(Post title sung to the tune of “Breaking Up is Hard to Do!”)
After a somewhat restless sleep, the alarm felt like it went off extra early this morning. (Thank you, Sadie, for barking at the invisible squirrel outside at 3 a.m.)
While waking up at 5 a.m. does get less painful over time, it’s never exactly easy. (Some of you have asked about making the transition to morning workouts and may be interested in a past post I did about how to work out in the morning.)
Once we got to the gym, I woke up a bit and powered through my workout. I think it’s amusing that once I get to the gym, I have no problem going through a workout, but during our drive to the gym, all I can think about is how nice it would be to curl up in bed again.
But it feels awesome to have my workout completely done by 6:45 a.m., so I just roll with the punches and get my booty to the gym before the sun comes up. When I’m tempted to skip the gym, I always think, “I’ve never regretted a workout!”
Today’s workout began with a two-mile run, followed by three sets of 15 repetitions of the following exercises:
- Superset One: Incline bicep curls + Tricep extensions
- Superset Two: Chest press + Ryan’s awesome shoulder move
- Superset Three: Lat pull downs + Upright rows
- Tricep pull downs
- Push ups
- Seated rows
- Chest press with resistance band
Breakfast
Today’s breakfast was deeelicious.
A two-egg breakfast sandwich with muenster cheese and raspberry jelly.
I made one for Ryan as well and he is fully on board the cheese + jelly train. We both agreed that we now feel like egg sandwiches are missing something if jelly isn’t involved.
Time to do some behind the scenes blog updates.
See ya after lunch!
Edited to Add: After reading this post this morning, my mom emailed me a link to this cute video, “Waking Up is Hard to Do,” sung by a bunch of anesthesiologists. Very creative!
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HAHA. Sadie’s picture (and quote) is awesome. Made me smile!
I agree, waking up in the 5 a.m. hour is horrible…..BUT having the workout done and done before most people stir to get themselves ready, is a powerful, awesome FEEling! Way to go!
I too love jam with eggs now…..weird 😉
One time a squirrel got IN my house at 3am… waking up was definitely fun after that adventure… haha
I totally agree that waking up early is NEVER easy, no matter how many days you’ve already been doing it 😛 Oh and Sadie probably makes it a liiiittle easier to wake up as well – slobbery kisses are my fave to wake up to and a wet nose in my face. Haha!
Enjoy your day 🙂
I HAVE to try the jelly with eggs!!! My mouth waters everytime I see that you ate it 🙂
yes you do!
Love jelly on my egg sandwiches!! Most people I know cringe when they see it, but its SO good, sweeet and savory.
julie i DOUBLE DOG DARE YOU to try a pb and cheese sandwich!! sounds a bit gross i know, but i eat one before every cross country meet and i LOVE it.
1.)whole wheat bred/bagel thin
2.) cheez.. my face provolone
3.) natural chunkey good ol’ Pb <3
I was wondering- where do you do your weight workouts? We have a free weights section of the gum but it’s always full of only men, so I always feel intimidated to go over and use the weights or benches.
Is this how your gym is?
Thanks!
oh yeah. the weight area is dominated by men, but i just claim a bench and do my thing. they are way too into their own workouts to pay attention to anyone else. i used to be really intimidated until i was like, “who cares!?” i don’t really care what they thinkg of my workouts, and honestly since i rarely pay attention to what others are doing in the gym, i assume they don’t pay attention to my workouts either.
Thanks! I’m going to try to be less intimidated and try it out!
Ummm, that should say gym, not gum! Sorry!
For some reason, when I saw the title I thought “Breaking Up is Hard Enough” by 2gether. Whoops.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keylcY1zn3Y
That is one of my favorite mantras! And although I can’t claim credit, it was my friend Lauren who came up with “Pain is just the fat leaving your ass.”
Ah, I needed to read this. I have really been slacking in the morning workout department the past couple of weeks. I was getting so into it for a while, and then got into a rut. Boo. You are right though, it feels so much better having your workout completed so early in the day! I must get back on this bandwagon.
How are you keeping up your motivation without group classes? I have such a difficult time getting to the gym if I don’t have to be there at a specific time for class. Does your new gym not offer any classes or are they just not at the time you like to work out?
my new gym doesn’t really offer classes that interest me too much, unfortunately. 🙁 i miss bodypump SO much, but am trying to stay motivated by experimenting in the gym a bit more and trying new things which keeps me interested.
I love all of you captions for sadies pictures! Do you an Ryan speak her thoughts? My boyfriend and I always talk for our dog. It’s kind of nuts
yes! my sister actually does this better than anyone. it’s hilarious!
I can relate to this! I was getting up at 5 mon weds before school and working out I loved bein done early! Lately though I’ve wanted to sleep so I’ve been waiting to go later in the day. Luckily I have a small gym in my apartment complex which is empty other wise I would hate going to the bigger gym later in the day. It is always way too crowded!
I love my morning workouts. I’m tired but soooo much more motivated. After a little warmup, I’m good to go!
Haha! I love Sadie’s picture and the quote! Too cute! I want to try your jelly and egg combo. It looks delicious!
Waking up is definitely harder now that it’s still dark AND cold, but like you said, I’ve never regretted it once I’m actually at the gym! Have a good one Julie!
I think there is something about being in the car that makes you sleepy. Even if I am wide awake… Put me in the car passenger seat and I’m struggling to keep my eyes open.
I’ve never been a morning person! I find it much easier to workout in the evening.
I think I have to give the cheese and jelly with my eggs. Whenever I see you post one of these sandwiches, I think on my Grandpa in Poland who always ate cheese and jelly sandwiches.
I would love to workout in the mornings, but I have this problem where I rarely get to bed before 1am!
That video is HILARIOUS. Those doctors aren’t bad lookin’ either. Good looking, good at singing, smart? Wonder if any of them are single??
What time do you get to bed in order to wake up at 5am?
The covers feel so good especially when it’s so cold out!
Our little April was up from 3-5am anxious about the thunderstorms. I thought of Sadie’s thunder shirt and tried to give her really tight hugs, but she wouldn’t settle down. I’m so tired this morning.
Julie – I have to say, I was somewhat skeptical for a while of the egg/cheese/jelly combo …. until I tried it. Now I’m a convert. YUM! 🙂
Lately I have been rocking the smoked salmon and jam combination on toasted sour dough bread…it makes my heart sing!
Oh my gosh, my husband is in his second year of med school, and he’s talked about anesthesiology! I definitely shared that little video ASAP! Haha so cute!
Mmm, I had a waffle-wich with jam and a scrambled egg this morning, and it was scrumptious!
I love morning workouts, but since moving to D.C. almost two years ago, it is SO hard for me to get up during the winter time when it starts to get dark in the am. Any tips??
Love the picture and quote of Sadie!
My dog barks at invisible squirrels, and the wind! Hhaha 🙂
love that video!
thought of you this morning when i saw a story about puppy harper on the today show! freakin adorable… if we didn’t already have 2 dogs, i would make a hard sell to my hubby to adopt her 🙂
“You’re only one workout away from a good mood”–> always helps me get my butt out of bed! Today was an upper body workout for me too and it looked very similar to yours 🙂
Haha…gotta love moms…My mom does the same thing, she always has funny/corny emails she sends.
I always feel the same way in the morning. Hardest part is the first 10 minutes after I wake up, but if I just get my butt out of bed, the rest is a piece of cake 🙂
Waking up at 5 am is quite impressive. I usually wake up between 6 and 6:30, and that isn’t always easy…especially lately since the sun is coming up later and later.
I tried your egg, jelly, cheese breakfast sandwich combo the other day – I loved it!
That’s my same moto when I wake up in the AM for a workout- “I never regret working out, and I feel so great afterwards.” Works every time!
Geez. I am trying to rearrange my mornings and it is tough. And that is getting up at the same time (630). I can’t imagine being up at 530 on a regular basis.
The Kidless Kronicles
My drive to the gym is the exact same way. Craig always drives & I always try to take like a 5 minute nap on the way there- it never works, but I always try..ha! The whole time I’m getting ready I just keep thinking about HOW inviting the bed looks at that very moment. 🙂
Oh I love middle of the night barking episodes!
I have been having a hard time waking up early lately, and it’s been sad because my local running gals usually run at 5:30am. It’s like every time I plan on joining them on a run, my body freaks out and decides it doesn’t want to go to sleep the night before!!! But I MADE myself get out of bed today and I’m happy I did…
…but now it’s time for a nap!
Andy does the random barking thing in the middle of the night too! Sometimes half asleep, usually he’ll bark twice and be working on a third and he’s already snoring. He tries so hard to be a guard dog, but it isn’t his strong suit.
Go you getting in workouts that early in the am! My morning workouts are more around 10 am! I’m slowly adjusting to being a morning person! ;p
GAH! EVERY TIME you have that breakfast sandwich I want it…without fail.
jelly is completely necessary on egg sandwiches!! and i agree about morning workouts, the hardest part is getting up, but once you’re there, it’s always worth it!
I have no idea how you guys workout at 5am. I can barely get myself motivated to shower at 6am!
I get up between 4 – 4:15 am about 3 times a week to work out. I’m rolling up to the gym by 4:45 at the latest. You’re right, it’s never really easy, just something you get used to. There’s some mornings when I try to “sleep in” and my eyes open at like 5:00 and I can’t go back to sleep. Hate it when that happens.
Getting used to waking up so early is hard but it becomes so routine after a while. I love not having to do my workout in the evenings, so 5ams are totally worth it.
I have yet to try the jelly and egg combo. It sounds interesting.
I needed your motivation this morning! Tomorrow I’m going to tell myself that I’ve never regretted a workout and remember I sure regretted not doing it this morning. I thought, oh, I’ll just cuddle the dog in bed and relax until I have to get up to get ready for work and it will be lovely and naughty! Really though, all I did was lay in bed and fret about the negative consequences of not doing my workout! Boo Hiss! But tomorrow is another day that I get to workout and I’m actually looking forward to it! Thanks for the great reminders and mantras!
Ahhh your dog is too cute! As much as I have trouble getting up in the morning to work out, I don’t think I could EVER convince my boyfriend to join me. Were you the one to get Ryan to wake up early for the gym or did he get you into it?
Also, I love that you’re the first blogger I’ve found that has a job with traditional hours so morning workouts mean 5am, not 8am. You feel my pain! haha
i’ve totally hopped on the train, too – last week i made a sandwich with provolone and raspberry preserve! it was amazing. i have such a sweet tooth and the jam is the perfect addition. thanks for the idea 🙂
Ever since I’ve been reading your blog, I’ve been inspired to change my workouts to the mornings. I’ve been successful a few times (ahem, not this am), but it’s good to know that it isn’t always easy for you either – though I wish it was easy for the both of us! I just keep reminding myself of the benefits of working out early: gym is not crowded, I have my evenings free, I feel accomplished, etc.
Anyways, thank you for the inspiration!
I have the same exact mantra as you, Julie, when it comes to working out. If I ever don’t feel like it, I always tell myself the same thing: “You’ve never regretted a workout!” And it’s sooo true!
hahah I loved that band back in the day – they were pretty funny.
I am the same way with morning workouts. The first five minutes I am out of bed I am cursing at myself, but it gets easier once I am actually AT the gym!
I am making the transition to morning work outs as well but somehow i can’t seem to do high impact cardio workouts in the mornings.. 🙁
I have recently started doing AM workouts again (I used to only do these back when I lived in Boston). I love having the rest of the day to do whatever I want. 🙂 That is my motivation.