Sticking with Your Morning Workouts

Whether you’ve always preferred morning exercise or you’ve decided to turn a new leaf with a healthier start to your day, you may run into difficulty around this time of year. After all, shorter days make for darker, cooler and more discouraging mornings.

It’s no surprise that so many people let their fitness aspirations fall to the foot of their warm and cozy beds come fall or winter, but you don’t have to be one of them. In fact, a helpful mantra and a few good tips can help you develop a morning exercise habit and keep you on track through the darker and colder months.

Prepare for the Morning

 The most important thing you can do is prepare for your morning. If you struggle with motivation in the am, the last thing you want to do is gather all of your things before you can get on with your workout — that will only stretch out the discomfort. Instead, lay out your clothing, accessories and shoes in plain view so you can step out of bed and into your garb. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the time and frustration this simple act can save.

Stay Close to Home

 Next, build a home exercise routine that can keep your interest. If you workout in your home or close by, you can save the time and energy that you would use to get to a gym. A run around the block or a couple of workout videos that you can alternate for living room workouts are good options. If you prefer biking but the weather is keeping you inside, consider investing in a bike trainer: this is a device that stabilizes your bicycle, essentially transforming it into a stationary bike until you can take it outside again.

Get Social

Join up with others for greater success. Have a friend who’s interested in getting into shape? Convince them to join you for morning workouts to help you commit. If you don’t have a fitness-minded friend close by, local running stores often have running groups that meet a few times a week. Before you knock group workouts, try one out: you may find different motivation techniques, such as conversing with fellow joggers, using the group to maintain a good pace or simplyexperiencing a new and interesting route that you wouldn’t normally use on your own.