but I dislike running in front of strangers. Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to avoid strangers on campus. Consequently, I rely on the gym when it comes to exercising.
I already have workout clothes, but none of them have motivational quotes. Hence, when I received my #ActuallySheCan shirt created in partnership with Le Motto that says “Less drama, More karma”, I was ecstatic. I wanted to proclaim to the world, “Look at my shirt”! Sure, it seemingly is just a shirt, but to me it is so much more than that.
As someone who is trying to get into the habit of exercising, I need all of the encouragement I can get. I never realized until receiving the shirt that motivational workout clothes truly do boost your self-esteem.
At around 8pm, I recieved the tank top. I planned to go back to my dorm to watch a little bit of Netflix and do schoolwork. However, now that I had a brand new shirt, I felt obligated to try it on immediately. With the shirt on, I felt like I had to do something.
What is the point of wearing workout clothes if you are not going to exercise (unless you wear them for comfort), right? Therefore, I ended up going to the gym. The shirt was nice and breezy, making running on the treadmill more pleasant than usual. Wearing the shirt gave me a sense of pride during my workout.
Maybe it does sound ridiculous that a shirt can do such a thing. But as a person who already loves to wear workout clothes for comfort, I absolutely love shopping for them even though I already have an excessive amount. Thus, receiving a free shirt was like an early Christmas gift to me.
Long story short, if you are trying to workout more and you are struggling to motivate yourself, consider buying motivational clothes because trust me, it’s worth it. There is nothing wrong with treating yourself!
Happy workout, collegiettes!