How to motivate yourself to exercise early in the morning

How to motivate yourself to exercise early in the morning. Get out of bed and get some exercise! Studies show that training in the morning is more effective, better and healthier. With these early morning exercise tips, even morning grumps can do it. 

Don’t you have time to exercise? Too much on your plate? Job, family, friends – for many people, exercise inevitably falls by the wayside. But stop that! From now on, you can just do your exercise sessions in the morning.

“If you exercise immediately after getting up, you will benefit from it all day long,” says Düsseldorf doctor and personal trainer Moritz Tellmann, who – due to his shift work – regularly trains in the mornings. And you can do it too: These are the 20 best abdominal exercises in the world

Why should I do morning exercise?

• After training, you feel fit and motivated for the day, you are (rightly!) proud of yourself – proud of having overcome your inner demons so early in the day.
• When you exercise, your body releases happiness hormones and you approach your tasks at work in a good mood.
• And: In the morning, the streets (and gyms, if open) are pleasantly empty, but in the evening there are often traffic jams – on the streets and in front of the equipment in the gym.
• Those who train early in the morning also have the best chance of completing their workout or cardio session consistently – and thus training most effectively. This is the finding of a US study that evaluated data from fitness tracker apps.

In 5 Steps to Early Bird

1. Write down the pros and cons:

Whether it’s strength training or endurance training, first make a list in which you write down the pros and cons. On the con side, for example: I have to go to bed earlier in the evening and I’m always tired in the morning. On the pro side: I get an energy boost for the whole day; I gain time in the evening for family and friends. Tellmann says: “If you weigh things up honestly, most people will probably come to the conclusion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”

2. Inform family and friends:

For example, if you usually leave the house at 8 a.m. but now suddenly go running beforehand, everything you used to do before work will have to be organized differently. Waking up the children, getting bread rolls, having breakfast, all of that no longer works without the help and understanding of your roommates (unless you are single).

“You have to let everyone who is affected by the new daily routine in on your plans,” says Martin Grüning, editor-in-chief of the running magazine “Runner’s World” – and a passionate early morning exerciser himself. “Discuss the advantages and disadvantages, organize the days on which you run in the morning together.”

3. Find a training partner:

Lots of things are easier in pairs. If possible, find a sports partner, especially for the first few weeks. “It’s incredibly motivating to know that there’s someone out there waiting for you who you can’t let down,” says Tellmann. No potential early bird athlete among your friends? No drama either: The right sports watch can motivate you just as much and remind you to do your training. The Polar Ignite 2 (€229) with all kinds of coaching and analysis functions is perfect for anyone who wants guidance and motivation for their everyday sporting activities. And the best thing: a sports watch doesn’t cancel your training 10 minutes before it’s time to start! These are the 20 best abdominal exercises in the world

4. Decide on a training location: 

Getting out of bed early in the morning is not the only challenge. It’s also about finding the right running route for you. But what’s perfect at 6 p.m. in the evening isn’t necessarily suitable in the morning. Look at your usual running route through the eyes of an early riser: Is there enough light in the morning, is the road surface and route profile suitable?

The other way around: Can you now finally do completely different routes in the morning, which don’t seem to make much sense in the evening because of the traffic situation? “Many evening trips that are regularly choked by rush hour traffic are completely emission-free in the morning. Play through different options in your head and test them out,” advises Grüning.

5. Formulate goals:

In the morning, your inner laziness is a particularly tough opponent. This makes it all the more important to formulate clear, motivating goals. “Goals give you orientation and remind you again and again of what you actually want to achieve,” says Tellmann. But also make sure that you don’t set unrealistic goals, for example: “I want my biceps to increase in circumference by 10 centimeters within a week.” Goals that are set too high will demotivate you very quickly.

Did you know?

Early in the morning you may finally be able to do the rides you have always wanted to do

How do I change my inner rhythm?

Each of us has an internal clock that regulates our sleep-wake rhythm, among other things. This is partly genetic, but is also influenced by age and the environment. The decisive environmental factor is the alternation of (sun)light and darkness. It influences the body’s own production of melatonin – the hormone released in the dark makes us tired.

But many lifestyle habits also play a role – and you can influence them directly: how long you work, when you eat dinner, when you go to bed. Adapt these factors to your new rhythm and give yourself about 3 weeks – then you’ll almost certainly be an early bird.

How do I change my sleeping habits?

Seven and a half hours of sleep is optimal for most people. If you want to train at 5:30 a.m., you have to go to bed at 10 p.m. – or earlier. You still need a few minutes to wake up and get dressed. Changing your lifestyle and sleeping habits is anything but an easy undertaking. It takes a few weeks for your body to get used to it.

The following strategy will help you: If you have always gone to bed at 11:30 p.m. up until now, but now want to go to bed at 10 p.m., go to bed 10 minutes earlier every evening and get up 10 minutes earlier every morning. This gentle, gradual change will prevent your sleep rhythm from getting completely out of whack.

With early morning exercise, you start the morning in a good mood and benefit from it throughout the day. How to finally make your six-pack visible

What should I prepare the night before?

• Eat well at dinner:  “Diet has a direct impact on athletic performance,” says expert Grüning. For this reason, dinner before a morning workout should be rich in carbohydrates and contain a good portion of protein. On the other hand, it should not be too heavy on the stomach. Our tip: rice, fresh vegetables, chicken fillet – all of these are best eaten before 8 p.m.
• Get everything ready:  Before you go to bed, prepare everything for exercise the next morning. Lay out your clothes near your bed (if you’re starting from home) or in your gym bag. Prepare everything in the kitchen for your morning coffee and charge your sports watch if necessary . “If everything is ready in the morning, there are no more excuses not to get started right away. It also saves you from getting into unnecessary haste just because you’re not fully awake yet,” says trainer Tellmann.
• Dim the lights:  In order to get up early in the morning, you have to go to bed early in the evening. But this is often not easy, especially for budding morning exercisers. That’s why it’s important that you create a relaxed, cozy atmosphere in your living area an hour before going to bed by dimming the lights. The darkness stimulates the production of melatonin, the hormone that signals to your body that night is approaching and then makes you tired.

How do I manage to get up early?

Very few people jump out of bed immediately after the alarm goes off and start the day. Almost all of us need a certain ritual to wake up. These 5 measures will help you get going:

Alarm clock strategy :

Set the alarm clock so that the first signal sounds when you want to get up, the second when you should get up, the third when you have to get up, and the fourth when you have to start walking. Goal: press the snooze button less and less often, and eventually get up at the first signal. Special alarm clocks with wake-up lights are also helpful , as they simulate the sunrise with additional light effects.

Lighting strategy :

If you have a lot of time to wake up, it can be a good idea to let the light get brighter gradually. But if you want to wake up quickly, it can be helpful to make it completely bright right away. If you can’t do this in the bedroom out of consideration for your partner, do it in the bathroom or kitchen at the latest.

Wake-up strategy:

The more time you have to wake up in the morning before training starts and to get your circulation going, the easier it will be for you to run, workout or swim afterwards. It’s worth it: If you manage to get up half an hour earlier, you will be compensated by an even greater feeling of happiness during your morning workout. You need a little more time, especially before a morning run or swim with tough intervals and before a full-throttle session of strength training.

Coffee strategy:

 Do you need a coffee in the morning to get going? Go ahead, drink one before your morning workout! A normal coffee isn’t bad in itself, and caffeine serves its purpose as a booster. “Even better, however, is a so-called bulletproof coffee, a real miracle weapon when it comes to an energy boost,” says fitness expert Tellmann.

To prepare this pick-me-up, mix the following ingredients and stir them with a hand blender or hand mixer for 20 seconds: 1 tablespoon of high-quality butter (ideally from grass-fed cows), 1 tablespoon of MCT oil (or coconut oil), 1 cup of filter coffee (preferably Colombian) and 1 pinch of Ceylon cinnamon. After training, especially after a strength session in the gym, drink a protein shake with creatine and glutamine, then (if you have time) a light breakfast rounds everything off.

Preparation strategy:

“When the alarm goes off at 5 a.m., it’s important that the routines work, that you don’t waste time or get into a rush,” explains running specialist Grüning. It’s therefore important that you find your own rhythm, get used to the routines, and know exactly how long you need in the bathroom, for example, to get dressed or to drive to the gym. The smoother the routines, the better.

Early morning exercise is motivating, effective, healthy

How do I start my morning exercise properly?

In the morning, your body is not yet prepared for quick and abrupt movements: your body temperature is lower and your muscles are not yet warmed up. Always take the time to loosen, warm up and stretch your muscles. For example, make gentle circular movements with your arms and legs and side lunges before starting to run.

Before strength training, first loosen and stretch the muscle groups you want to train and do each exercise three times dry (without weight). Start off carefully so as not to overtax your body.

Grüning says: “As a beginner in early morning exercise, you should warm up for at least 5 minutes each time before you start with speed exercises.” And always add in exercises from the ABC of running – such as heel kicks, skipping, knee lifts.

What should I do if I don’t feel well?

If you wake up and don’t feel well, or if your partner is sick and you’d rather stay close to them, get up anyway (assuming this is a one-off) and do an extensive stretching program instead. Your internal clock should continue to run in early mode. The more consistent your sleep-wake rhythm, the better.  Should you train in the morning or evening?

Early morning exercise is motivating, effective, healthy and works even if you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning. In the first few weeks of early morning exercise, you should try out different options to find out what works better and what doesn’t. This applies to both the time you get up and the physical exertion itself. Important: Don’t stress yourself! Take enough time to find out whether your body can go full throttle early in the morning or whether it needs a more moderate workout.