Getting up early
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Regular![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I need (due to family commitments) to get up early (like, 4:30 or 4:45) to get my workouts in, but I'm really struggling with it. I know part of it is getting to sleep earlier at night, and I'm working on that. Does anyone else get up really early to work out? What time do you get up and what time do you go to bed? It might help me just to know that I'm not the only person doing this.Any tips for making the transition to an earlier wake-up call? I know once it's a habit, it won't be nearly so hard.Thanks!Lori |
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![]() | ![]() Depending on what I am doing and if I am travelling to work (I sometimes work from home, sometimes I have an hour commute) I get up between 4-5AM. It does eventually become habbit. Even when you don't want to get up your body will wake up. It does help to get to bed earlier for sure. I've been doing this most all my adult life though. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I started getting up a 4:00 a couple of years ago. It was really hard, but my body seemed to make the adjustment after a couple/few months. Until then, I was tired and sluggish. It's good to get into bed around 9ish. That ends up around 6 1/2 hours of sleep. After you find your groove, you'll love being at work, knowing you've already done your run or ride, and you can go home at the end of the day and relax. It's a great feeling! |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I think part of whether this will work for you had to do with your body's natural rythm. I have always been a 'morning person'. The morning had always been my favorite time to work out and after about 2pm my productivity at work experiences a sharp decline. I have been getting up at 4 am for 4 years to exercise. I drink a diet Red Bull and work out. By 1 pm I usually need a nap, and sometimes I lay down for 20 min. I am in bed by 10 or 11 at the latest. One day a week I try to 'sleep in' until 6 am. This schedule works for me because it is moving with my body's cycle. I don't know if you can 'train' your body to be on a cycle like this. One option is that if you are more of a night person, I know people who are doing their workouts at 11pm at night. |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I have gotten up as early as 3:30 in some training phases to get my workouts in and still do everything I needed to do in a day. Part of it is struggling through the first bit till you do adapt and figure out what works best for you. After awhile you get used to it, and sleeping in is 6 am! A few things that have worked for me at different times:
Good luck - you do whatcha gotta do to get them in! |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I consider myself a morning person, but I don't consider anything before 5:00 a.m. to be morning. That being said, I go back and forth between morning and evening workouts. I have a long day at work that starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 5:00 p.m., so I am at either end of the spectrum: either getting up at 4:00/4:30 a.m. to get a workout in or starting my workout at 6:00 p.m. and having a late evening because dinner's not until 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. When I work out in the mornings, I try to have everything ready to go the night before. As soon as that alarm goes off, I have to roll out of bed because I have animals to take care of before I can even think about starting my workout, so that has to get done. Then, I must have a few sips of coffee. Once I get going, I am fine. I tend to crash a bit around 3:00 p.m., but I do like the feeling of going home, relaxing for a bit, and being able to have an evening meal at a decent time. I think if I did it more consistently, I would get more used to getting up that early. I certainly know plenty of people who do, and they function quite well. Bottom line, I think if it's important enough to you, you will make yourself do what you need to do to get it done. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Hello I have no children at home so it makes it a little easier. My normal wake up time was about 605. So with me starting tri-training I just get up about 510. I rationalize the loss of 55 minutes as getting at least one work out in before work and feeling good the rest of the day. When my alarm goes off I sit up in bed with my feet touching the floor and then just have to tell myself to stand up. Once standing I am good and no going back to sleep. I do lay out my morning work out clothes-shoes the night before. If I am riding in the morning I air up my tires the night before. For morning in the dark bike rides I wear a reflective vest, have an areobar mounted front headlight and a rear red flashing light. I have gotten into a pattern over the last five weeks. AM Running and Biking with Wednesday as my sleep day. Then when I get home from work walk down to the pool and swim Mon-Friday. Not sure how it will fall out when the neighborhood pool closes for the season. Saturday morning is a test day where I complete a full self timed Sprint race or swim-bike only. Sunday is a rest day. Start slowly getting up a little earlier each week until you find the rigt amount of time to complete your work out. Kevin |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Laerka - 2009-08-24 8:35 AM
This is the key for me. If I turn the alarm off and don't get up right away, I start thinking about how I can probably fit my workout in later, or it's not an important one, etc. If I just get up as soon as it goes off, I'm good to go. I also lay everything out the night before so it only takes me a minute to be ready and out the door. Eventually, it becomes habit/natural. Until it does, it sucks. |
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![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Set up all your gear the night before. Tell yourself you can sleep when you get back from work.. It will never happen but it helps me... |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() i am guessing you don't have a training partner? that helps tremedously to have someone else waiting for you to get there. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Laerka - 2009-08-24 9:35 AM
Top 2 things that make or break me getting early am workouts in. |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Set up the coffeepot near you. Maybe even on your bedside table, with some of those little pods of cream & sugar next to it. Set up a timer to brew the coffee about 15 minutes before your alarm goes off. Then you will have not just an alarm, but also the smell of fresh-brewed coffee to help you wake up. Once you have coffee in your hand and feet on the floor, there is no excuse to not stand up and get moving. |
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Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() On a side note, for everyone getting up early, and before it is light out. Are you biking? And if so, do you not worry about cars? Do you have lights on your bike? Morning is really the only time I have to work out, and I've been a little concerned about biking in the dark. |
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Regular ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Tri365 - 2009-08-24 8:28 AM I need (due to family commitments) to get up early (like, 4:30 or 4:45) to get my workouts in, but I'm really struggling with it. I know part of it is getting to sleep earlier at night, and I'm working on that. Does anyone else get up really early to work out? What time do you get up and what time do you go to bed? It might help me just to know that I'm not the only person doing this.Any tips for making the transition to an earlier wake-up call? I know once it's a habit, it won't be nearly so hard.Thanks!Lori I'm starting to get up early and i find it hard as well and I am not a mourning person at all. I figure that with a work out in the mourning and a quick one in the afternoon that I should be tired enough at the end of the day to get some sleep. I'm getting up about 5:30-6:00. It seams to me the more I do it the easier it becomes. ![]() |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() coltank17 - 2009-08-24 11:15 AM On a side note, for everyone getting up early, and before it is light out. Are you biking? And if so, do you not worry about cars? Do you have lights on your bike? Morning is really the only time I have to work out, and I've been a little concerned about biking in the dark. I don't bike outside in the dark at all any more - so use the trainer A LOT. I had only a bike for most of my 20's and used it day and night - had front and back lights, wore a reflection vest, had reflection tape on my helmet, my arms and legs ... and STILL got hit a few times (fortunately only one resulted in an ambulance ride and still minor compared to what it could have been) ... it is sooo not worth the risk for me. Oh, and someone mentioned having the coffee ready in the morning .. I consider a timer on my coffee pot part of my training gear! The smell/thought of it gets me up many early mornings in the dark! |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() coltank17 - 2009-08-24 12:15 PM On a side note, for everyone getting up early, and before it is light out. Are you biking? And if so, do you not worry about cars? Do you have lights on your bike? Morning is really the only time I have to work out, and I've been a little concerned about biking in the dark. I am either running outside with a headlamp and reflective vest or riding inside on my trainer. |
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Master ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() coltank17 - 2009-08-24 12:15 PM On a side note, for everyone getting up early, and before it is light out. Are you biking? And if so, do you not worry about cars? Do you have lights on your bike? Morning is really the only time I have to work out, and I've been a little concerned about biking in the dark. Hello I installed a removeable headlight between my areo-bars, red flashing light to the rear and wear a reflective vest. I only ride the 1 mile loop around my neighborhood over & over and I have to make one frogger crossing (going through stop sign) but not much traffic out in the morning. Normally only the newspaper Lady speeding around. You can see cars well in advance due to their headlights. The only close call I have had was with the other triahtlete in the neighborhood circling the same loop in the other direction. Almost a head-on meeting engagement but thank goodness no crash. I think now we are now on different riding days as I was running this morning and he was riding. Still scary but you have to mimimizes the chance for an accident. Kevin |
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Regular![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Wow, thanks for the replies everyone! I appreciate all of the suggestions, and will be giving them a try. I am a morning person, and used to love to wake up at 6:00 to work out. Even 5:30. But 5:00 or earlier just seems to be a struggle. Getting up at 3:30 is hard core - wow! My only training partner is my dog. Hmmm, maybe I should train him to wake me when the alarm goes off! Tell yourself you can sleep when you get back from work.. It will never happen but it helps me... Hee! I think I'll try that! Bottom line, I think if it's important enough to you, you will make yourself do what you need to do to get it done. I guess that's what it comes down to. Laerka, I am distressed to hear that you found biking in the dark so dangerous. Were you riding in the early morning, or in the evening? Was there much traffic? I'm planning to add cycling to my workout schedule in a couple of weeks, and I am very worried about safety. I was specifically planning my bike rides for the early morning because I was hoping it would be safer as there are very few cars on the road then. I guess if I find riding on the roads too dangerous, I'm going to have to stick to a trainer unless I can find any dedicated bike paths within reasonable driving distances. |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() 3:50 am - alarm/hit snooze button I definitely agree with what others said about having everything packed and ready the night before! I think the main thing is to give it a long enough chance to let your body adjust and make it a habit. |
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Member![]() ![]() | ![]() Drink lots of water before you go to bed. The call of nature wakes me every morning around 4:45-5:00 a.m. whether I set the alarm or not. |
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Extreme Veteran ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() I get up at 4:30 3 days a week to swim at my gym or go on a bike ride. It's the only time I can fit my swim in without the pool being completely overcrowded! It's really hard to get up some days, especially if one of my boys had a sleepless night (meaning I did too!). But, the best advice from everyone so far is to get up as soon as the alarm goes off! If I don't get up right away I will fall back asleep or talk myself into thinking I can do the workout later in the day (it never happens!). Also, like everyone said too, have everything ready the night before...this is crucial! I usually go to bed around 9:45 or 10 and it seems to be o.k. Sometimes I'm ready for a nap at 1, but other days I'm fine. Your body will adjust to the schedule if you stick to it. Good luck! ![]() |
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Expert ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() During the school year (teacher), I'm up between 4:45 and 5:30 depending on the workout for the day. Only exception is on Monday's when I have a 6:00 pm coached swim. That was hard to get used to. Usually by the evening I'm wiped. Now, during the summer it's a whole different life. Although my body wakes me up automatically at around 5 am, I don't necessarily have to get out of bed. Sadly, that will be coming to an end tomorrow. 5:00 am wake up call to get in a run and to school by 8. SIGH! (I know...I shouldn't complain) |
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Elite ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() Blagh. I got up for so many years at 0 dark thirty for swimming/x-country workouts that now you can't pry me out of bed to go work out. I'd rather ride the trainer for 5 hours midday and gouge out my eyes with a spoon after daytime TV than get up to go ride or run. John |
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Regular ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() erincs - 2009-08-24 9:22 AM Laerka - 2009-08-24 8:35 AM
This is the key for me. If I turn the alarm off and don't get up right away, I start thinking about how I can probably fit my workout in later, or it's not an important one, etc. If I just get up as soon as it goes off, I'm good to go. I also lay everything out the night before so it only takes me a minute to be ready and out the door. Eventually, it becomes habit/natural. Until it does, it sucks. X2 to the info above... I will say again 1) lay out "stuff" the night before. 2) when you set your alarm for 4/5/6 whenever it is... tell yourself you ARE getting up 3) when the alarm goes off, put your feet on the floor and go! GOOD LUCK! |
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Regular ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() After about 2 weeks of setting the alarm and pressing snooze repeatedly, I started repeating to myselft "H T F U" as soon as the alarm goes off. It works about 2/3 of the time. |
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