We all have those days that are jam-packed with 5 back-to-back-classes, meals with friends, office hours, and club meetings. You’re left with little to no time for yourself, which means that if you want to go to the gym, you have to squeeze it in before your classes. In other words, you might have to squeeze it in before an 8:30am course – a daunting task.
Surprisingly, though, working out before an 8:30am really isn’t as miserable as it seems. In fact, it’s a great way to kick off a busy day, and it’s fair to say the many 6:00am gym-goers at PC agree. Here’s 5 tips for becoming that “early morning gym person” you’ve always wondered about:
1. Plan Your Time
When you’re squeezing in a workout before class, you have to plan everything down to the very minute. When you’re setting your morning alarm, you have to calculate that time as accurately as you can. The things you want to account for include how long it will take you to get to the gym, workout, walk back to your room, shower, get dressed, and eat. If you want to be able to sleep later, you’ll want to plan a breakfast to take to class, like overnight oats or a protein bar. Once you’ve done the morning gym routine a few times, you’ll have your timing down pat.
2. Choose an Enjoyable Workout
At 6:30am, your body doesn’t want to trudge through a workout it’s not in the mood for. Trust me. Planning a fun, new, interesting workout helps you stay excited in those early hours. Whether it’s simply watching “The Office” on the elliptical, trying a new HIIT workout, or doing a spin class, planning a workout you’ll enjoy is such a motivator for early morning gym sessions.
3. Find a Buddy
Finding a friend who will workout early with you is another great motivator. It keeps you from hitting that snooze button, and reminds you that it is realistic to wake up with the sunrise.
4. Plan a Rewarding Breakfast
Many agree that there are few things better than a delicious meal after a hard workout. For some reason, this meal always tastes more delicious after a hard early morning workout. Planning an epic post-workout breakfast can help you give that workout your all, and also set you up for an extremely successful day. If you don’t have time to eat a sit-down breakfast before class, you can always plan to pick up a special coffee, or make an epic overnight oats jar with all your favorite fruits to go!
5. Don’t Get Discouraged
There will always be those nights where you don’t hit the sheets until 2:00am, and waking up 4 hours later for a run just isn’t feasible. Rest is super important and should never be compromised for the fear of not going to the gym. Struggling with an early gym session is completely normal until you do it enough times to make it a habit. Even once it is part of your regular routine, there will still be those times you just can’t get out of bed. That’s completely normal, and it doesn’t mean that you’ll never be an “early morning gym person.” It just means that you’ve had a rough night, couple of days, or week, and can jump back on the gym train as soon as your body has recovered.