Do you still struggle to get out of bed and head to the gym in the morning? Are you still trying to convince yourself that running is the best way to ‘lose weight’? What about using the excuse ‘oh, i’ll start again tomorrow’.”

I think we have all (well most of us) been in this situation. You know you need to exercise because of all the health benefits that go with it, but we also know, lying in a warm bed in the middle of winter for an extra 30 minutes can be a lot more inviting.

I have found over the past 6 years working in the fitness industry, people who get the best long term results do their workouts in the morning. Now, I know this isn’t the case for everyone, but here is why I have built my business around morning classes.

1. Your workout is done first thing. It means once your work day is over, you have more time for family, sports, friends, studying etc
2. You aren’t at risk of procrastinating during the day about not going to the gym after work. 
3. For people who have a busy work schedule, it leaves no chance of a meeting popping up, which will result in you missing your afternoon workout.
4. Your trainer or friend is waiting for you in the morning, don’t let them down, especially that early on in the morning.
5. You end up being a whole lot MORE organised when you need to go straight from gym to work. This results in packing your own lunch and snacks for the day which are usually healthy, best way to trim your waistline!

SO, what are the 3 steps of finding a fitness routine to suit your lifestyle?

STEP #1.
Now that you can see the benefits of getting exercise into your morning routine, how do you go about making it a routine?
Well, find a REASON WHY you need to exercise. Holiday? Health scares? Prevent injuries? Sore backs? Gain fitness for a sport you play? You goals are unlimited, but you need a reason to get started. “What if I can’t find ANY reason?” you might be saying.  Well here are my top 3 for you to pick from:

1. You will have more energy throughout the day and sleep better at night
2. You will have more energy to play with your kids
3. You will long term have a smaller waistline and higher metabolism (fat burning system)

I hope at least ONE of those can resonate with you.

STEP #2
Find a trainer, group or friend to help you get started. This is otherwise known as ACCOUNTABILITY. If you make a gym date with a friend, you will not want to let them down. You will feel a lot more guilty letting someone else down, than you would yourself.
If you don’t have any friends who want to workout with you, pay a trainer. Seriously, paying someone to make you get up in the morning works.

1. If your paying someone, you don’t want to waste your money by not turning up
2. You will create a routine within a couple months and it will soon become a normal part of your life thanks to your trainer.
3. By turning up to group sessions or with a trainer, you are introduced to more exercises safely. You’ll understand what muscles you are using and will start feeling more confident about exercising by yourself in your own time.

Trainers might be a cost, but they are worth it. They will help you set up long term healthy habits, and without long term health, you will have a very average life.

STEP #3
REPEAT steps 1 and 2. If you are at step 3, exercise should be part of a routine. This is the step where you will need to reassess your goals, or even make harder goals. I have noticed that many people are never fully satisfied. For example, they might start off exercising to lose 10kg. After 12 weeks, they have lost 10kgs and now they need a new goal to keep them focused. So their second goal might be to squat heavier in the gym or complete a 10km run. 

To finish up, I highly recommend finding someone to help you. You need to change the way you think about exercise in order to like it. There is no better way than surrounding yourself with people who like exercising, and a trainer to help change your views on exercise.
If you liked this article and need more help getting started, feel free to contact me through my website www.fastfitpt.com .

Here to help!

Emily