does anyone have any tips on getting started with a morning cardio routine... i work in the heat all day and i am exhausted then i sleep and then i dont wanna wake up early to excersise b4 i goto work... is there anything that i may can do to help get me motivated or is it a strictly a will power thing?

There is no secret formula we can offer you. Hell, I don't get up in the AM and do my cardio myself. But I DO go to the gym EVERY SINGLE DAY after work (and once on the weekends), no matter how tired I am, and I lift my and weights and/or do my cardio.

If you wish to do it in the morning, get your ass out of bed and get to it. I can tell you, from having done morning cardio a lot in the past, once you get in the routine, it becomes part of your daily routine and is not painful at all.

Morning cardio really detox's you, any workout does, but I've noticed especially in the early mornings when everything is fresh. It feels better than any other time. That's just how I feel about it, it's not a pain, i'm not going to be tired. Just gotta change your mindset that you associate with it, which might take a while but just remember how great it feels. I like to slow down at the end, and just enjoy the scenery (I love going outside as opposed to being trapped on a treadmill or elliptical). Or if you use a machine, just watch some tv at the end, or day dream, music. Anythings really fine as long as you get a good vibe from it. Motivation is the holy grail that everyones been trying to get to, only problem is what motivates you changes all the time, and most of the time you don't even know what will get you to get up and live. When I really enjoyed my morning cardio, I had a list of everything that was important to me; it just stayed in my mind when I went to sleep at night and it was still there when the alarm was buzzing -- and I was excited to get started. Good luck.

There is no secret formula we can offer you. Hell, I don't get up in the AM and do my cardio myself. But I DO go to the gym EVERY SINGLE DAY after work (and once on the weekends), no matter how tired I am, and I lift my and weights and/or do my cardio.

If you wish to do it in the morning, get your ass out of bed and get to it. I can tell you, from having done morning cardio a lot in the past, once you get in the routine, it becomes part of your daily routine and is not painful at all.


lol thanx ... wasnt asking for a secret formula just looking for tips that other ppl may have done or tried to help them along... but i will just suck it up and try it

COFFEE LOTS OF COFFEE ;)

Na, just suck it up and jump on....but really........ ask yourself......
are you a morning person or an evening person?

....because.....

If you really don't like doing something.....well, eventually, you won't. Morning cardio is optimal sure without question yes.....but some cardio versus no cardio is a bigger deal in my opinion.

Starting out I did all my elliptical work in the evening for 4-6 months and maintained a caloric deficit and lost about 25 pounds (175 -> 150) then I lost 12 more and started eating to maintain (cause at 5' 10" I was starting to look a little sickly).

My point is that everyone will tell you what's optimal, if you can fit that in, great but don't worry about it. If you enjoy something and you are consistent....you'll get the results whether you do it in the morning, noon or night. When the results gradually come, that will increase your motivation.

Just do the cardio....doesn't matter when. Your eating choices and portion sizes will matter more. So long as you are in a CALORIC DEFICIT......key key thing here. The rest of it is pretty anal and matters more for the body builders who are completely in tune with what works for their body type and eating habits.

Very true,I guess it all boils downto just doing it. 20-45 minutes whatever, just keep the body moving :jumping:

For about the first 5 minutes.
If your will can exceed your interia for 300 seconds, it becomes easy.

do it 5 mornings in a row, and you'll start to look forward to it.

Willpower and commitment will be needed.

But ..........................


............... you can give yourself a head start by choosing an exercise that you enjoy more than others, and with a time and routine that you can tolerate.

The most effective cardio is the cardio that you do.

As far as motivation for the morning: I find the following to be helpful:

1. Plan you whole day's activities and nutrition to take into account your morning routine. The morning routine then isn't something you prepend onto the start of the day; it's part of the day.

2. Caffeine, 60 mins before starting. Plus, if you're planning to have other supplements and/or whey protein, etc before the cardio, plan these into the routine, including the exact amount of minutes between each thing. Again, this makes the routine part of the whole day.

3. Once you get started with the session, you'll generally be very glad that you did so. The reluctance only lasts while you're lying in bed or sitting doing nothing, etc. So, armed with the knowledge that you are going to start experience gladness just a few minutes into the session, look upon the pre-workout routine as if you were walking along a short path towards a very pleasant destination, or to where something great is waiting for you. If you have a good imagination, you can even pretend in your mind that some ambition or desired thing is at the end of this short path that leads from your bed to your cardio session.

Over the past week, I've been trying to get a cardio workout done in the morning each day. It sure was not easy! I understand how you feel, being tired and not wanting to get up.

Maybe you can get some more sleep, for example get to bed earlier so you'll feel better rested when you wake up. Try having a cup of coffee about 15 - 20 minutes before the cardio.

I also often remind myself that I will not have any time to workout throughout the rest of the day other than in the morning (which is true on most school days), so that is enough to get me out of bed. I love working out and I feel almost incomplete during the day if I don't get to do so at some point or another. Not to mention my cutting won't advance at all!

On weekends though, I switch it around a bit. I workout in the early afternoon, so I'll be a bit more ready for it.

Hope these tips help! Good luck! :tu:

ECA stack

If you have drapes, curtains, or blinds, sleep with them open. Getting up with the sun can help you for part of the year, depending on where you live and when you have to get up.

There is, of course, the old reliable getting up trick - put your alarm clock farther than an arm's length away from your bed, so you have to get up to turn it off.

Make sure you lay out your workout clothes before you go to sleep, including underwear, socks, and shoes.

And, if you, like me, sleep diagonally, as DMB put it, make it a habit to turn the lights on immediately the moment you wake up. That makes it a lot harder to go back to sleep.

Also, go to sleep earlier.

And I always make sure to drink three glasses of water after I wake up and before I work out. I find about half of my grogginess in the morning is dehydration.