I didn’t want to jump the gun so I gave myself two weeks to get into the swing of a 5am workout before talking about my new morning routine here. It’s not that I thought y’all would judge me if I failed… it’s just that I wasn’t quite ready to be held accountable. I guess I’m feeling confident now. Then again, if you follow along on SnapChat or Instagram you saw my complaining documentation on Day 1. (And if you don’t, maybe you should 😉 instagram link & snap name: audie_lou )
Anyway, two weeks ago K and I signed up for gym memberships. We’d been taking about it for a while, but we didn’t want to budget for the monthly payments and we had a lot going on and blah blah blah. Yep. Excuses. So at the start of May I signed us up and we’ve been to the gym three time a week for the last two weeks. We don’t have lofty goals; we’re just hoping to get in shape and lose some weight/building endurance along the way.
Please keep in mind: we’re both total rookies. I’ve had a YMCA membership before & I’ve spent a very very small amount of time in my college workout facility, but overall I have never had a gym routine. K spent some time in the weight room with his students when he was a drumline instructor, but it’s been a while. While I’m super on board with yoga, time at the gym isn’t my favorite. Following this weird trail of logic, I also hate 5am. (Actually, I hate anything before 8am unless we’re leaving for vacation.) Since K and I are both guaranteed to be free at 5am and I already hate the time/task at hand, why not commit the hour to the gym?
All of that to say: Here are some thing I’ve noticed and/or learned since we’ve started working out.
I’m not as sore as I thought I’d be. But I promise that I’m putting in the work! We both start with some specific-muscle-weight-lifting-machine-things to target our arms/legs/core (depending on the day), and then we do about 30 minutes of cardio. Usually I walk/job because I have my eye on some 5Ks.
I just feel better. And I don’t really dread it like I thought I would. And mornings have become a teensy tiny bit easier. I don’t know or like this new woman I’m becoming. HELP.
The right playlist makes all the difference. My favorite songs with the right tempo for running are All My Life by the Foo Fighters, Victorious by Panic! At the Disco, Hips Don’t Lie by Shakira, and of course All I Do Is Win by a whole bunch of people (and beautifully lip-sang by Emma Stone (skip to the 5:30 mark)… which I think of every time it comes on).
My body feels ready to wake up in the morning & ready to rest at night. Before we started to keep these ungodly hours I was a loyal night owl. College groomed me to get all my stuff done at night with the promise of sleeping in in the mornings. Unfortunately, that promise goes away once you start adulting. Now that we’re waking up at 5am and being active we are both more than ready to hit the sack by 9pm.
I crave water (and also coffee). I promise I’m on the path to healthy… but I will never abandon coffee. That said, I don’t crave the sugary drinks I once inhaled. I’m good with my four main liquids: water, coffee, tea, and wine. (Yeah, yeah. I still love sweet wine.)
I feel the urge to eat better. Ok, let’s not get crazy. I still love donuts and ice cream and McDonald’s cheeseburgers… but I also find myself ordering salads and stocking the fridge with fruit and being conscious of what I cook. That feels like a win.
Bonus lesson: Our dogs are growing up. As most know, Ly and Enzo sleep with us but are crated during the time we’re at work/out of the house. Since we’re only gone for an hour and they’re still fairly sleepy anyway, we’ve been leaving them loose while we’re at the gym. We trust Lylee to be loose when we take Enzo places, but we’ve never left him at home uncrated. So far nothing has been destroyed. #KnockOnWood
So there you have it. Yes, waking up and sweating still sucks so, so much. But I guess there are at least seven positive realizations or lessons to come out of this madness. Two weeks down, only the rest of our lives to go.
This was an actual conversation after I finished lusting over Chelsea’s Hawaiian trip:
Me: Ugh, I’m going to start planning a Hawaiian vacation right now!
K: You can’t.
Me: What? Why? You said you wanted to go! I can at least plan it…
K: Not until we have our beach bods.
(Do you have any tips to make this more enjoyable, haha? Also, PLEASE list some of your favorite workout jams- I need more variety!)
WAY TO GO! You rock!
I remember when I worked out regularly I always did it in the morning AND always had my stuff ready the night before. I just got up threw my clothing on and went and by the time I was half way through the routine, I’d realize I was at the gym and I might as well finish my work out. It was the best way to do it! Although truthfully, I haven’t done that in YEARS(since college!) but I’m more of a fan of doing a sport than everyday activity. Give me a tennis match, swimming laps or skiing downhill over working on a machine any day!
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Thanks, Elyse! I totally agree with you… I’d rather go swimming or biking or even run with one of the dogs. But I don’t usually get to do any of those things so off to the gym it is, haha!
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That treadmill meme is SOOO me – I just cant work out in the morning. I’d have to get up like at 3:30 & start working out around 4am with my work schedule. No thanks.
So proud of you sticking with it!!!!
When you start moving the body, isn’t it weird how you really do want to start eating better? Dont want all that hard work to go to waste.
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Ugh. Mornings aren’t my friend… but it’s getting a little easier. I told K that I can never go without him because most mornings I don’t remember the drive to the gym… ’cause I’m still half asleep! Haha!
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These memes. Rotflmao. You always make my day!
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Hahaha, there are so many good workout memes! I had a tough time narrowing them down!
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hahah “not until we have our beach bods” that will totally be GREAT motivation to keep going to the gym at 5am. i am super impressed by how you are both making it a priority – seriously GO TEAM! i also find that when i exercise i make way better food decisions, which ultimately make me feel better throughout the day. so proud of you both!
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UGH. Beach bods may be further away than I thought, ha… I’ve GAINED weight since we started working out (grrrrrr). I know it’s all part of the process, but it’s so infuriating!
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Dude! You rock! Before I got pregnant I used to have a 5am workout before work. As much as I hated it, I also kind of loved it. And I loved that I didn’t have to worry about working out when I got home. That muscle meme is amazing.
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Yesss! If I had the looming task of working out AFTER work I’d never go! I like getting it over & done with early in the morning!
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Kudos to you!
Now following on IG.
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Thanks! And thanks!! (Get ready for lots of dog pics 😉 )
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fabulous job!! building the habit is half the battle. I can no longer do morning workouts…kids have ruined that for me, but naptime I can do (nighttime too when I’m not pregnant and exhausted). and as far as your wine, don’t you worry. everything in moderation is good in my book, even encouraged. high fives all over!
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Thanks, Erin! I’m really, really hoping the whole waking up early thing gets easier 😉 haha!
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Your first meme had me laughing so hard. I will never join a gym, but I work out to videos at home and this is me whenever I’m sweating and a kid tries to grab me, sit on me, ask me for a snack, or generally breathes too close to me. Something about cardio makes me really crabby.
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Hahaha! I’m not disciplined enough for workout videos at home… When we’re at the gym and K come up to talk to me while I’m running I just glare at him like, “GO AWAY.” Hahaha!
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Woohoo! I’m glad you guys are working out together. Sometimes I don’t want to get off the couch, but Greg says he is going for a run, and I’m like, “OK FIIIINE I guess I’ll go, too.” Not that he even asks me to and I slow him down haha. I can’t do early morning workouts because I already wake up at 5 to go to work, so anytime before that is basically nighttime. But it works, because I’m not really an early morning workout person. I’m an after-breakfast, late morning workout person, but I usually have to wait till after work 🙂
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Is that workout guilt so weird?? K went to the gym this morning (Sunday) and I cleaned up the house while he was gone but the whole time I kept thinking, ‘Aw man. I should’ve gone with him…’ Ha!
I’m doing hot yoga tonight, though, so I’ll get my workout in. I don’t know why I’m so tough on myself. Haha!
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Yes! I am a fan of working out in the morning. Even though yes, it’s 5am and that’s a terrible time for anyone to be awake, but you feel so much more accomplished! Like, I walk into work and I’m all, what’s up, I already worked out today. Now I can eat five donuts. Ha! Okay not really (but really). I have some Tswift on my workout mix that I like 🙂
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Haha! I definitely feel a little more alive in the mornings, although not at first. I’m a zombie on the way to the gym. But by 8am when I head to work I’m mostly functioning 😉
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You go girl! So jealous you have the motivation to wake up at 5:00am for the gym – I’m a nighttime workouter typically! I highly recommend some good Beyonce jams – gets me through even the worst workout!
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Oooh, I should add some Beyonce!
I was a night owl in college for exercising, studying, writing, socializing, etc… Things have changed now. Ha. Plus, my husband is more of a morning person so he’s the one that motivates me to get out of bed.
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“Ok, let’s not get crazy. I still love donuts.” BEST EVER. haha!! Seriously, let’s put that on a shirt – I feel you!!! This was so inspiring to read, especially on a Monday morning! 🙂 Good for you, lady! On that note, I’m off to get a workout in of my own! XO
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Seriously, #DonutsForever.
Yay for your own workout!! This morning K rolled over at 4:30am and was like, “Are we going?” It took EVERYTHING in me to say yes and tunnel out from under the covers. UGH. Life is so hard sometimes… lol!
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Oh hi, here i am commenting like a thousand (okay, four) days later. While reading this, the thought that popped into my head is how it kind of sucks that when you start working out you just feel so much better, because then when you miss a few days you feel it. I mean, I guess that’s a good thing because it motivates you to get back to it…but you’ll never go back to being blissfully unaware again! I was fine hardly ever working out and then I got a gym membership a couple months ago and realized I don’t feel nearly as good when I skip for a long time. Ugh.
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Hahahaha. You can comment whenever you want 😀 (It’s five days here since I’m so ahead with the time zones! Ha!)
Ugh, I totally feel a reversal when we let too many days go by between workouts (cough*the weekends*cough). I want my ignorance baaaaaack! Hahaha!
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Yay! You go girl!
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Thank you!! 😀
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