Rise & Grind
Oct 05, 2017At Geelong Boxing Club we believe there is magic in the mornings! Our 6am sessions throughout the week are the perfect way to begin your day with positive momentum. However, we know that not everyone shares our enthusiasm for rising with the sun.
Here are our top tips for making those early mornings more manageable :
Set your alarm with purpose!
Set your alarm 5 minutes earlier than you actually need to get up. The aim here is to avoid having to throw yourself out of bed. A startled and rushed start to your day is never going to be pleasant to wake up to! Setting your alarm 5 minutes earlier than you actually have to get up will allow you to wake up without having to jump straight out of bed. Taking a few minutes to lie in bed and stretch before you get up will allow you to start the day feeling calm and steady.
Let your theme song start your day! Most mobile phones allow you to customise your alarm, and this can be a more positive and uplifting start to the day. Find a song that motivates you and makes you feel good – and let that be your selected alarm tone!
Be Organised
The old saying failing to prepare is preparing to fail is particularly true first thing in the morning! If you are running around your house trying to remember all the things you need for the gym, the clothes you need for work, what you can find in the fridge for breakfast… you are almost guaranteed to forget something!
Many people say that it is too hard to train in the morning for this reason – but if you simply organise yourself from the night before, this panicked, rushed feeling can be avoided altogether.
-Pack your gym bag with all the things you will need for your session (water bottle, towel etc)
-Pack the clothing you will need to change into for work/the rest of your day after the gym. Consider the other things you may need such as your wallet, handbag etc and put them into your bag too, so you are not looking for them as you walk out the door.
-Prepare your breakfast and other meals for the day from the night before. Pack them in a bag and leave it in the fridge ready to be picked up and carried. Consider whether you need cutlery and put that into that bag too.
While these things don’t necessarily impact your training session – it will remove the excuses and barriers around why training in the morning may be inconvenient! No excuses!
Coffee
Or green tea! A delicious hot drink can be a great incentive to start the day. Wake up and walk to the kitchen and make yourself a mug of something warm and satisfying to boost your energy and reward yourself for getting out of bed!
Power in numbers
Find likeminded people to exercise with. The power of having people that also train in the morning is that you hold each other accountable to consistently showing up. Knowing that you have friends, or even a personal trainer waiting for you can be the push you need when you cant find the motivation from within yourself on sleepy mornings.
Consistency is key
Going to bed at a reasonable time each night will make a world of difference in how easy or challenging it feels to wake up each morning. The benefits of getting enough sleep are well documented and should be taken seriously. Going to bed at the same time each night will allow your body to develop a routine of rest and make getting up at the same time every morning much easier! After a few weeks your body will dictate that its time to go to bed, and you might even find yourself waking naturally just before your alarm ! Consistency is key!