Find what works for you

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Okay, so this may not be the exact sentiments or consequences for everyone, but they are certainly mine. I'm all about the mornings. You can give me a 7am to 3/4pm over starting later in the day and I will never want to alter my hours. Will I get enough sleep? Probably not, as I'd be waking up early to run or do some kind of workout. Oh wait...this is exactly what I do now. 

I've never been one to sleep in. I was (still am, I guess) a huge mama's boy growing up and seeing as my mom has always been an early riser, I was right up with her. I didn't need an alarm or someone telling me to wake up. My alarm? The moment my body heard the first dishes clank-clank'ing in the kitchen--she always had to clean the dishes and put pots and pans away while everyone else was sleeping. But I never minded and those times will always remain fond memories of mine. 

So waking up early is now ingrained in me. I do set an alarm nowadays although I certainly don't need to with our cat, Ellie, always ready to get that job done.  

It's not that I don't know how good it feels to sleep in, and once in a blue moon I will opt to do it. I just feel that I miss so much of the day when I miss the morning hours. The morning is when I feel the most awake and ready to tackle everything that needs to get done. It is also my preferred time for a run.

To me, there is nothing like a morning run or workout. The following pictures are from my quick session this morning. 

Decided to keep this equipment in the trunk for when I'm coaching track.

7.5 lbs on each ankle/leg 

Don't sprint up the hill but a good jog while trying to get the knees up and while holding 5lb dumbbells. Do it smartly and it can be a heck of a workout!

And the run or workout just makes these steel cut oats taste 20x better than if I did nothing at all!

Three years ago I was training for my first triathlon and my first marathon immediately after, and I was waking up sometimes at 4/4:30 to get a morning training session in before I had to be at summer camp for work at 7. I would then do another training session after camp (this worked wonders when I was training for the 3 sports of a triathlon). A year later when I was training for my first ultramarathon, I was again occasionally waking up at 4am to get my 4/5 hour weekend runs completed so that I still had the whole day ahead of me. So by comparison, waking up at 5:15 or so isn't difficult at all and how I feel after my quick morning sessions just can't be beat. 

Sometimes there's just no choice in the matter either. Val's uncle doesn't get home from work until 7/8 at night and he's got two girls at home so he can't just immediately leave and go run, bike, or swim for 2 hours. His solution: wake up at 3/4am to do those things. It works for him so why alter the system? That's the key here. You need to find what works for you. Waking up early and working out or going for a run works very well for me. I probably couldn't sleep in even if I wasn't running. 

So what works for you? Is it avoiding the snooze button at 5/6am so that you can get in your workout the only time that you actually can? Is it eating a light lunch or lunch on the go so that you can use your lunch break to go for a quick run or jog (my mom's solution)? Or maybe you have most of your availability in the evenings and don't mind exercising at those times. The gyms are usually crowded by then but hey, do what works for you. There's never no time to work out. In the June issue of Vegan Health & Fitness, Robert Cheeke (look him up...I can't do all the work for you!) echos this sentiment: "...The good news is that it lies in your hands. At the end of the day, you live with the consequences of the decisions you make and actions you do or do not take." 

Take the actions. I strive to remain as disciplined as possible. I make a plan and when I do that, I usually always stick to it or make alterations, but I try my hardest to just nix the plan altogether. It works for me. What works for you? Trial and error may help you if you are going to begin finding the answer to that question. Find what works. You won't regret it.

Happy Running!