8 ways I trick myself into waking up early to go to the gym

Back in March, I signed up to run a half-marathon; partly out of a desire to challenge myself, mostly on a whim.As the October race day loomed closer, the amount of time I needed to dedicate to running ramped up. I quickly realized that if I wanted to adequately train for my race and maintain any sort of social life, I needed to make morning workouts a habit.Heading to the gym or lacing up for a run isn't always what I want to do first thing in the morningespecially in the heat of Augustso I took a cue from my Business Insider colleague, Libby Kane, and found several ways to trick myself into getting up early to work out.I can't guarantee that they'll work for you, but here are eight ways I motivate myself to get out of bed and break a sweat.SEE ALSO:I started waking up at 6 a.m. every day ' here's what I'm able to accomplish with the extra timeDON'T MISS:14 ways I trick myself into going to the gymI make getting up early a routineeven if I don't go to the gymThe combination of getting up before the sun and having to push through a tough workout is daunting. So I made getting up early routine. On days I don't have gym plans, I still try to wake up at the same timeand meet friends for breakfast, enjoy quiet mornings at home, or even head into work early. Since I'm already used to rising early, it's one less obstacle to face on mornings that call for a workout.I tell myself I have to run only 1mileThe mental block of how hard my workout will be often discourages me from getting up. If I'm dreading running hills or finishing a difficult spin class, I'm more likely to hit snooze and "accidentally" run out of time to complete it. So I tell myself I only have to make it1milea 10-minute workout, tops. Once I'm up and actually exercising, I rarely stop after only a mile, but telling myself I'm allowed to does the trick to get me started.I incentivize myself with good musicIf I find a new (or new-to-me) song that fits in with the weird, curated mix of emo, hip-hop, and bubblegum pop that motivates me to run, I download it to my exercise playlist and let myself listen to it only while working out. The prospect of new music gives me something to look forward to while I work outespecially if I know it's the only place I can finally hear the song I've had stuck in my head for two days. See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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