How to Make Morning Workouts Happen.

Sometimes it’s funny how quickly our habits can shift. When I was marathon training a few years ago I was always a night runner – morning workouts were never in the cards for me as I’d much rather decompress from work at the end of the day with a few miles after dark (which looking back was pretty dangerous, but luckily everything was okay!). Night workouts were my thing and as many times as I tried, I could never make the morning workout thing happen and would end up snoozing through my alarm at every attempt.

Fast forward to today and I have become a die hard morning workout person. It’s something I would have never expected back in my running days but it’s made a huge difference in my everyday routine and energy levels. There’s nothing better than starting the day off with a great workout and I’m hooked on the satisfaction of checking my daily workout off my to do list before even the sun rises.

The secret? Finding a workout you really love.

Enter Flywheel for me. I discovered Flywheel’s spin workouts back in the beginning of 2014 in Los Angeles, and let’s just say it wasn’t exactly love at first fly. I was firmly in the anti-spinning camp and was forced to do a Flywheel class as part of Nike’s NTC event. I spent the entire 45 minutes trying to figure out what was going on and how the heck everyone else in the room seemed to be nailing it and hitting the instructor’s every RPM and Torq direction. It kicked my butt in the most embarrassing way possible (somehow I found myself on a bike riiiiight in the front row center, and confirmed my POV on indoor cycling: not for me.

But then curiosity got the best of me and I found myself giving Flywheel another shot in Chicago’s Gold Coast studio and became totally hooked. Morning or night, Flywheel was my favorite way to spend 45 minutes of my day and it felt so good to find a new workout I truly enjoyed after burning myself out on running after 2 marathons and 5 half marathons in 2 years.

I was a bit heartbroken when we moved out to San Francisco and I realized there was not yet a Flywheel studio in the city but I am so so happy that they’ve opened a beautiful new studio on Market Street and I’m totally hooked once again.

For me morning workouts are all about accountability – give me the option to skip without penalty and I will (sorry gym in my building, I’m lookin’ right at you). It’s not even the waking up early aspect that gets me, a class cancelation fee just gives me the perfect little kick in the butt to get me out the door bright and early. I’ve found that the fast pace, good vibes and killer playlists of Flywheel classes not only get my heart pumping and sweat flowing, but actually set the tone for my entire day – the days where I take a morning class always tend to be good days and I don’t think it’s a coincidence! Another way to bribe yourself to hit the gym in the morning? Bribe yourself with coffee. As someone who usually has a cup of coffee immediately after waking up the promise of a killer cup of coffee right after class always does it for me; sometimes I think about it during the entire class (#addict).

Getting into the habit of morning workouts isn’t easy but once you’ve found the right workout, it’s 100x easier AND more fun!