OK, so we all need to get enough sleep each night. But if you keep on planning to get up & exercise in the morning. And then you keep on hitting snooze….. logic says that you are never going to run your first marathon or ditch your muffin top. If you want your body to change, your fitness to change, your life to change, anything at all to change, you’re going to need to your actions to change. This post might not be as uplifting as most of the thoughts that we share with you. But it’ll hit the spot for a few people out there. Because if you want to achieve what others won’t, you need to do what others don’t.
There are a couple of ways around this snooze button conundrum. For some of you, the only answer is to accept that you are not a morning person. Never have been, never will be. So stop playing pretend. And throw yourself into lunchtime sport or evening classes at the gym. Go for a sunset run. Have fun exercising at a time that actually suits you, rather than beating yourself up for not being able to bounce out of bed like other people. (N0te – no-one actually bounces out of bed. It’s a myth. Even ‘morning people’ actually find it tough a lot of the time.)
But if you think you can change your ways, or if mornings are your only window of exercise opportunity, try these tips:
- Instead of an alarm, set the oven timer. Something really annoying, and a really long way from your bed.
- Choose a training buddy, to up the commitment factor. But choose very carefully – the wrong buddy will corrupt your plans with 5am texts. Wrst nite eva. 2moro gd 4 u?
- Get a dog. They hate sleep-ins, and they’ll tell you all about it.
- Make it easy on yourself. Have your clothes, shoes & anything else you need lined up. Know if you’re going to eat first or not. Cut your timing fine, so there is no option to rest ‘for just 5 more minutes’.
- Join a group. You’d hate to be the person who only turns up once every month. Just make sure it’s a group with a friendly trainer, so that you don’t end up too scared to return if you do miss a session.
- Pay for something. Money is a great motivator. Commit to your new regime by paying for at least 4 weeks in advance – long enough to form a habit.
- Be realistic. 2 mornings a week might be enough. 5 mornings a week would probably feel like torture. Choose your commitment level carefully.
- Be nice. You might genuinely be sick one day. You might actually need the sleep every now and then. So give yourself a break if deep down, you know you need to stay in bed. As long as you’re honest with yourself and only take a break on the days that you need it most.
