Gym Belle Q & A: Early Morning Workout Tips

@meghannmoves asks: can you teach me some of your tricks for getting up really early to work out?

I do workout in the evening occasionally, but mornings are a better fit for my schedule.  I tend to work long hours, and I can never be totally sure that I'll get out in for time evening classes.  If I want to run outside, mornings are my only opportunity for daylight.  When I'm not working late, I don't like choosing between exercise and seeing friends, etc.  Also, evening workouts mean super late dinners and mess with my ability to fall asleep at night.

Getting up at 5:45 am isn't always easy for me.  It's rare that I feel like I've gotten enough sleep when my alarm clocks go off, and my dog really doesn't like getting up that early.  Still, I know how much better I'll feel throughout the day if I've worked out, and that gets me out of bed. 

I find it helpful to have a set plan, either a class I'm going to take or a certain number of miles that I'm going to run.  I don't think I could get out of bed to "work out", but I can get up to make it to a particular 6:30 spin class.  If I'm meeting up with people, that makes a huge difference, too.  My brain is usually pretty fuzzy at that hour, so I try to pick out my clothes the night before and figure out what I'm going to eat.  I also usually set two alarm clocks so that it's less tempting to mess with the snooze buttons.  (Too much beeping.)

As much as I push myself most mornings, though, I do respect when my body just says no.  Some days, I wake up way more sore than I expected to be.  Other days, I really am just too tired.  If I'm just going to be going through the motions, I might as well take a rest day and be more energized for my next workout.

-Gym Belle-

Meghann coaches Run to Remember, a team training for the 2010 ING New York City Marathon.  Run to Remember raises money and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Association.  You can follow Meghann's training on her blog, Meghann on the Run, and learn more about Run to Remember here. 

Have a question for me?  At me @gympressions or email me at gymbelle@gympressions.com.

Ups and Downs

I'm working on a few fun things for you, but, in the meantime, I thought I'd share these pictures from yesterday's workout at Crossfit Metropolis.  Here, I'm doing overhead squats.  This is the hardest lift for me because my shoulders are always so tight.  In this part of the workout, we had three tries to establish our max lift.  I did 42 lbs, 52 lbs and then 62 lbs. 

Here's 52 lbs at the top:

and 52 lbs at the bottom:

Then we did a workout called Nancy.  Nancy consists of 5 rounds for time of 15 overhead squats (95 lbs for men, 65 lbs for women) followed by a 400 meter Run.  I used 27 lbs for the squats and finished in 25:34.  I am very happy that there are no pictures of Nancy.  It was a tough one.

More soon.

-Gym Belle-

Yoga Rocks Rocks

So often, funky NYC yoga class take place in the evening when yours truly is trapped in the office.  So, when the lovely ladies at Well and Good NYC mentioned that Sports Club LA was offering 6:15 am Yoga Rocks classes at the Top of the Rock through the end of August, I immediately picked up the phone to sign up.

The view before classI am so glad that I did.  I went this morning and it was amazing.  The setting at the Top of the Rock was serene and perfect for morning yoga.  When class began, the moon hovered not far from the Statue of Liberty.  The air was cool, the view clear, and, 67 stories up, the city was silent. 

A few times during class, I couldn't quite close my eyes when we were supposed to.  It was just so nice gazing out at the downtown view.  During savasana, I watched the clouds.

The Vinyasa was excellent.  Our instructor, Angel, was sweet and welcoming.  She made it easy for advanced students and beginners alike to work at their own level.  I found the class challenging and invigorating.  My arms definitely got a nice workout and, two hours later, I'm still feeling stretchy and open.  Without a doubt, I'm  going back.

The view after classRegistration for Yoga Rocks opens 24 hours before each Tuesday and Thursday class.  Classes are free to members and $25 for non-members.  Contact Lisa Gausepohl at lisagausepohl@thesportsclub.com or 212-218-8600 sign up.  Just don't take my spot!

-Gym Belle-