The 8 stages of getting yourself out of bed for a morning workout

It’s been over a year since I started working out 5 to 7 days a week.

As a total night owl who rarely feels human until about 10am or later, I started my routine by doing my workouts in the evening, knowing that if I tried to do them in the morning, they’d never get done. For me, establishing a daily workout habit was tough enough – contemplating doing it in the morning before work seemed like a nightmare too far.

It worked for a bit. I did my workout even if I’d been out for dinner, or if I got home a little late. It was tough, but do-able.

But then, life started to get in the way. I’d go out to meet a friend for dinner and not get back until far too late, I joined a choir with evening rehearsals, I moved flats and it started to look a little anti-social to work out at half ten at night.

And suddenly, the workouts stopped getting done. I felt lethargic, fat, dissatisfied, and unhappy that I couldn’t seem to maintain my new habit.

Suddenly, morning workouts seemed the only way: get it done before anything else, and still have a life in the evenings. Sorted! Ahem, well, yes, but…

1. Oh god, oh god, oh god, that’s my alarm, make it stop, DIE DIE

2. Oh crap, my workout. Well that’s tooootally cool, my alarm was set with snooze time built in anyway, five more minutes

3. Okay maybe ten

4. Right, when the time hits a sensible number (like 30 minutes’ past rather than 26, you know?), I’ll totally get up and put my workout clothes on, for real this time

5. If I get up NOW, I’ll have time to do a workout, AND do some yoga, AND get ready in a chilled, happy kind of way, amazing

6. Well, who needs that? If I get up NOW, I’ll have time to do the workout and still get ready, no worries

7. Oh fuck fuck fuck literally should be starting the workout right now, shit, OK clothes, drink, weights, go go go go

8. *mid workout* Oh HEY, I seem to be working out again, not really sure how…actually, this isn’t so bad! Tomorrow I’ll get up early and do some yoga too, to really stretch those hips! That would be such a good idea! Absolutely. Definitely.

What a good pla…oh shit, I REALLY should have been in the shower a good ten minutes ago