How do People Workout in the Morning????

I honestly can't fathom making a regular habit of getting up extra early to do a workout. I am going out this evening (Great Big Sea concert with my bestie! So excited!) and I didn't want to break my daily exercise streak, so I did the unthinkable. I got up at 5:15 am, the day after we switched the clocks ahead an hour. In other words, my body thought it was 4:15 am. On top of waking at such an ungodly hour, I kept checking the time throughout the night, thinking my alarm was about to go off. I always do that to myself when I need to be up earlier than usual for whatever reason...it's very irritating! I finally got out of bed for real at 5:15 (15 minutes before my alarm) and staggered to the bathroom to put my contacts in, get into my workout clothes and pull my hair back into a ponytail. I tried not to look too closely at my puffy, makeup-free face. With a big sigh (unheard by the rest of the household, who were still wisely sleeping), I trudged downstairs, prepared to be "motivated" by Jillian. To my credit, I managed to get through the workout with a pretty good energy level. Round two is getting easier- it will be time to switch it up soon.

I stood in the shower post-workout and reflected. I concluded that no matter what others may claim, working out first thing does NOT give me a boost or improve my mood. I was decidedly grumpy (as per usual). BUT....I am happy that I got it done and don't need to feel guilty about skipping it when I'm at the concert tonight. And another thing to be pleased about this morning: I am at day 15 of the 30 Day Shred! Halfway done. I am already looking ahead to my next workout DVD, which I have decided will be "Ripped in 30" (another Jillian Michaels one.) It's apparently more challenging than the 30 Day Shred, so should be a logical progression for me. Bring it on Jillian! Bring. It. On.

I love this picture...that's exactly how I felt this morning!

Morning Workout

Since I started doing my Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred last Monday I have not missed a single day. I want to put a serious effort in and test her claim that I will looked ripped by the end of 30 days. I have serious doubts if my body is even capable of looking ripped, but it surely won't hurt either way. There are three levels of intensity, and after doing level one for 7 days I felt ready to move on up. Yesterday evening I chose the level two option on the menu with a slight sense of fear and foreboding. I was finally comfortable with level one and would have been happy to stay there, but as we all know, real results come from pushing oneself. It wasn't as bad as I had feared. There was more focus on holding muscle contractions for a long period, which certainly makes them burn, but is less challenging aerobically. Mind you, she made up for it in the cardio portions with a lot of high impact jumping around. My heart was ready to explode at a couple points which I'm sure would have made her happy, but I got through it and lived to tell the tale! It is satisfying to see how quickly my fitness ability increases when I put the effort in every day.

I also had a very productive pre-nine-am morning! I decided last night that I would wake up early to do my  workout since I'll be out with a friend this evening. This means that I would do two level two workouts in close proximity. Not something I would normally do when I just increased the intensity, but better than skipping it altogether. Now I've never been one to do early morning workouts, and I'm sure not making a habit out of it, but I managed to follow through today. I am giving myself major points for that. I am already feeling sore...hopefully I'll still be able to move after sitting at my desk all day.

I was feeling pleasantly mellow on the drive to work. The endorphins from my workout combined with the feel-good nourishment of my green smoothie made for an easy-going mood. We had a hard frost last night, and the sun was shining brilliantly as I drove, making everything sparkle. There was heavy fog in the low-lying areas, and the way it diffused the sunlight into a brilliant, out-of-focus glow made me think of a Hollywood version of what heaven looks like. I love my drive into the city on mornings like this. Just look at that blue sky!