You know that feeling, you have the best of intentions one day, you are psyched ready for the next day but by the next morning you hit the sleep button more often than the fire button on a game of space invaders…those were the days…anyway….it’s almost like you are stuck to the bed like velcro…nothing can shift you.
If you are finding it hard to get started on your exercise program in the morning I may have the solution for you.
For me I’m a morning person and have always been that way.
I love nothing better than to get up in the cool the morning…clear morning or raining morning…when it’s nice and quiet and still, everyone is asleep, time to yourself and best of all nothing much is happening (yet..) no phones ringing, no text messages dinging and no email and this sets up the rest of the day for me.
It is an awesome way to kick start my morning.
Without it I’m just not me. I’m flat, I’m dull…just not me.
Almost every time I’ve tried to change my exercise to another time of the day, something always “comes up” and your time is lost.
But it doesn’t just happen automatically. I still have days where it is hard to just get going. But I have a few things that help me get past this and get moving.
Firstly,
Get your gear out the night before
Socks, joggers, tshirt, shorts, water bottle, (optional cap or towel) or at least is easy to get to so there’s one less excuse to not get up and get going.
Have a clear idea what you going to do and where you going to do it.
If you are not clear you can easily end up fiddling around, searching for something you can remember seeing on your phone, wasting time and not get the most out of your workout and the most out of the time you have available
So whether it’s an online workout, or a video or an app find it, save it, store it whatever you need to do…get it sorted so you are ready to go.
Switch your device off and go to bed
This is a really obvious one but it can be a real morning exercise killer. At night you may have had a big day…finished dinner…cleaned up… kids have gone to bed…you might be finishing a bit of work from the day before or getting a few things ready for the next day or just keeping in touch with the latest Facebook feed and just winding down. W
But when you are surfing away time just seems to slide by and before you know it, its midnight again and you drag yourself off to bed. Only to check a few more things or read a bit more on your tablet in bed to help you doze off.
Hold it there.
Set yourself a plan.
Stick with it.
Switch off your device at least half an hour before you go to bed. And go to bed. You will thank yourself for it tomorrow and even more when that alarm goes off.
Then the next morning throw on your gear, grab you bought water bottle and get going.
I always aim for 3 strength training sessions each week, Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings. I find this works with my weekly program and gives me a recovery day or two in between each session.
We are all so short on time these days and this morning was the same for me – I wanted to knock over a quick session before heading out with the family to the local lake for the day.
Today’s Plan
So today I started with a gentle stretch (10mins) then a brisk walk to an easy jog to get warmed up.
Then I just did out a fairly basic body weight routine thanks to Cameron Byrnes Personal Trainer.
All you need is a ledge or high step to lean on and a mat, towel or soft grass to lay…pretty easy to get the gear ready and it’s pretty easy to pack up when you have finished.
And even when you’re traveling, again when you don’t have a lot of time and you don’t have a lot of room and you can’t get to a gym, you can easy squeeze in this session down at the local park or even in your hotel room if you’re really pushed.
Cameron’s workout was 5 exercises (dips / squats / pushups / lunges / crunches) x 10 reps, 10 times, which I was able to knock over in about half an hour.
Perfect timing.
And make sure you keep always keep plenty of water handy and keep sipping it all the way through your session.
Then when you are focused on your exercise time flies.
And when you finish yeah you will feel weary, but you’ll be buzzing with a sping in your step for the rest of the day knowing you have finished your morning session….and you will thank yourself for it later.
But don’t fall into trap that I hear so so often that now you have worked out you have earn’t that big sugary morning tea or that Macca’s for lunch. Don’t throw away your good work. Every now and then it’s fine…we are only human.
Plan ahead and make smart choices. Life long choices.
Thanks guys. I’m heading off for a picnic with my family and for a paddle.
Have a great day.
How did your exercise go over the weekend….I’m keen to hear what you did as well?
So keep in touch and see you out on the trails.
WEBSITE http://sportsadventure.com.au
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/rods_sports…
About The Author
Rod Bucton, mountain bike fanatic from Mid North Coast, New South Wales Australia… helping middle aged men improve their lives with exercise, good nutrition and good health and while you’re at it follow Rod on Facebook or Instagram.
Like any sport, bicycling involves risk of injury and damage. By choosing to ride a bicycle, you assume the responsibility for that risk, so you need to know — and to practice — the rules of safe and responsible riding and of proper use and maintenance. Proper use and maintenance of your bicycle reduces risk of injury.
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