It’s time to stop hitting the snooze button and start embracing the benefits of an early morning workout. Getting your daily dose of exercise out of the way first thing in the morning not only gives you a great sense of achievement but also leaves you the whole day to dedicate to other activities. If the thought of waking up before work to head to the gym fills you with dread, we’ve developed a strategy to help turn you into a morning workout person.

Prepare the night before

If you’re brain is a little fuzzy first thing in the morning, then make things easier for yourself by preparing everything you’ll need the night before. Laying out your gym kit, water bottle and snacks the evening before you plan on getting up early means that when your alarm sounds you can leap out of bed and be out the door in next to no time. There’s no need to worry that you’ve forgotten anything.

Bring a friend

If you organise to exercise with a friend first thing in the morning, you’ll be much more likely to make it. Accountability is one of the easiest ways to ensure you get up and out, as no-one likes to let other people down. Working out with a friend will also make the experience much more enjoyable, if you’re going to be doing burpees at sunrise you may as well have a laugh while you’re at it with a good friend.

Reward yourself

Once you’ve completed an early morning workout it’s important to treat yourself, so it feels like a positive experience rather than a punishment. While some find sweating out toxins reward enough, you might want to treat yourself to anything from a fresh fruit smoothie to a post-workout massage to make that early morning exercise all worthwhile.

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