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I find the idea of exercise after waking up very appealing but also totally unachievable. No matter how good my intentions the night before, when I wake up it f

I find the idea of exercise after waking up very appealing but also totally unachievable. No matter how good my intentions the night before, when I wake up it feels totally out of the question to do just 5 minutes exercise, or even 5 seconds! Doing some meditation first is an interesting idea, I might give it a try. I have to admit it seems a bit unlikely to work though for me though.

mywittyname 7y ago
Same here. I'm really good about getting in 30-60 minutes of weight lifting or cardio a day; I just can't do it after waking up. Most days I go after work, and on the weekends I need a big breakfast and time before I can get going at 100%.
earlINmeyerkeg 7y ago
I used to exercise in the morning but I've found it so depressing because I have to get up super early to do it. Also my muscles aren't as limber either so stretching is difficult. The downside to exercising in the evening is it's very easy for undisiplined people to skip it. Although I don't do it daily which really helps staying motivated, especially if you make a routine that lasts about 2-4 hours, not including the shower and clean up afterward. As for someone like you who doesn't do it, just start with cardio. Do it for like 30 minutes to an hour every day or every other day. If you miss a day, get a little upset at yourself and do it that day then. Treat your days off as an earned reward. Then once you've disiplined yourself with the easy stuff, start adding in more. I've personally found that adding little by little over time makes it easier to feel like it's something you "just do" versus actual work.
jonheller 7y ago
For me, the key was not exercising immediately after waking up. The issue was that when the alarm sounded, I knew the next thing I had to do was exercise. So I'd find excuses. Instead, I made it to the first thing I did was wake up, have coffee, and read the newspaper. By the time that is done I am awake and somewhat relaxed, and in a much better state to contemplate exercise.
remmargorp64 7y ago
According to a zen meditation monk that I watched in a youtube video, you can meditate any time, anywhere, just by stopping and focusing on manually breathing. Make sure that you are aware of every single breath in, and every single breath out. If your mind wanders and thinks about other things, that's ok, don't stress about it. Just make sure that you are focusing on your breathing while your mind is wondering. If this is true, then it should be easy to meditate in the mornings whenever you do mundane time-consuming things like taking a shower or driving to work, for example.
- quietbritishjim 7y ago
  Thanks but actually I was pondering whether meditating on the morning would allow me to go on to do exercise, not whether I could manage the meditation bit. I think you might have taken that video a little too literally. I'm not a meditation expert by any means, and I acknowledge that you shouldn't stress about other thoughts entering your mind, but you should then allow those thoughts to pass rather than lingering on them. Imagine the thought is "a lorry has just pulled out in front of me"! Driving and meditation are surely incompatible.
fpereiro 7y ago
Completely agree, I don't even try it anymore after many many failures. That's why I meditate and do some journaling first. I intersperse pushups at the beginning of the routine, but the core workout happens at the end, and for good reason.

mywittyname 7y ago

Same here. I'm really good about getting in 30-60 minutes of weight lifting or cardio a day; I just can't do it after waking up. Most days I go after work, and on the weekends I need a big breakfast and time before I can get going at 100%.

earlINmeyerkeg 7y ago

I used to exercise in the morning but I've found it so depressing because I have to get up super early to do it. Also my muscles aren't as limber either so stretching is difficult. The downside to exercising in the evening is it's very easy for undisiplined people to skip it. Although I don't do it daily which really helps staying motivated, especially if you make a routine that lasts about 2-4 hours, not including the shower and clean up afterward. As for someone like you who doesn't do it, just start with cardio. Do it for like 30 minutes to an hour every day or every other day. If you miss a day, get a little upset at yourself and do it that day then. Treat your days off as an earned reward. Then once you've disiplined yourself with the easy stuff, start adding in more. I've personally found that adding little by little over time makes it easier to feel like it's something you "just do" versus actual work.

jonheller 7y ago

For me, the key was not exercising immediately after waking up. The issue was that when the alarm sounded, I knew the next thing I had to do was exercise. So I'd find excuses. Instead, I made it to the first thing I did was wake up, have coffee, and read the newspaper. By the time that is done I am awake and somewhat relaxed, and in a much better state to contemplate exercise.

remmargorp64 7y ago

According to a zen meditation monk that I watched in a youtube video, you can meditate any time, anywhere, just by stopping and focusing on manually breathing. Make sure that you are aware of every single breath in, and every single breath out. If your mind wanders and thinks about other things, that's ok, don't stress about it. Just make sure that you are focusing on your breathing while your mind is wondering. If this is true, then it should be easy to meditate in the mornings whenever you do mundane time-consuming things like taking a shower or driving to work, for example.

quietbritishjim 7y ago
Thanks but actually I was pondering whether meditating on the morning would allow me to go on to do exercise, not whether I could manage the meditation bit. I think you might have taken that video a little too literally. I'm not a meditation expert by any means, and I acknowledge that you shouldn't stress about other thoughts entering your mind, but you should then allow those thoughts to pass rather than lingering on them. Imagine the thought is "a lorry has just pulled out in front of me"! Driving and meditation are surely incompatible.

fpereiro 7y ago

Completely agree, I don't even try it anymore after many many failures. That's why I meditate and do some journaling first. I intersperse pushups at the beginning of the routine, but the core workout happens at the end, and for good reason.