In which I share tricks for getting up and working out

My alarm went off at 5 am this morning.

I hit Snooze.

10 minutes later, I hit Snooze again.

At 5:21 am I willed myself out of bed: Go eat something!

That did it, there was a Luna bar in the cabinet with my name on it.

I'm not a morning person, but for the past 6 months I've been waking up at 5-ish four times a week to work out before everyone else rises.

So, if I dislike getting up early, why do so?

It's the only time I can ensure I get my workout in.

When I first started exercising again, last fall, I used to work out when my youngest napped. But the problem was - and is - when she's napping I need some downtime, too.

It finally got to the point in which my need for downtime in the afternoon outweighed my need to sleep in.

However, that doesn't mean getting up early has gotten much easier. But there are a few tricks I employ to make it more bearable:

1. Go to bed early. For me, that means heading up around 10 pm, so I can get 7-ish hours of sleep. The closer I get to 6 hours or less, the harder it is to get up.

2. Eat something. I alluded to this above: The thought of food helps get me out of bed. I like to eat before I work out, I know this isn't the case for everyone. And I make sure what I eat is something I really like. Usually, a 5-Point+ Luna bar. Yum.

3. Lay your gear out the night before. With everything set out, this means all I have to do is put on my clothes. I can handle this.

4. Remember it's all over in 2 hours. Whether it's bootcamp or running, I'm done by 7 am. That is an awesome feeling, knowing I have the whole day ahead of me with my biggest personal to-do done.

5. Have someone expecting you. This is big for me. If I pay for a bootcamp class, I will be there. If I commit to meet a friend at the track, like I did this morning (see the sunrise above), I will be there. Making a commitment is an extra kick in the pants. Without that, it's easier to con myself into sleeping in.

6. Know that if you don't get out of bed, you won't work out today. I've yet to miss a wakeup call because I know if I sleep in, I will not have time to work out. And that will annoy me all day long.