"The early bird catches the worm."
I for one wholeheartedly believe this when it comes to exercise. There's nothing quite like starting the day with a sweat session, there's less time for me to talk myself out of it, I feel awesome and get my workout under my belt before some people are out of bed and it makes me more focused and productive at work.
But getting up before the sun rises to hit the gym can be hard, so here's my top 5 hacks for how to make early morning workouts as easy (and pain free!) as possible.
1. Get packing
Do you want to know how many times I've forgotten to pack my knickers? Too many times. Probably the most useful tip I practice, packing you gym bag the night before will stop your from finding yourself in any tricky situations (trying to dart across the changing room with only a hand towel to protect your modesty because you forget to pack your towel anyone?) and will also mean your organised and not rushing the night before. It only takes 5 minutes, but by packing your bag in advance you're also committing to yourself that you're going to workout and stopping any potential or barriers sabotaging your efforts!
2. Set a bed time and stick to it
That Netflix box set can wait for the weekend. If you're getting up earlier than normal then you need to find extra time to make up that sleep which usually means an earlier bedtime. If you're getting up at 6 then you want to be asleep by at least 11pm (if not a bit earlier!) When we go to bed and bodies are able to rest and recover so you can get up and smash your next workout, so make sure you prioritise sleep.
3. Don't hit snooze
As tempting as it is, try and resist the urge to give yourself just 5 minutes more. Snoozing is suprisingly bad for your health, by constantly hitting the snooze button we trick our brains into thinking that the sleep cycle is beginning again which can result in that groggy, can't keep my eyes open feeling, which can lead to you skipping your workout in favour of an extra hour or so in bed. If you really can't help but hit snooze then move your phone or alarm clock to somewhere in the room that you have to get out of bed to turn it off.
4. Simplify your beauty routine
One for the ladies, if you usually spend hours putting on make up or doing your hair before work then it's time to streamline, mirror space and hairdryers are few and far between in the changing room, so dry shampoo and 2 in 1 make up is your friend.
5. Get your grub
Plan a post workout breakfast to fuel your body and replenish your energy stores after your workout. Oats, eggs and veggies are all great options.
