Waking up at the crack of dawn for anything is hard enough as it is. Your bed suddenly seems like the sexiest thing on earth, and your eyelids low-key feel like they're glued shut. But if you're getting out of bed incredibly early to hit the gym or go to your favorite cycling class, now that's commitment, fam. If you're one of those brave people who work out in the morning, you know the struggles that come with peeling your fuzziest comforter away from your body and making your way out the door to squeeze in a sweat sesh.
Convincing yourself to get into a consistent morning workout schedule can be rough, but somehow, there are people who swear by it, who actually thoroughly enjoy getting those endorphins pumping in the a.m. hours. Are those people of the human species? Now that, I'm not so sure about.
On the real though, just because there are people who thrive on morning workouts doesn't mean that they're always bright-eyed and bushy-tailed every time their early alarms go off. TBH, it's a constant struggle, between sweating and sleeping, pillow time and pilates, sweet dreams and deadlifts (I could go on for days, people).
If you're a morning workout person, here are seven struggles you've probably experienced and can definitely relate to.
If early morning workouts are your thing, you know that wearing your workout clothes to sleep is basically the only way you're going to get your groggy butt out of bed and over to your favorite fitness, class or that gym date you set with yourself.
Dressing yourself when you're still half-asleep is way too much work, let's be real. Plus, color coordination in the dark? Yeah, not happening.
Luckily, yoga pants are super comfy to sleep in, so consider this your cue to make your go-to Lulu leggings your official second skin.
Honestly, if you make #gains in the morning on the reg, those preset tones that come with your a.m. alarm most likely give you nightmares.
Seriously, whether you've got that semi-soothing "chimes" sound for your alarm, or that incredibly jarring "radar" tone, it's all so daunting first thing in the morning. TBH, though, it's better than setting your favorite song as your alarm and quickly growing to hate it, amirite?
Speaking of alarms, you definitely have more than one set each morning to ensure that your incessant use of the snooze button doesn't make you sleep through your a.m. workout.
And, if I had to guess, the labels next to each of those alarms probably sound something like this: "Wake up for your workout!" "No seriously, get your ass out of bed." "OK fine, just throw all your hopes, dreams, and goals out the window. Whatever." Sound familiar?
If you're waking up to squeeze in a sweat sesh before you head to work or classes, you might know the struggle of waking up when it's still dark outside — ugh. Getting up before sunrise takes a ridiculous amount of self-motivation, and maybe even a few pep talks in the mirror when you stumble out of your cozy bed.
Real talk, though: It's kind of nice knowing that you're crushing your goals before most of the world is even awake. Go you, girlfriend.
Being dedicated to morning workouts probably also means that you're in a committed relationship with coffee. TBH, you've maybe even considered ending all other serious relationships you've been in because there's only room for one beauty in your life, and her name is ground espresso beans.
Sadly, as far as I know, there isn't an invention that allows you to insert an IV of caffeine into your arm, but for now, a couple of cups before your HIIT circuit will have to suffice.
When you get to the gym, let's face it, you're basically still half-asleep, despite the copious amount of glorious caffeine now coursing through your body.
Luckily, the gym is usually pretty empty during these early hours, so no one will see you nonchalantly trip on the treadmill, or struggle to navigate even the simplest of workout machines.
It's OK, girl. Your body hasn't quite caught up with your ambitious and dedicated mind yet, but you'll wake up soon enough.
Several times throughout your challenging workout, you probably find yourself wondering, IS THIS EVEN WORTH IT??
But then the endorphins catch up to you, and you feel absolutely amazing for the rest of your day. You quickly realize why you actually put yourself through these major morning struggles: because it makes your mind and body feel like a million bucks — until the next morning, at least...
