Yesterday morning, I did something crazy – I woke up at 6am just to workout! Now that I’ve fallen into my school routine of two days of class and two full days of work, I’ve found that I have less and less time to workout. I don’t have the luxury that I did last year when working from home; now, my days aren’t dictated by my personal wants.

So yes, I have been waking up early on occasion to squeeze in a workout before school or work. The plus side? (well, one of the many plus sides) I feel awake and alert in the mornings, even now that I am slowly cutting back on my caffeine.

But on those mornings when I just really want to hit the snooze button, I need a little bit of extra help in the motivation department. And you know what? I bet I’m not the only one…

1. Lay out all of your stuff the night before! Yes, the picture above is from the night before my half-marathon. But the rule is still a good one! Then you aren’t running around stumbling around like a loon in the dark.

2. Plan out a good breakfast to enjoy after you finish. I don’t know about you, but I like to schedule my whole day around food. Yes, you read that correctly! Yesterday, I knew that I had a big bowl of oatmeal with some coffee waiting for me. It was some serious motivation!

3. Get in bed early the night before. Yeah yeah, I know – easier said than done. But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for things that are important to us! Last night, I sacrificed watching Survivor with the rents to hop in bed a few minutes early. Totally worth it.

4. Sit down and really look at your schedule. Would working out in the morning free up a few minutes for you to relax after work? If you know that you’ll get to do something meaningful or fun after work, it makes getting up early to get your workout accomplished a lot easier.

5. Tell yourself that you WILL wake up. Seriously. If I am wishy-washy, and go to bed thinking that I may or may not wakeup early to workout when my alarm goes off, guess which one wins…yep. Sleep wins. So I try not to give myself an option!

Of course, there are some days where our bodies just need a little extra sleep more than a workout. It’s all about listening to your body, right? But for those mornings when you’re healthy and ready to go, I hope these tips help!

Do you have any other secrets to waking up early in the morning for a workout?