I am slowly but surely getting acquainted with the new phone. The alarm was set super loud this morning which definitely woke me up fast. I set it for 5:30 am with the intention of getting up and working out first thing.

The alarm went off, I fumbled to figure out how to turn it off, and then laid in bed for four minutes playing the contemplation game with myself like I usually do. After four minutes, I rolled myself out of bed and got moving. I will say that is the hardest part for me of getting a workout in before work; the initial getting out of bed part.

I dress up in my workout gear with my eyes closed and stumble down the stairs. I begin my treadmill workout with a walk, to start to get the blood flowing and to wake me up. Before I know it I am increasing the speed and eventually crank out 3 miles at an easy slow pace. As I was running I was thinking of all of the reasons why I like to run before work. I decided I needed to write these down, and maybe print them off so that I can look at them while I am feeling like I don’t want to get out of bed.

Reasons why I like to workout in the morning before work:

• It means I don’t have to workout AFTER work
• It gives me extra energy throughout the work day
• It helps me to make healthy food decisions
• It jump-starts my metabolism and helps me to burn more calories throughout my day
• It gives me more time after work to hang out with the boys or get things done around the house
• It gives me more time to RELAX after work
• I get to start my day knowing I did something great for my body

Reasons why I don’t like/it’s hard working out in the morning:

• I like to sleep
• It is dark in the morning
• It is cold outside of my warm bed
• The thought of heading down to the gym seems torturous sometimes

There’s no comparison! The reasons why I like to workout before work totally outweigh the reasons why I don’t. Who would have thought? I know that once spring rolls around and it is a little bit warmer outside and when the sun starts rising a little earlier again, it will be easier. The winter is always hard in Minnesota. We have been very lucky so far with a mild winter though! I really can’t complain about the weather.

After my run I made myself a bowl of creamy pumpkin oatmeal.

In the mix:

• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

Microwave for 2 minutes watching carefully for explosive messes in the microwave. Remove, add stevia and cinnamon, mix. Top with a Tablespoon of PB2 and a drizzle of light maple syrup. Devour. I am off to start my day. Workout complete and all!