First Thing in the Morning

I was never a 'morning person'.

Am I now? 

I get up early every day but I wouldn't say I'm a morning person.

Do morning people just get up naturally without an alarm?

Do they enjoy being up and shaking off the cobwebs and going right for the coffee?

I don't know and it doesn't matter.

What matters is getting up early can be a great habit to help you get much more done in your life and this includes your workouts/nutrition.

I used to think morning workouts were impossible. But now I never train later than 10/11 a.m.

What you do first in the morning sets up the day. It's like laying down the foundation. Doing it properly so the rest of the work will follow suit.

I can hear the complaints already. I hear them often from clients before they begin training with me.

You're not a morning person. Isn't it better to eat before working out? I can't eat that early, I'm not hungry. It's still dark out. It's cold. I have to shovel the driveway. Get up earlier. Leave home earlier. On and on..

Do what you want but I'll tell you this-- if you have trouble with finding time to workout or with being consistent then working out first thing in the morning may be the best change you can make right now.

And I mean right now. Not for the next holiday. Or summer. Or after you get all your ducks in a row. (what does that mean anyway?) 

But RIGHT NOW. Take action. Decide right now that tomorrow you will get up an hour earlier and eat something light and then go to the gym or your garage. Get in a half hour session. Warm up for a good 5 minutes with bodyweight exercises/calistenics then do some weight training.

Finish with some more calistenics/bodyweight training for a few high-paced circuits. See how much better your day goes.

You will be hungry earlier in the day.

You will want to go to bed earlier.

There will be slight changes.

All for the better.

Even if you aren't a morning person, whatever that means. Try it out.

You may never go back.  I haven't.

Information Overload

I don't know about you but I get tired of all the information on diets, weight loss, the newest greatest pill that will burn fat while you sit on your couch and eat donuts all day.

Most of it is just garbage.

I love to learn and find new tips I can use in my own life and to help others, whether it's clients that I train or people I help over the internet.

But I like to learn and take action on what I learned.

Not just soak up endless information and never apply it. Just talking about it does nothing for me.

I'm an action man. I would rather get into the gym and try out a new method rather than debate if it will work or not.

How about you? Do you find there is way to much info, much of it conflicting?

One day there's a study saying coffee is bad. Next week it's good. It goes on and on with just about everything.

How do you sort through this mess?

Keep it simple.

You know what is good for you. What works for you and what doesn't.

You've tried different programs and failed or found success with them.

One thing people often overlook is the ability to listen to your body. To what the signals are. What it's telling you. If a certain food gives you problems. If an exercise keeps causing injury. If you feel one movement in the "wrong" area.

Take time to listen to your inner self. Whats going on inside. Really listen to it and forget about all the info on diets, fancy programs, supplements..

By all means, read. Learn. But take what is useful, apply it. And forget what is just taking up space in your brain.

Take action.

And if you find you still struggle, ask someone who has some experience dealing with the issue you are struggling with. Often, just one tip will make all the difference.