How to make Yourself a Morning Workout Person

Ummmmmm.....yeah.  I am a morning person if and only if I get to wake up naturally around 7am or so.  So, setting my alarm a full 45 minutes before it needs to go off is not part of my idea of "happy hour."

But, it is my reality if I want to get my workout in.  Because if you think it's easy to make excuses at 5am, wait until 5pm - they come even easier!

If I waited until 5pm to get my workout in I would be tired, making dinner, chasing a toddler, greeting a hubby from work, cleaning yogurt off the floor, watching Real Housewives on DVR, you get the picture.  It just wouldn't happen, folks!

I'm just going to be honest and tell you - if you weren't a morning person before the first trimester, you aren't going to be one during it!  No way, no how.  So I wouldn't even push yourself to attempt it.  First trimester you are going to be extra tired because you are working on building a life-support system for your baby!  Building the placenta is particularly difficult on the body so normally by the end of the first trimester you start to feel better - there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Once you start getting your energy back (and if your doctor has cleared you for exercise), you can start attempting those morning workouts again!  Here are a few tips on how to stay energized and be a morning person:

1. Listen to your body.  This is the most important thing you can do for yourself and baby during pregnancy.  Don't try to be SuperMom; just do what you can.  And keep in mind anything you do right now as far as exercise is benefitting you and baby so don't beat yourself up if you lose your breath easily, get tired faster, or need more rests/water breaks.
2. Ask for help.  This is soooo hard for me.  I want to be SuperMom - I really do.  I want to do it all.  Fact is, especially right now - I can't.  You can't.  So ask for help.  Ask your significant other to do the dishes, prep dinner one night a week, or get your MIL or parents to keep your toddler for a few hours on Sunday.  It's okay.  (Trust me - as I type this I'm trying to convince myself that it doesn't make me less of a SuperMom to ask for help)  In all reality, getting help in other areas might give you the energy you need to wake up in the morning.
3. Eat right.  I know this is especially hard in the first trimester, but do your best to eat healthy.  Filling up on cereal, bagels, chocolate, and any other weird cravings only weighs you down and makes you feel sluggish.  Try to replace those things with healthier options like these muffins, fruit, raw veggies and dip, etc.
4. Get an accountability partner.  I can't tell you enough how much it helps to share my workouts within my virtual challenge groups.  (I also have a prenatal group right now.)  They are cheering for me, for us!  And that makes a world of difference when I'm debating whether or not to hit snooze and roll over.
5. Get more rest.  I realize this would solve a world of problems, but it's important to keep in mind that when you're exhausted at 8:00 it's simply not worth it to stay up one more hour to get things done if you're going to feel awful the next day.  (At least for me, fatigue causes morning sickness.)

In reality, all of these tips are just going to make you feel better overall, but they will definitely help you in becoming a morning person and potentially getting that morning workout.