For many of us, mornings are the most hectic time of our days. Some of us are simply not ‘morning’ people, and even if you’re a spritely ball of energy and cheer when you wake up, there’s often lots to do in little time. It’s certainly a stressful time and most of us could never envisage being able to add a workout to the chaos. As the saying goes though: ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’. Here’s a few tips on how to exercise in the morning and still make it to work on time, and in a sane mental state:
Go to Bed Earlier It might seem obvious, but the longer you sleep the more energy you will have when you rise. No-one feels like working out when they’re red-eyed and sleep-deprived, so give yourself plenty of rest and you’ll find it much easier to drag yourself out of bed once the alarm goes. Plus going to bed earlier means you can wake up earlier and fit in a workout where you wouldn’t have had time before. Prepare the Night Before The more you prepare at night, the less you’ll have to worry about in the morning and the more time you’ll be able to spend working out. Lay out your running sneakers and gym clothes, prepare yourself a smoothie or water and leave to refrigerate, iron your work clothes and plan your route. Not only will these details save you time, but you’ll be able to switch off your brain and sleep easier knowing you have less to think about when you wake up. Opening your eyes and seeing your sneakers ready to go is also a great motivational tool to help you get up with a jump! Don’t Hit the Snooze When you hit the snooze button once or twice, it becomes easy to talk yourself out of getting up to workout. Instead, why not try setting your alarm tone to an energetic, motivational song, or something you’d usually sing along to. Getting into a routine of leaping up as soon as you hear your alarm is crucial as the longer you lie there, the more likely you are to lapse back into a sleep-state. Think about it, how great is the quality of sleep you squeeze in between snoozes? Wouldn’t it be more productive to get up and work out!? Don’t be too Ambitious Any morning workout is good for you - anything that gets your heartbeat racing, your muscles working and your body sweating will burn calories and get your day off to a healthy start. But setting out to run a marathon before work, or trying to do a one hour workout video before you take the Grandkids to school might not always be realistic aims. To keep your schedule on track and prevent you getting disheartened or giving up altogether, stick to workouts that are short but high intensity. Check out the exercise section on the MindMate app for some ideal examples that will give you a full body workout without your mornings becoming stressed and frantic. Remember, a good workout is often about quality rather than quantity! Workout on Your Commute While it might not always be possible for everyone, the time it takes you to get to and from the office is valuable time that is easily wasted waiting for, or sitting on, public transport. Why not take your bike and make it an extended commute, or run/walk to work? Even if transport is absolutely essential, try getting off one stop early and walking and always be sure to take the stairs–those steps really add up over the week! Eat Breakfast At Work Another simple idea to save time at work, pre-prepare your breakfast the night before if your workplace doesn’t have the facilities, and enjoy breakfast at your desk. If you’ve just done a workout you’ll be bound to savor it even more!
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