Six Weeks to an Early Morning Workout - Part 3

So, you are two weeks into rising early and working out. This past week, you set your alarm back an additional 10 minutes; now rising 20 minutes earlier than you did a month ago. Last week, in addition to stretching, you did some calisthenics.

Now we are ready to start really moving. Which means, that with the additional 10 minutes you set your clock back this week you will be able to go outside for a 20 to 30 minute walk. It will all depend on how quickly you get dressed in the morning.

So tonight to prepare, set out your clothes that you will wear for your walk. It's winter so you will need to dress warmly. Layers are key! Check the weather if you have to. But, in your mind go through getting up out of bed, dressing and whatever else. I need to wash my face, put my contacts in and brush my teeth (I hate drinking water with a scummy mouth). It takes me about seven minutes to do that plus three minutes to get dressed.

As soon as your alarm goes off, get going. Get out of bed, get dressed and go for a walk. If you have a dog, take the dog with you. He/She will love you for it. Walk briskly for 10 minutes out and then turn around and head back. If you get out the door faster than I do, add the time on.

Now if you live in an area in which it is just impossible to get outside due to inclement weather, then you will want to buy/rent some sort of workout video. Netflix, for example, offers a great selection of videos. One that I found interesting that would tie into this week's effort would be: Leslie Sansone: Walk Away the Pounds. It's a 30 minutes workout routine. They have a ton of videos to select from. Blockbuster is the same. There is no reason why you can't pick up a video and try it out as part of your routine.

Good luck! Next week: another 10 minutes. Also, take a moment this week to reflect on how you are feeling. Do you feel energized? More alert?