Yesterday I walked on the treadmill for 90 minutes.
How can anyone do that? I hear you ask. It’s so flipping boring, I hear you say.
It is, I agree. But to be honest, I hopped on at 5.30 am, I popped on a podcast (I’m such a nerd), I set the course to New Zealand South Island and I just kept walking.
I think I was still asleep for much of it.
My daughter does swim training from 5.30am three mornings a week and as my gym is next door to the pool and as I’m up anyway to drive her…
I do a PUMP class on Monday mornings- the instructor just gets on with it. The Thursday 6am PUMP instructor seems to think she should be yelling motivational rubbish from the podium so I avoid her classes. ‘Who’s gonna win? Your mind or your body?’
Umm, I got out of bed at 5am to come here, who do ya think has won?
There are some advantages to training at sparrows fart- here are five of them:
The Sleep Factor
Sure I could drop her off, but what then? It’s not like I’m going to go back to sleep.
I’d put money on the fact that at least 80% (if not more) of the people already training when I get there would rather still be in bed too.
The Maintenance Factor
No maintenance is required for early morning training.
From 9am the yummy mummys hit the gym- as does the matching clobber, make-up and designer logo gym wear.
Early morning training is not about impressing anyone.
Basic hygienic tasks only need to be completed before early morning training…and people- that means deodorant!
Besides, who can see hairy legs through 5am eyes?
The Let Me Get On With It Factor
Early morning training is not about socialising. Most people have their earphones on and are catching up on the early news or last nights game and just want to get the job done.
The only exception is that PUMP instructor- and we know how I feel about that! And yes, I know some of you probably willingly do Boot camp in the mornings…I’m not going there…
The Equipment Factor
I don’t usually need to queue for equipment in the mornings and, if I’m lucky, the two treadmills at the end of the room that haven’t been programmed to automatically cool down after 30 minutes will be free to hog for longer.
The Tick In The Box Factor
Early morning training frees your mind for the rest of the day- the real hard work is done, so you don’t need to spend other precious hours thinking of all the very valid reasons why you should be blowing off that class tonight.
The post exercise high takes you through at least until your first coffee and, in my experience, sets up the brain as well as the body for the day ahead. And yes, doubters, even if all you are feeling is “thank flip that’s over,” it is still a high of sorts.
Even if you have the kind of day which has you still reading emails at 5pm about some obscure outage that occurred on a telco line somewhere in India that affected some obscure part of the business over the weekend, you started the day with a box ticked.
And Anyways... 
I like the tick the box factor – plus if you’re already up and there then half the work is done. I used to enjoy exercising in the morning… but only the bit on the way home when it’s over and done with for the day.
At the moment I just can’t get out of bed early. Also… they rarely have funky dance classes first thing in the morning!
A great way to get it done, out of the way. If I had to get up that early I’d do it too, but I don’t so I stay in bed till at least 6:30 and regret it every single time I should have been doing something!