Time change -> Early Riser capable of working out

November 2, 2018 9:59 AM

Help me harness the power of this weekend's time change to become an early riser! And bonus, help me do a 7-minute workout first thing in the morning. Need best practices for (1) using the change back to standard time to consistently wake up earlier and (2) working out first thing in the morning.

Current state: I currently set my alarm for 6:15 am and either lie in bed or snooze until 6:30/6:40. Then I go straight to the shower. I use a sunrise alarm clock to help with early morning darkness.

Desired state: I'd like to be out of bed by 6 am so I can do the NYT's 7-minute workout (just once! baby steps!) and finish by 6:20 so I can shower and start my day before the toddler wakes.

Please share your best tips! I know I'll need to go to bed earlier (currently lights out around 10:45; I'll be aiming for lights out at 10). But what else? Should I sleep in my workout clothes? (I find it hard to imagine that's comfortable.) How do I convince myself to actually get out of bed? Should I set up water and equipment? This all sounds so basic but I'm really interested to know what helped you change your routines.

posted by CiaoMela to Health & Fitness (20 answers total)

I am not presently doing this, unfortunately, but when I've worked out first thing, I've had coffee and water right next to me and NPR blasting at full volume. I think I just stripped down to my underwear and put on a sports bra. Do you have a coffeepot with a timer, or can you put it on with a lamp timer?

Message me if you'd like an accountability buddy--I need to get back in the habit myself.
posted by 8603 at 10:08 AM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

-- Put the alarm across the room so you physically have to get up to turn it off.

-- No phones or devices in the bedroom, period.

-- Lights shining directly in your face right before you need to get up. A lamp on a timer works for me, plus I have a visual cue of when lights-out happens when it goes off. They make a daylight lap that supposedly simulates dawn, but the $15 lamp-and-timer situation works great.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:19 AM on November 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

I am very much not a morning person, and I have never worked out before noon in my life, but I do have a lot of experience changing my internal clock, so I'll focus more on the early rising stuff:

- I have a sunrise alarm clock by my bed, and another alarm clock across the room. I've gotten better about not abusing the snooze button, but the across the room alarm clock is a great way to make sure you actually have to get out of bed. (on preview, I see this is already mentioned).

- There is no way I can stick to not using my phone or laptop before bed, but to help shift my bed time earlier, I have blue light blocking glasses, and a bed side lamp with an orange light bulb that I switch over to a couple hours before I want to go to sleep. I have a much more in depth answer here with product links if you're interested.
posted by litera scripta manet at 10:29 AM on November 2, 2018

It helps me to set the thermostat to go up about five degrees starting a half-hour before I want to get up. Then I have way less desire to snuggle in bed, because it's too warm, and I feel less stiff when I do get up.
posted by lazuli at 10:40 AM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

I work out before work three times a week, and it was a pain to get into the routine but is now automatic enough to not be completely horrible . The things that helped me the most: having everything laid out and ready to use the night before (I don't wear workout clothes to bed, but I have them ready to grab and put on immediately upon waking. And same thing with work clothes!) and putting on a (non-smart) watch as soon as I get up (the idea is that I can't do anything with it aside from periodically make sure I'm on schedule for all my morning things [pre-gym, gym, shower, getting ready for work, leaving for commuter rail], and I can wear it in the shower so I don't spend too much time luxuriating).
posted by quatsch at 11:04 AM on November 2, 2018

It may sound a little cheesy, but it genuinely helps me to remind myself sternly at bedtime that The Alarm Is Not Negotiable. I do the "good" morning routine best when I do it as an automaton -- not thinking, not questioning, not bargaining, just DOING.

Putting actual gold star stickers on a physical monthly calendar can really help, too. Good luck!!
posted by argonauta at 11:10 AM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

I try to be at the gym by 5:30am during the week, and have to be very determined and motivated to stick to this schedule. Here's what helps:

* Sleeping in workout clothes, definitely. I skip my sports bra until I'm up, but otherwise gym gear = pajamas. I stick to comfortable materials in order to make this work.
* Shoes, towel, water bottle, headphones, keys, etc. are all set out near the front door the night before. Podcast episodes already downloaded, music playlist set. Phone is charging while I sleep.
* Does your sunrise clock also have a sunset feature? Mine starts with full brightness and over a specified amount of time dims it to a pleasant orange/red before fading away. I find this a really nice way to mentally wind down once I'm already in bed.
* Each night I try to be really conscious of what I'm trying to achieve by setting this routine. I repeat to myself my goals, where I want to be in the future, and remind myself that a day will go by whether I work out or not - it's up to me to make sure that day is well spent. You could do this in your head or in a journal.
* Stickers (maybe in said journal), calendars where I mark off successful days, just some visual reminder of what I've achieved and how long I've kept it up so far. It takes a while to notice physical changes from a workout, so seeing your accomplishment in some other way in the meantime is a nice motivational boost.

Things that also help but may not be as available:

* One of our cats always sleeps on the bed with us, and as soon as I start stirring will come up to my face and demand attention. After a certain amount of time this is impossible to ignore.
* In addition to the sunrise alarm, I have a fitbit that vibrates on my wrist shortly after I start noticing the light. I consider it my "no I mean it, it's TIME" backup.

Good luck! I'm also looking forward to the time change and think it's a great time to focus on new habits. Remember too that this is a long process/commitment (hopefully a lifelong healthy one, fingers crossed for us both) and that skipping a day or failing to get up "on time" doesn't erase your previous hard work!
posted by erratic meatsack at 11:17 AM on November 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

Try going to sleep according to sleep cycles
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 11:20 AM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

The best practice to get better at anything is to...practice. Many people have suggested getting the routine down. Practice that during your waking hours multiple times. When it's time to do so in the morning, it'd be automated.
posted by 7life at 11:22 AM on November 2, 2018

Ah, it is time to repost the corniest link: How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes Off
posted by purpleclover at 11:30 AM on November 2, 2018 [4 favorites]

I'm a personal trainer who's not naturally an early riser, but I've become a very good early riser over the years because I'm up at 4:30 to train people before their work day begins. You've gotten a lot of great advice already, so I won't repeat what others have already said. I will add, though, that it's going to be very hard for the first couple of weeks. Like, really, really, hard. It's important to acknowledge that to yourself, and to recognize that if you stick with it you'll get over the hump. It might not ever be easy, but it'll be easier. Just gut out the first couple of weeks. You can do it!
posted by fiend angelical at 11:31 AM on November 2, 2018 [3 favorites]

What are your normal sleep clothes like? Could you possibly wear them for a 7 minute workout?

I know 7 minute workouts are intense, but from my experience doing similar "calisthenics" type workouts in Crossfit, they don't necessarily require special clothes. I used to just wear some cropped cotton drawstring pants (with a bit of stretch) and a t-shirt to Crossfit, which is basically what I wear to bed (different outfits, but same idea), and was comfortable in both bed and gym. (There were a few Orthodox Jewish women at my gym who wore baggy t-shirts and long skirts and were also ok!) The sports bra is another issue, as someone mentioned, but again, it's possible you might not need one for such a short workout? Worth a try at least.
posted by lunasol at 11:45 AM on November 2, 2018

The only thing that's gotten me to exercise is buying and wearing a fitbit. It has the bonus of telling me how and how much I slept, so I have the incentive to actually go to bed on time to try and get a full 8 hours of sleep.
posted by lydhre at 12:25 PM on November 2, 2018

If you need one, get the kind of sports bra that zips up or otherwise fastens so you don’t have to struggle to pull the damn thing over your head right away in the morning.
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:11 PM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

For some people, drinking water before bed helps with rising early. Needing the bathroom when the alarm sounds makes snoozing more difficult. (YMMV; this tactic can lead to overnight bathroom trips and groggy mornings instead.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 4:12 PM on November 2, 2018

> currently lights out around 10:45; I'll be aiming for lights out at 10

Can you make it earlier? I'm an early riser, and I go to bed at 8:30.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:51 PM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]

I’m all about removing obstacles / minimizing steps that lie between me and my morning light workout. Boil your process down to a streamlined skeleton — workout clothes at the handy, programme planned, water bottle filled, fitness tracking device charged, et cetera.

Don’t allow yourself to skip, call yourself out for making lame excuses, keep banging on that routine and in a matter of weeks it won’t even be hard.
posted by Construction Concern at 5:09 PM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

Echoing others above, pre make everything:

- clothes laid out in the bathroom
- warm sweatshirt so I can get out of bed
- lights on
- fitness watch
- breakfast started
- coffee ready to reheat.
posted by gregglind at 5:48 PM on November 2, 2018 [1 favorite]

For me the key is to get up the same time every day. No sleeping in on weekends or days off, just get up when my sunrise alarm sounds.
posted by anadem at 7:02 PM on November 2, 2018

I’m going to take a slightly sideways approach with my advice: look into Gretchen Rubin’s book about making habits, Better Than Before. There’s an online quiz with an overview of the types too. People are motived by different things. If you can figure out what actually motivates YOU to change, you can harness it.
posted by notheotherone at 11:23 PM on November 2, 2018 [2 favorites]