Whether you’re an early bird or a ‘wake-up-at-noon’ sort of person, there are times when getting up with the sun to work out can feel far less appealing than burrowing deeper into your bed. That’s why we asked 15 fitness professionals what they do to avoid getting stuck in their sheets when they should be sweating it out. Soak up these creative ways to fight stay-in-bed temptation — and add ‘em to your Pinterest board for when you need extra inspiration.
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15 Ways to Get Out of Bed Every Time
1. Post it for the world to see.
“I hold myself accountable via social media. For example, I’ve made it a goal to do weekly morning swim sessions over the winter, so I post an Instagram shot each week when I’ve completed my morning pool workout. It’s a small thing, but it makes a big difference when it comes to getting out of bed for early morning workouts.” – Jennifer Hellickson, KineticFix.com blogger
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2. Blast those alarms.
“I purposefully have my alarm clock timed so that once I hit snooze three times, my iPhone alarm will also go off. Then, once I have both of my alarms blaring at me, I’m forced to go across the room — I keep my iPhone far from the bed — and shut them off. It wakes me up and gets me out of bed every time. – Michael Silverman, PT, MSPT, director of rehabilitation and wellness at Northern Westchester Hospital
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3. Unleash the FOMO.
“I picture my competition rise ‘n grinding, too! Or I think of all of those times I couldn’t work out due to injury or illness, and how I would have given anything in those moments to be able to move my bod! That always gets me moving.” – Ellen Wexler, Ironman triathlete and Kona finisher
4. Snap out of it with the right song.
“I like to have a good workout or motivation song play to wake me up. I pick a song that really makes my hair stand up and makes me want to start doing push-ups right there in my PJs.” – Thomas Konefal, DavidBartonGym Astor Place training manager
5. Build a support squad.
“I make my morning workouts by staying accountable to others. If you have a friend who is counting on you, you will be much less likely to cancel. Plus, exercise buddies can make morning workouts so much for fun so that you really look forward to them.” – Bonnie Micheli, co-founder of Shred415
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6. Take it one day at a time.
“Instead of trying to become a morning person overnight, I ease into the morning wake-ups by setting my alarm 10 minutes earlier for a week, then another 10 minutes for a week, and so on until I get to my desired wake-up time. It’s still not easy, I don’t always pop out of bed unfazed by the pre-dawn hour, but it definitely helps.” – Sarah Evans, C.P.T., personal trainer and running coach
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7. See it to believe it.
“I do a quick one- to three-minute mediation the night before to prepare my mind to get excited for my morning workout. I visualize the workout, how I’ll feel once I get into it, and the benefits I’ll reap from the workout.” – Christa King, founder of Fitlandia and life coach
8. Cue up coffee cravings.
“I pre-set my coffee maker to go off 10 minutes before I want to get going. It slowly wakes me up with the delicious smell of brewing coffee, which entices me out of bed before my alarm can even go off. Then I swig down a cup of java before hitting my workout! Perfect way to get energized and maximize a morning sweat session.” – Megan Landrum, R.D., C.P.T., personal trainer and co-founder of Zest Nutrition
9. Set up for success.
“I get everything ready the night before so I can sleep in as long as possible and still make it to the gym. The night before, I write out a rough idea of what I am doing training-wise, get my coffee ready to go, select my music, and set out my clothes. I find that if I need to make a bunch of decisions first thing in the morning, the odds of me getting to the gym plummet.” – Mike T. Nelson, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., exercise physiologist
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10. Turn in on time.
“If I’m going to get up early, I know I need to go to bed that much earlier. It isn’t realistic to expect myself to pop out of bed and have an energetic and productive workout after five hours of sleep.” – Grant Weeditz, C.S.C.S., trainer Anatomy at 1220
11. Think about the good day ahead.
“I think about how it’s a new day and a new opportunity to get better. And how mad I’ll be later if I don’t do it.” – Melissa Christensen, Ironman triathlete
12. Set your eye on the prize.
“I set rewards for myself. For instance, I’ll tell myself that if I hit all of my morning workouts, then come Sunday I’ll buy that item of clothing I’ve had my eyes on or those headphones I saw someone in the gym wearing and loved.” – Nick Hounslow, personality on E!’s Hollywood Cycle
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13. Keep the peace.
“My husband kicking me saying, ‘Your alarm keeps going off and is going to wake the kids’ will get me out of bed every time.” – Jessica Peltier, Pilates, TRX, and BootyBarre instructor
14. Set a scary goal.
“I am not a morning person by any means. On most days I’m a ‘snooze three times before I get out of bed’ guy, unless I have something to train for. Training for a fight keeps me motivated to get out of bed early. There’s no better motivation than the guarantee of literally getting your butt kicked if you aren’t prepared. That said, not everyone wants to fight. Luckily, events like a 5K or 10K, a triathlon, or a mud race also work.” – Thomas Konefal, DavidBartonGym Astor Place training manager
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15. Fork over the cash.
“I sign up for a class that requires payment, so I’m less likely to want to skip it. I also might let the instructor know that I’m coming so someone else expects me to show up.” –Nikki Naab-Levy, Pilates and group fitness instructor