Morning Workout - How I finally mastered it
You, too, can use the power of the end of daylight savings time to your advantage.
All
through high school and college, I adored the idea of the morning
workout. Getting my endorphin fix in before a stressful day, homework,
and that afternoon slump that makes an afternoon or evening workout seem
impossible? Count me in. Unfortunately, wanting to work out in the
morning and actually doing so were two different things. Dragging myself
out of bed on time to get ready for the day used to feel like a
struggle; getting up even earlier to fit in a workout proved to be
nearly impossible.
In
high school, team practices kept my workouts in the afternoon, but in
college I had the flexibility to head to the gym in the morning—assuming
I could get myself out of bed on time. If I didn’t, my flexible student
schedule left plenty of time for me to go for a run or a yoga class
later in the day. It wasn’t until I graduated and joined the working
world that morning workouts became a near necessity: I’d get stuck at
the office and miss my workout class, or the sun would set before I
could get my running shoes on, or a day of endless emails and
work-related stress took all the energy I’d use in my workout. I knew I
needed to start working out in the morning, but I couldn’t force myself
out of bed at that early hour consistently, even with the help of my
sunrise alarm clock.
My
eventual (and shockingly easy) solution came in November, with the end
of daylight saving time. The week before, as I contemplated yet another
missed opportunity to head to the gym before work, I realized that the
end of daylight saving time came with an hour of extra sleep—an hour I
could use to my advantage.
RELATED: Daylight Saving Time Can Actually Be Bad for Your Health—Here’s How
The
morning after daylight saving time ended, I set my alarm an hour
earlier than usual. (6 a.m., in my case.) Used to waking (barely) at 7,
with the time change, I didn’t feel a difference in my internal body
clock when I woke at 6 a.m. in the non-daylight saving time world. That
night, I went to sleep at 10 p.m.—what felt like 11 to my body—to
maintain the sleep pattern I’d had during daylight saving time.
When
Monday arrived, I woke bright and early, feeling like I was awake at 7
instead of 6, and made it to my spin class with plenty of time to spare.
After a week or so, waking up before sunrise felt natural. I clung to
my new, shifted sleep schedule, and by the time daylight saving time
began again the following March, I’d finally gotten used to waking
earlier.
RELATED: Daylight Saving Time Ends This Weekend—Time to Do These 7 Things Around Your Home
My
little morning workout trick may not work for everyone, but if you’re
desperate to shift to working out in the morning and everything else
you’ve tried hasn’t worked, it’s worth a shot—and with daylight saving
time coming to an end on November 3, your opportunity is coming up. With
the busiest part of the holiday season approaching, starting a
consistent morning workout routine this weekend could set you up for
fitness (and stress-reducing) success during November and December and
beyond.
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