I started a new job a couple weeks ago.  With a new job came a new routine, and a whole new world of working out in the morning.  If you want a guide on how to switch to an early morning workout routine, this post is for you.

Related: My before and after CrossFit transformation.

I bring up the new job because it has thrown a wrench in my normal fitness regimen.  Routines are extremely important in living a healthy lifestyle. My routine is the main reason I’ve been able to maintain my way of life, getting to the gym fairly regularly for over six years.  

When I chose a fitness lifestyle, I had to make it a habit for it to stick.  

In my last job, I had a gym at work, a great running spot outside the door, and my CrossFit gym a mile away.  I was able to fit in working out so easily. And honestly, it became a crutch for me to maintain my weight (that’s a whole other topic).  

I’ve historically been an avid after work gym goer, I wake up early to get to work around 7am so that I can leave by 4PM, in time to get to my 430pm class.  

Well, with a new job comes a lot of work and putting in the time to prove yourself. I quickly found getting out of work by 4PM wouldn’t fly (even if I came in early). Also, even if I did get out by 4PM, I wouldn’t make my 430PM gym class due to traffic!  Ugh.

What do I do now?  

I tried my hardest to make this schedule work in my first two weeks in which I made my 430PM class only once, other days I ended up not getting there until 6PM, which means I didn’t get home until 715PM at the earliest. There goes the day…

I firmly believe prioritizing working out shouldn’t be at the cost of spending the little time we do have with family.

This wasn’t working, I needed to find a new routine.

Alas, I came to the realization if I were to maximize my time, get to the gym, and still have time for family at night, the only way would be to workout in the morning before work.

*GASP* *GULP*

I fought this as much as I could.  The truth is, I just didn’t feel awake enough in the morning to throw around heavy weight, it seems dangerous, honestly.  

However, with work taking most of my time, late workouts often leading to excuses not to go, and the risk of never being home to spend time with family, the only thing to do now was try.

Pre-Planning Your New Routine

The night before my first 6AM workout I planned meticulously as I knew I had just a short amount of time to get ready before work. I wrote down what I needed to do, laid out my clothes for work, thought about how much time each getting ready activity would take.

I came to the conclusion it would be easy to get to the gym and just come home to get ready before making my way to work versus getting ready at the gym. You may need to think about what would work best for you based on the location of you home, gym, and work.

My morning looked liked this:

5:15 AM Alarm goes off

5:20 AM Brush teeth

5:25 AM Put on workout clothes

5:30 AM grab water bottle, a little coffee chilled in the fridge from the day before (this wakes me up, just don’t overdo it)

5:35 AM Drive to gym

5:45 AM Arrive at the gym, warm up

6:00 AM Workout begins

7:00 AM Drive home from gym, upon arrival, turn on the stove to warm up pans for breakfast

7:10 AM Shower (I only wash my hair once a week, so this is quick)

7:15 AM Clothes, make-up, hair done

7:30 AM Cook breakfast, pack lunch

7:50 – 8:00 AM Drive to work

Food Plan

When you work out in the morning, you MUST eat a solid breakfast after the workout. The hunger is real people. Skipping breakfast just won’t do for this routine. Fitting this in required pre-planning and careful consideration as to the macronutrients I consume. A lack of protein means I’m not fueling my muscles from my workout. A lack of carbohydrates means I’m missing out on brain power needed to get through my day/for my job. A lack of healthy fats means I may not fill myself up enough to get through the morning.

I decided on my breakfast:

• One egg for a lighter workout, two for a harder workout
• Fill the rest of a cup with egg whites (.5 to .75 cup)
• Cup of spinach
• 100 – 150g Brown rice, quinoa, or sweet potato (pre cooked)
• Tsp evoo

This is a quick healthy breakfast I can throw together in 10 minutes or less with one pan.

Even a notorious snoozer can do this.  The hardest part is to just start.

I feel like the whole idea of working out early in the morning before you start your workday is a mental headspace you have to wrap your mind around before anything else.  

I remember feeling an overwhelming sense anxiety and mental block when I thought about trying to do an early morning workout routine. I could never talk myself into it, even though deep down I wanted to be able to.  I just had it in my mind I would be too tired, too out of it, to workout and if I did, have no energy the rest of the day.

Bottom line, have a day in your mind you want to start, create your plan, set that alarm, and get ready.

Day One

Upon waking I immediately began to execute my carefully curated plan (see above).

I was TIRED but I didn’t let that stop me. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would wake up but still the thought of lifting weights and performing high intensity cardio sounded daunting.  

Having a class (with a coach) was my saving grace.

There is no way I’d be motivated to work out on my own that early in the morning.

With my layers of workout gear on (super cold that morning), 4 oz of coffee in hand, I headed out the door to the gym with all the normal thoughts..  “What am I doing?” “How am I going to do this?” “I am crazy.”

Once I arrived, I didn’t give myself time to think, I immediately started my warm-up.  My back and knee have been giving me trouble so I do some exercises to get my body prepped for weights and dynamic movement.  

At my gym the coaches run us through a warm-up (separate from my PT/rehab warm-up).  I couldn’t be more thankful for this warm-up as it got my very cold and stiff in the morning body opened up and ready to move.  We chat about the workout and get into it. And ya know what, I made it through.

My analysis of my performance that morning was 6 out of 10.  I was definitely slower, sleepier, and tight/stiff all around.  My body was not at all used to this.

I got back into my car and immediately started to visualize my timeline of what I needed to do before I headed to work.  Just thinking about that was very different as I’d usually be at work already. However, the aha moment came to me when I realized…

I wouldn’t have to go to the gym after work.

 I just get to go home after work?  I don’t have to rush anywhere?  WOOOT!  

The Reward Cycle

The feeling I get when it’s 8AM is the best reward from my morning workout. By 8AM I’ve accomplished so much already. I’m on my way to work, and I’ve already crushed it!  I feel so on my game and totally motivated. What a feeling! This dose of dopamine happened on the first day and continued to happen every day thereafter.

In addition to the 8AM dopamine hit, I realized what a relief it would be not worrying about rushing out of work, navigating the best traffic route to get to my gym class on time.  I had already checked that box for the day. Each day I repeat this cycle, the rewarding feeling comes back, perpetuating the cycle and keeping me motivated for the next day.

Subsequent Workouts

Even with the reward cycle in motion, working out in the morning does require an adjustment.  I remember the first few workouts I did were very difficult to complete. I was barely awake when the workout started, luckily my coaches do a great job with warming us up.  This gets my blood pumping and heart rate elevated. Without that little jolt to my system, I don’t know how effective I’d be completing the hardest parts of the workout.

After the initial adjustment period I started to become accustomed to the early morning workouts.  I felt much more alert after the first week, even on the gymnastics days when I thought “How am I going to do handstand walks at 6:30AM?”  Well, I did, and just as good as any other day.

Sure enough, all my fear and anxiety around this lifestyle adjustment was replaced with a new sense of accomplishment and a newfound routine.   

Forming The Habit

It takes, on average, 66 days to form a habit.  Much to my surprise, after just a few weeks, the morning workout routine has become so natural feeling.

In the morning you don’t have time to ponder whether to go workout or not. You just wake up and go…

For example, I had every intention to skip on a Friday morning the other week.  It was pre-planned that way as I was feeling sore and ready for a rest day. I woke up at 5:30AM, per usual, but something came over me, I thought, I can do this… I then proceeded to initiate my morning habit. I put on my workout clothes and headed to the gym.  By the time I was in my car, well on my way, it dawned on me… At that point I knew, my morning workouts had become a true routine.

AM vs. PM Workouts

There are advantages to each workout time.  I could site an endless number of articles already written on this topic, such as, this one or this one.

If you are an AM exerciser, based on research from the American Council on Exercise, you are more likely to stay consistent, showing up at the gym more often than your PM counterparts.  Honestly that makes sense. There are rarely outside influences that will impact your decision to go to the gym, other than being too tired.  This is because of the lack of interaction or influences you have from the time you wake up to the time you get your blood pumping.

The negative of working out in the morning (if you can call it that) is your body is in a colder temperature state (like I mentioned my tightness earlier) and you may not have the same output as you would when your body is in a warmer state by the afternoon.  Thereby, potentially not burning as many calories.

The benefit for PM exercisers is your body temperature is at its peak state, you are more alert/awake and you are more likely to push yourself harder, thereby, burning more calories. In one study, rowers’ workouts were assessed whether they performed better in the afternoon compared to the morning.  The results proved this point, the afternoon workouts yielded higher output than their morning counterparts.

On the flip side, you have a whole day that happens prior to the gym where stress and other outside factors can impact your decision to go workout.  

In the morning, you simply lack the outside experiences that can influence your decisions. I.e. If you’ve had a particularly stressful day at work you may just want to go home to relax for the last remaining hours of the day.    

So to distill all that, if you exercise in the morning, you’ll be more consistent and go more often, but you may not burn as many calories.  In the afternoon, you’ll work hard, burning more calories, but are less likely to go as consistently.

My analysis of this is that I’d still opt for the AM workout, because the calorie burn difference is most likely negligible and either way, if I go more often, in the long term, I’ll burn more calories…

A Recap: My Experience After Switching to an Early Morning Workout Routine

• I am FAR more consistent going to my gym class now averaging 5 days a week versus the 3 maybe 4 before. I don’t have time to ponder or talk myself out of going in the morning.
• I’ve become accustomed to the early mornings and go to bed around 9pm.
• My energy and alertness during the day is high (my biggest worry).
• If coffee wasn’t so good and such a habit I wouldn’t need it.
• I feel a sense of accomplishment and complete relief the remainder of the day.
• I feel like fueling my body after a workout, I naturally want to eat healthy.
• I have more free time in the evenings, free from obligation ability to have a social life!

Let’s review:

Plan your early morning workout routine step by step to reduce anxiety and worry before work.  

Get to bed early the night before.

Find a class, set a date and stick to it no matter what. If you start thinking about excuses, you’ll find one.

Bask in the glory that is your reward after working out – this is the best part!

Repeat daily, create your routine.

Do you have a desire to workout in the morning but aren’t sure if you can make the switch? Does the thought of working out in the morning give you anxiety (as it did for me)? Comment below, I’d love to know what you’re experience has been.

Disclaimer:  All opinions are my own.  This post is intended for educational, inspirational, or entertainment purposes only.  I am not a doctor, the content on this blog is not intended to be substituted for medical advice.