The alarm goes off. You get up, stretch high, drink a glass of water. And you’re out the door. Three sweaty miles later, you return, shower, eat, and sit down for another productive day at the office.
In five years of working from home, that’s never happened to me. And I consider myself pretty disciplined.
The problem with exercising in the morning is that, although it’s convenient for those of us who experience afternoon sluggishness or have other responsibilities after the work day, it takes a truckload of discipline and energy to wake up and move at a faster pace than the usual shuffle to the shower.
But it’s not that we’re undisciplined. We’re just not setting ourselves up for success. Here’s how to do just that.
2. Rather than setting your alarm early, make it go off at the last possible minute for your workout to fit into your day. This way, you can’t afford to hit snooze.
3. Leave a tall glass of water with a squeeze of lemon juice next to your alarm clock. Take a sip, swish, and spit into the bathroom sink, and then gradually down the whole glass before your workout.
4. Have a pre-workout snack under 300 calories 20 minutes before your workout. Try bananas, bread (anything but white bread!) with almond butter, or something else wholesome and light.
5. Get enough sleep. You’re better off delaying the workout by a day and letting your body recover if you’re only getting five hours of sleep.
If you realize you’ve run out of bananas the night before your workout, just mash up the following ingredients for healthy, raw energy bars.
· ¼ cup coconut flakes (sugar-free)
· ½ cup ground up flax seeds
· ½ cup almond or peanut butter
· ½ cup baking cocoa
· 1 cup coconut oil
· 1 tsp vanilla
· 1/4 maple syrup or honey
Mix the ingredients and roll them into single-bite sizes or into bars you can arrange on parchment paper or foil. This recipe should make enough to last one week. Keep refrigerated.
Catie Keeler is the primary researcher and writer for mortgagerates.info. Her most recent accomplishments include graduating from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a degree in business and communications. Her current focus for the site involves massachusetts mortgage rates and mortgage interest rates.
