7 Steps To Getting Out Of Bed To Work Out In The Morning

7 Steps To Getting Out Of Bed To Work Out In The Morning

Every morning, this little cat rises with the sun to strengthen his core.

Even if you're the type to hit the snooze button multiple times -- here's how to cut that habit -- you, too, can become the kind of person (or cat) who includes exercise in their morning routine.

Dempsey Marks, a fitness trainer, yoga instructor, competitor and the founder of DempseyFit.com, told The Huffington Post she understands the difficulties of a night owl trying to catch the worm. "The morning workouts have been a struggle for me," she admits. But the self-declared unmorning person shared a couple of tricks that make a.m. workouts more bearable:

Plan everything you can the night before.
"You want to eliminate every little step you have to do before you workout," Marks says. She suggests laying out your exercise clothes and sneakers the night before -- or even sleeping in them, if you find them comfortable. Pack your gym bag, fill up your water bottle and locate your keys before you hit the hay. The fewer responsibilities you have in the morning, the better.

Set two alarms.
You can and will get out of bed, but you may need a little extra help at first. Marks says to place one of your alarms -- whether it's your phone or a real alarm clock -- across the room, so you'll have to get out of bed to turn it off. Look! Now you're out of bed and one step closer to working out.

Start slow.
If you are the antithesis of an early bird, it might be smart to start your sunrise journey slowly. Marks says you can make your first few morning workouts something as simple as a walk around the block. This'll help you get comfortable with the routine of waking up earlier and moving your body, without overexerting yourself.

Choose a workout you actually enjoy.
If you loathe spin class, don't make it the first thing you do in the morning. You'll be more likely to follow through with your 6 a.m. intentions if they're something you usually look forward to.

Find a friend.
To hold yourself accountable to a morning sweat session, enlist a buddy, partner or colleague to join you. You'll be less likely to cancel your plans and you might actually have more fun.

Reward yourself.
Positive reinforcement is where it's at. Buy yourself that expensive cup of coffee when you make it out the door for exercise in the morning. Make deals with yourself: If you workout every morning for a month, plan to purchase that snazzy pair of sneaks you've had your eye on.

Remind yourself how good you feel after a work out.
You may feel like a zombie first thing in the morning, but you know you love the way your body feels after you get it moving. Remember this when you're toying with the idea of staying under the covers.

Meow you're ready to roll out of bed and greet the day with some sweat.

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