How I’m Becoming a Morning Workout Person + My Gym Essentials

 

I feel like it’s appropriate that I post about this today, as I had a 10 minute conversation with myself this morning going over all the reasons why I needed to get out of bed and get to the gym…

“…you don’t have time after work anyway…”

“…you’ll feel WAY better if you just knock this out…”

“…you’re already awake. JUST GET UP…”

The idea of waking up at 5:30am to workout used to be absolutely laughable to me.

There was no way I was dragging myself out of bed while it was still dark. (And truly, anything before 6:00am I still refer to as the “butt-crack of dawn.”) Then, while in California, I accepted a job teaching a 6:00am spin class. It was a challenge every week, especially because I taught the 6:00am and the 6:00pm on the same day, but I managed to survive 4 months of this before moving back to Michigan.

When we got back I took a break from teaching. I wasn’t sure what job I would have and didn’t want to add to the chaos. Then, (finally), this past December I accepted another 6:00am teaching job at one of the YMCAs in Grand Rapids. This proved even more challenging because 1.) SNOW/ICE and 2.) it is 25 minutes from my house.  I’m still currently there, and have only slept through one class in 9 months of teaching (no, I’m not kidding and yes I felt like a terrible human).

It wasn’t until this summer when I finally started to change my nighttime workout ways. This is only the second summer I’ve ever been stuck in an office, and the first summer living in the Midwest where I wasn’t working outside. Because of this I started dreading going to the gym in the evening. I wanted to be outside, meet my friends for dinner on a patio or simply go for a walk. So I started small – trying to do one morning workout a week in addition to spin. And slowly it got easier. Luckily, my friend Devin was on board to join me, and now I’m usually hitting 3 or 4 morning workouts per week.

Don’t get me wrong – it is still hard to wake up that early, and I’m not sure how I’ll feel once the weather gets cold, but for now the pros are outweighing the cons. That being said, I don’t do a 6am workout everyday, and I absolutely do NOT do them on the weekends haha.

After all of that rambling, I want to share the 3 main things that have helped me *sort of* become a morning workout person:

1.) Get to bed on time – this happens to be the absolute hardest part for me.

I truly want to be asleep by 9pm but this RARELY, if ever happens. I’ve been doing better since getting my Misfit and actually tracking my sleep.

2.) Have a buddy/someone to hold you accountable

Whether its an instructor for a class or a friend you’re meeting there, it is important to have someone you don’t want to let down.

3.) Be prepared

I’m probably over-prepared, but I’ve discovered it is easiest for me if EVERYTHING is in my car the night before. My gym bag, my work bag and my clothing/toiletries are all organized and put in my car the night before. That way I wake up, get changed and grab my lunchbox out of the fridge (if its not already at work).

Lastly, I’ve found a few absolutely FAVORITES this year in terms of fitness gear.

FIRST – these Aerie leggings. I love them so much I bought 3 pairs and I essentially only wear them. I rotate through the pairs and wash them throughout the week. They’re so good I sent Annie a pair since she’s abroad and I’ve gotten my friend Lizzie hooked.

And second, third and fourth: my Yeti, AirPods and Nike Free Flyknits.

Fitness loving friends – what are some of your favorites?

Thanks for stopping by!

xo, Maddy