Skip to content
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Health & Fitness
    • Personal Development
    • Finances
  • Archive
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Health & Fitness
    • Personal Development
    • Finances
  • Living like Leila
  • Archive
  • Shop
Health & Fitness

How to Wake Up Early and Workout

July 26, 2020July 26, 2020 Leila 2 comments
Waking up early is one thing, but waking up early to workout is a huge challenge that you should try out.
Working out in the morning has been life-changing and it's a habit with many benefits.
Read how to do it at LivinglikeLeila.com

I’ve been waking up early for years, but waking up early to workout has been one of the best new habits I’ve been implementing.

I know a lot of people want to wake up earlier, but most can’t commit to it.

You don’t have to work out at 5 am like I do, but what if you could have your workout finished before you start your day??

It’s life-changing.

I have some tips that will help you to wake up early and get in a workout.

Why wake up early to workout?

1. Start your day for you

Most people wake up to get ready for work. If they have work at 8 they’ll wake up at 7 to give themselves enough time to get ready, eat breakfast, and commute to their job.

I wake up for me.

I wake up well before I need to start work so I can do things that improve my health and wellbeing. This has always been the case, even before I was going to the gym in the morning.

Personally, I believe my life is more important than my job. You should feel the same way. So why would you want to wake up just to prepare for work? That will quickly lead to stress and unhappiness.

An earlier start to your day gives you time to do things that create a better life (such as working out). Overall, this helps me to feel happier, less stressed, and more grounded.

2. An amazing start to your day

Have you ever heard of ‘The hard thing’ rule? Well basically it just means to do at least one hard thing every day.

You know what’s hard?
Waking up early.

You know what’s harder?
Waking up early and going to workout.

You literally start your day with 2 VERY hard things that most people can’t do. This builds serious confidence, discipline, and trust in yourself.

Every time you wake up early and workout you’re starting your day off in an amazing way AND proving to yourself that you can do hard things.

3. You get your workout done

It’s such a great feeling to end the work day and know that your workout is already done for the day.

Now your afternoon/evening is open for working on your side hustle, taking a long walk, relaxing, reading, preparing a good dinner, etc.

Working out at the end of the day leads to more resistance and consumes more time.

You’re more likely to skip a workout because you’re exhausted from work or have other responsibilities to tend to.

You also have to worry about eating a pre-workout meal, changing your clothes, allowing your food to digest, more traffic, etc.

4. Boost of energy

No matter what time of day you workout you typically feel energized after.

That feeling first thing in the morning can’t be beat.

It feels amazing to get your body moving and blood flowing. You start your day with endorphins which creates a ripple effect throughout the day.

5. You beat the crowd

The gym is significantly less crowded at 5 AM versus 5/6 PM. 

All the equipment you need is open and obviously just less people to deal with.

This is a huge pro because it allows you to complete your workout faster and just focus on what you are doing.

The night before

Waking up early really does start the night before. There are things you can do to make it easier on yourself.

Lay out your outfit

Pick out your workout clothes and lay them out.

This eliminates the need to make multiple decisions in the morning and will create less resistance.

When you wake up and see your clothes, they serve as a reminder to just get changed and push through.

Have a nighttime routine

A nighttime routine should consist of several things that allow you to wind down before bed.

This includes:
-stopping work at a certain time
-eliminating screens 
-relaxing (self-massage, taking a shower/bath, reading, meditating, journaling, etc.)
-drinking a nighttime tea (chamomile, mint, or Calm drink)

Getting into “bed time” mode will help you to get to bed on time and sleep better throughout the night.

Go to bed early

It’s a no brainer but going to bed early will make it easier for you to wake up early.

There’s no need for you to be watching TV/Netflix or scrolling through Instagram until midnight. You’ll regret it in the morning.

Personally, I am in bed around 9 pm and asleep by 9:30/10 pm so I can wake up at 4:30 am. I have enough time in my day to do what I need to do and this gives me enough time to sleep as well.

Put your alarm across the room

This is one of the most important tips.

If you’re sleeping right next to your alarm, you’re going to make it easier to hit snooze and/or dismiss it.

Place your alarm across the room so that you have to stand up and walk to shut it off.

I know you can shut off your alarm and walk right back to bed, but this gives you time to process what you are trying to do.

After shutting off your alarm, take a moment to think about why you are doing this and how you will feel if you get back in bed.

You may think it’s no big deal to hit the snooze button, but it’s HUGE. You’re building bad habits of procrastination and poor discipline.

Take your goals seriously and push through.

In the morning

Create a transition period

After waking up I use the restroom and brush my retainers. After that I like to have some time to transition from asleep to awake.

For me this means meditation.

I meditate for 10 minutes so I can ground myself with my goals, intentions, and gratitude. This also gives me a little bit of time to wake up and stretch.

For you this may be stretching, drinking some water, making some coffee, reading, journaling, etc.

I think this is an important step because it helps you to get into the right mindset as well.

Manage your thoughts (and focus on gratitude)

Leading off the last tip, your morning mindset and thoughts are very important for the rest of your day.

When you wake up you may feel VERY negative.

I tend to think negative thoughts about life and all of it is just stemming from being tired.

Which is why I actively remind myself that I am just tired and think about how I’ll feel in just a few minutes.

While I get ready I’ll sometimes put on motivational talks to pump positivity into my brain. It’s very inspiring and makes me feel excited/proud of what I’m doing.

Check out the playlist ‘Motivational Speeches’ on Spotify.

This is also a good time to practice gratitude. Even though it’s early and you’re tired, you’re alive and have another beautiful day to experience.

Your body is functioning and you have the ability to move, get ready, workout, etc.

I know there are people out there who would kill to wake up early and workout, so I don’t take that for granted.

Wash your face

Wash or splash your face with cool water.

It sucks in the moment but it’s very refreshing and will help to wake you up and clear up any gunk from overnight.

Have your workout planned

To eliminate even MORE decisions throughout the morning, plan your workout in advance.

Of course if you’re going to a workout class or just doing cardio, you’re all set. But if you want to lift/workout on your own it’s best to plan things out ahead of time.

You can then just worry about showing up and following your plan!

Create a workout split and then find videos/articles to build your own plan OR you could follow a program created by someone else.

Properly warm up 

Early in the morning your body will naturally not be as strong or flexible.

It’s even more important for you to properly warm up your body before actually working out.

No matter what day it is I start with 5 minutes on the treadmill. This gets my blood flowing.

I’ll then stretch/warm-up the body parts I plan on training for several minutes.

RELATED POSTS
How to Make Exercise a Habit
How to *Happily* Wake Up Early


Working out in the morning isn’t for everyone, but I suggest you give it a try.

I have found it to be very beneficial, productive, and rewarding.

I love that I am improving my health and my overall life first thing in the morning.

Post navigation

Simply Earth Recipe Box: June 2020

2 comments

  1. Nkanyeziyothando says:
    August 6, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    Leila, thank you so much for this. I fell off my routine a few weeks after lockdown started. You have just reminded me of all the reasons why I started working out and actually enjoyed my morning workouts. It’s time to get off my ass and make myself happy again!

    Reply
    1. Leila says:
      August 12, 2020 at 1:50 pm

      Love it!! I hope your journey has been going well.
      I’m creating a morning routine challenge at the moment so be on the lookout for that 😊
      Thank you for your comment!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hey, There!

Hey, There!

Leila, Owner

Welcome to my blog! I'm passionate about inspiring others to reach their full potential by overcoming their own excuses.

Click here to learn more about my blog!

livinglikeleila

I've been MIA on here and my YouTube channel as I' I've been MIA on here and my YouTube channel as I've been dealing with some health issues.  I actually had surgery yesterday and I'm looking forward to the end of all this. However,  things may get worse before they get better.  In the future I may go into more detail with what has been going on, but this last month I experienced many days of excruciating pain and sooo much crying. This completely consumed my life and I was spending hours researching and just thinking about it.  While what I have is not life threatening (thank goodness), it was the worst pain and thing I've ever been through. During this time my perspective has completely shifted. I just wanted my life back and I realized that nothing else mattered outside of my health. Everything else became so small to me.  I'm sooo eager to get back into everything, but my life will look a little different for awhile.  I've lost 7 pounds within 3 weeks (which is a lot for my tiny frame) and I haven't lifted during that time at all. I can't lift for at least another 2 weeks and squats and deadlifts are out of the picture for a looong time ☹  But, I have faith that surgery went well and that my body will heal. All I want is my life back and that's what I'm focusing on 🙏  Appreciate your health and take care of yourself because without it nothing matters.
Today is World Health Day! Whatever health you ha Today is World Health Day!  Whatever health you have today and any portion of your body that doesn't hurt, STOP taking for granted.  Educate yourself and take care of every square inch of your body and mind to the best of your ability 🌻  #WorldHealthDay #Health
This book took me 2 months to read because it's lo This book took me 2 months to read because it's long and super scientific, but I loved it!! 🧠  I love learning about the brain, neuroplasticity, and how we can best take care of our brain.  I will film a whole review on this, but here are a few topics:  ▪️The Brain can be trained and reorganize itself to recover functions after trauma (like a stroke for example). People didn't even believe the brain could be changed until recently, I bet there are a lot of people out there missing out on their true potential.  ▪️He covered the porn epidemic quite a lot and how much it influences people (especially teens) by shaping their sexual desires, expectations, and relationships. This really is a reflection of all things that produce dopamine, very important in my opinion because it can be highly problematic.  ▪️The best way to keep the brain sharp? Exercise and a healthy diet of course 😊 But also doing things that involve concentration (dancing, learning an instrument or language) and being social!  If you're not into scientific research, there are probably better books out their for you on the brain. But this is definitely an interesting read.  #thebrainthatchangesitself #thebrain #books #read #reading #readbooks #personaldevelopmentbooks #personaldevelopment #bookrecommendations #booklover #bookstagram #bookworm
My skin is clear today for the first time in like My skin is clear today for the first time in like 2 months?! 🙌  There's no filter on the images but the camera definitely hides my scarring so don't be fooled lol  No skincare changes, but I have been using @innbeautyproject 's Face Glaze hence the glow!  However, I've recently become obsessed with skin care and spent hours this month doing research on various brands to create a routine. I placed my orders today and I'll make the switch in April!  I'll share/document the products and results over the next few months.  #skincare #skin #innbeauty #innbeautyproject #glow
A little weekend photo dump: ▪️Sydney Cumming A little weekend photo dump:  ▪️Sydney Cumming's workout
▪️Dinner at my dad's house
▪️Sunday morning walk with Sebas
▪️Tried the new Spring espressos from Starbucks 
▪️BTS of Cafecito  I vlogged it all and my video will be up tomorrow 😊  #weekendinmylife #weekend #photodump #vlog #youtuber #youtube #starbucks #coffee #cafecito #vegan #healthy #workout
I've been vegan for 5 years as of yesterday. It's I've been vegan for 5 years as of yesterday.  It's still the best decision of my life.  I've gained the most strength and look my best as a vegan.  It's also worth mentioning I was vegetarian for 13 years before going vegan, which is why I had to bust out a double bi in photo 3 lol  So yes, I do get enough protein despite not eating animals 😏  As a vegan I've also learned to cook better, eat more types of foods, and have discovered amazing restaurants, recipes, and vegan alternatives all without harming animals.  I never want to push veganism on anyone, but I encourage everyone to explore this lifestyle.  Personally, having an animal suffer for my food, clothes, and products just isn't worth it. Being a perfect vegan isn't necessary, but even small changes can make a large difference.  My sister (@loka1089) made this shirt for me for Christmas by the way!!  #vegan #bekindtoeverykind #veganfortheanimals #veganweightlifting #vegangains #strongvegan #veganwoman #vegananniversary #GoVegan #veganbodybuilding #anythingyoucaneaticaneatvegan #LivinglikeLeila
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Affiliate Disclosure

This blog post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through that link I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Thank you for your support.

For more information please read my full disclosure policy.

  • Disclosure & Privacy Policy
  • Contact Me
© 2021 | Designed by Little Theme Shop