8 ways to drag yourself out of bed to work out

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So… you want to be a morning exerciser. You want to be the kind of person that leaps out of bed and goes for a run, or surf, or at least does a few minutes of yoga.

The only problem? You can’t get out of bed in the mornings. And it’s severely hampering your exercise efforts.

Working out early in summer is hard enough – but in the winter, in the rain? Even worse. Super-chilly mornings that will only serve to encourage you to stay huddled under that doona for as long as possible.

So here are my tips for getting you out of bed and into training mode for the morning, even when throwing off your quilt feels harder than wrestling a fully grown polar bear.

Be organised

The key to morning exercise is organisation. You don’t want to be scrambling to find your headphones at 5:45am – it’ll waste time and hinder your progress.

So lay out all your clothes the night before, plus everything you need for your workout. A towel? A gym bag? Whatever it is, have it ready. If you definitely need to eat something before you exercise, have that ready too.

Sleep in your exercise gear

If you sleep in your workout clothes, you don’t even have to get dressed when you roll out of bed in the morning. It takes one step out of the process and therefore makes it all that teeny-tiny bit easier. A bonus here is that workout clothes are generally designed to be comfy, so it won’t be too rough on you.

If you feel uncomfortable in your exercise gear (heavy-duty sports bra, for example), lay your clothes out RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR BED so that you barely even have to get up in order to put them on. Sports bra, tights, top, etc. Don’t forget about the socks!

Make it easy for yourself

Can’t comprehend anything before 8am? No worries. Just get into a routine that means you get up and get going in your activity of choice without any decision-making whatsoever. It leaves no time for your brain to talk you out of what you’re doing, either.

Get enough sleep

I know it’s easier said than done – but try to get a decent amount of sleep if you’re getting up early in the morning. Make yourself go to sleep at a reasonable hour instead of getting lost down a wormhole of random Youtube videos. It’ll be so much easier to get up in the morning if you’re not completely sleep deprived because you watched too much footage of otters playing the piano.

Position your alarm clock so it’s out of arm’s reach

You’re going to have to get up to turn off that alarm clock if it’s on the other side of the room. And once you’re up, you may as well go for that run.

Get a friend on board

It’s easy to talk yourself out of exercising in the morning. It’s harder to talk yourself out of it when you know that someone is relying on you. I hate bailing on friends and so I always try to have a gym or a running buddy lined up.

Alternatively, if you have a partner or someone else in your house that’s keen on exercise – why not enlist them in your morning exercise routine? You can encourage each other to get up and get out the door. You’ll probably hate each other at first, when you’re all tired and grumpy, but it’ll end up being some kind of odd bonding experience.

Don’t make yourself go outside

If it’s raining, or if you can’t escape your kids, or if it’s sub-arctic… don’t make yourself go outside. Do a home workout using apps (such as the excellent Nike Training app) or DVDs (try Michelle Bridges, Jillian Michaels, Zumba, Barre Body or Brazil Butt Lift… yes, really). You’ll get all the benefits of a workout but without actually having to venture outdoors.

Remind yourself of the benefits

There are so many brilliant things about exercising in the morning. When you’re lying in bed, thinking about turning off your alarm and going back to sleep, remember some of the below:

- Morning exercise jump-starts your metabolism and your energy levels;

- Morning exercisers are far more likely to exercise consistently;

- Morning exercise means that your exercise for the day is over and done with and you can quite confidently go home after work and veg out on the couch, without worrying about the cardio you should be doing;

- Morning exercise improves the quality of sleep and, incidentally, benefits those who are trying to lose weight.

What’s not to love?! Go go go!

What are your tips and tricks for exercising in the morning?