5 Tips to Switch to a Morning Workout Routine

I never used to be a morning person. I didn’t wake up early to workout. But, a few years ago I discovered an am/pm workout that consisted of cardio in the morning and weightlifting at night. It was the first time I worked out before work and it did wonders for me. After a few weeks, I was hooked. Now most of my workouts take place in the morning and leave me feeling energized and ready to take on the day. If you’ve ever thought about making the change but can't seem to get out of bed, use these 5 tips to switch to a morning workout routine. They worked for me and hopefully will work for you, too!1. Lay Out Your Clothes the Night BeforeHow does that saying go? “Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail?” Set your clothes out the night before. Pick an outfit that makes you feel good. If you’re excited about wearing something, you’re more likely to get up and wear it. Buying cute workout clothes never hurt anyone, either. Ladies- I realize this one may be a bit biased towards you, but fellas, you know you want to show off your guns in that tank.2. Set Out Your Blender Bottle / Breakfast the Night BeforeEvery night, I measure out my 20 grams of carbs (oatmeal) per my macros from my nutritionist. I also set out a Blender Bottle with my amino/BCAA powder mix to be consumed during my workout. It’s easy to just grab and go. Plus, the more you do the night before, the less you have to do in the morning. You also won’t forget to fuel up to make the most out of your workout. #gainz3. Give Your Alarm a Fun, Motivating Name (and Set More Than One)Is it easy to get up at 5:15am to get to a CrossFit class at 6am? No, it’s not. If it was, everyone would do it. But it’s a little easier when you 1). set 2 alarms and 2). give those alarms fun, motivating names so that when they go off and your sleepy eyes see your phone’s home screen, you’ll read something like “Get That Revenge Body, Gurl!” (ok, that’s what mine says). I set my first alarm for 5:15am, and the second for 5:30am, knowing that’s when I really need to get up to make my class (thankfully for me, my box is around the corner).4. Change Your Home Screen Picture to One that Depicts Your “Goals”Whenever I find myself needing a little extra motivation, I change my home screen image to a picture of my ideal body goal. If I see that in the morning, it pushes me to swing my legs out of bed, plant my feet on the floor and GET UP. Every day I get out of bed and work out, I’m one step closer. Remember, you’re the one in charge of your destiny. Ask yourself, how bad do you want it?5. Find Your Tribe or Your VibeOnce you find what you love to do in terms of physical activity, you’ll WANT to spend time doing that. I knew I found it when I found CrossFit. Now I think of those other 6am-ers in there with me as my tribe. We’re in this together, sweating it out at 6am, pushing each other and motivating each other to be better. So find your tribe! Or find your vibe- maybe you’re not into a particular studio or gym or box, but prefer to do your own thing. That’s your vibe, it gives you good energy. Find it and keep it. Use it to keep going when you want to stop. Remember how good it makes you feel.Bonus Tip: Recognize That You Have the Right to Start Your Day the Best Way Possible I know the article is on 5 tips to switch to a morning workout routine, but I had to throw an extra one in there. Regardless of the time you work out, you know once you’re done it’s the best feeling in the world. You just CRUSHED your workout, you’re full of adrenaline and endorphins that make you feel amazing. Why wouldn’t you want to START your day that way? I know that I can’t control what’s going to happen in my day. Maybe something will go wrong at work, maybe I have a personal issue. The day can go south quickly, we all know it. But one thing you CAN control is how you start your day. When I start every day with a workout, I walk out of the box or gym feeling awesome and ready to take on what the day brings. In that moment, nothing is bringing me down. There is no better feeling than that.Early bird gets the worm, y’all.