Are you a night owl? Do you feel like you function best when you can stay up late and sleep late?
Do you exercise on a regular basis?
Research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine tells me that the chances of you being a night owl and a regular exerciser are not good.
People who consider themselves night owls tend to sit more and have more perceived barriers to exercise. Do you know what the real term for a perceived lack of exercise is? It is an excuse.
So what do you do if you are a night owl and can't get into the exercise groove?
Why do you stay up so late every night? Is it so you can watch TV, read, etc...?
If you are staying up to do those things, start giving yourself a time limit. Hey I know that when Forrest Gump is on it is tough to turn off, but it must be done. Set a time that you will stop and stick with it.
As an added bonus, research has shown this cuts down on 78% of late night infomercial purchases.
Start getting up a little earlier each day. When you have the going to bed at a decent hour part down, this makes this part much easier.
Now getting up earlier is not that great at first. I'm not gonna lie to you. I used to work in a gym and I was on a shift where I closed the gym every night.
I got a rude awakening (pun intended) when I switched to opening the gym. When you are used to going to bed at midnight, then you turn around and start getting up at 330am your body hates you. And you hate everything in return.
Start by getting up just 15 minutes earlier each day. You will find yourself being more productive and having more time in the day.
You might even find yourself becoming one of those annoying morning people. It happened to me.
Most of important of all, STOP USING EXCUSES.
This is the most important thing you can ever do for yourself. Excuses are crutches. You start to believe your own excuses and feel helpless.
What is really holding you back from exercising and taking care of your health?
What it feels like to get rid of excuses