How to Make Morning Exercise a Habit

We all have so much on our plate these days whether we're working parents, pet owners, working multiple jobs, care taking a family member, and everything else in between. It can be hard to fit in time for ourselves especially if it's something related to our health.  This is why many people end up choosing to exercise in the morning before their day starts so they at least have it out of the way because we all know once we get done with our busy day we won't have the energy or motivation. As someone who wakes up several times a week very early to get in a morning run of at least 3 miles, I wanted to share some advice on how you can make morning exercise a habit. 


Set your outfit and gear out the night before. 

I always have my running gear and my outfit sitting out the night before.  This way I can't avoid it or ignore it because the glaring reminder that I'm supposed to run is RIGHT THERE.  This also makes it easier for me to actually change, gear up, and do my run because the hard work of choosing what to wear and gathering my safety gear is already done for me.  It's kind of like setting your outfit out the night before when you have a big meeting the next day.   

 

Get started. 

The hardest part is to actually take the steps to begin your exercise.  Once I start gearing up, it's almost impossible for me to say Oh nevermind, I'm not doing it.  I've already gotten dressed and geared up so might as well open the door and step outside. So no matter how tired you are or how much you don't want to do it, get started! Turn on your workout tape, set up your weights, just get started!

Decide a schedule. 

It's much easier to stick to exercise a daily habit when you create a schedule that works. If you have specific days of the week that are really busy and you don't have time those mornings, those can be your rest days so just schedule your exercise for the days around it. For me, I wash my hair only on certain days so I make those my running days since I'm guaranteed to feel clean and fresh after a sweaty early morning run. 

 

Set a goal and a plan. 

Whether it's running a distance, exercising for a certain amount of time, or lifting a certain amount of weights - decide on a goal and devise a plan to work towards that goal each week. For me, when I started running regularly I would stick to just 1 mile every other day for a week or 2 until I wasn't terribly sore afterwards. Then I increased it by a quarter mile every week or so.  This also prevents you from injury and overdoing it to the point where you can't stick to a schedule because you're so sore, so then you end up abandoning the habit.  Workout different parts of your body on different days to give them a break. 

 

Make it convenient. 

Going to the gym can sometimes  be a major deterrent. Some people have kids they can't leave home alone in the morning or the closest gym is a long drive away.  So if buying your own equipment or taking online classes is more convenient for you, do that!  I have friends that go to a track and run but for me that means having to drive somewhere and that adds to my already tight schedule. So I just run around my own neighborhood since I'm blessed to live in a decent area where there's ample room for running like I do. 

Fuel up and recharge. 

Make sure you hydrate and eat before (if necessary) but especially after. It's important to take care of yourself so you don't feel ill.  If you don't feel well because you aren't taking care of yourself post-workout then you're not going to want to stick to the habit.

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