The Slow-Motion Crisis of an Early Start

Getting ready for gym in the morning can be the most embarrassingly sluggish thing for me. Long ago, back in high school, I could be out the door in no more than 20 minutes. Now, four years later, it takes me at least an hour and a half.

How is that? For a normally pretty darn efficient person, such as myself, this should be considered ridiculous.

Thanks to finally getting used to my 5:30AM starts, I no longer need to stay in bed for a minimum of an hour scrolling through my phone. Now, I'm out within the minute washing my face, making myself a quick breaky (natural yogurt mixed with vanilla whey protein powder with berries and yogurt -- get onto it). Then, I just wait an hour to digest the breaky so I can go to gym without feeling bloated. All in all, I'm not driving into the gym parking lot (FYI. a two minute drive) until 7:15.

I reckon it's because in the morning whatever you normally do is turned into a slow-motion act. While washing my face, I'm entranced by the deadness of my half-asleep face and wondering why my pores always look so invisible only ever in the morning. While making breaky, I also have to turn it into the "Breakfast With Ashley Show" and make sure my bowl looks completely aesthetically pleasing before toddling back to my room, and I have to simultaneously watch a movie like "She's The Man" while I'm getting ready. Where did it all go wrong, Amanda?

I'm like a toddler before nap time: I'll find every excuse to take too long before starting.

Sometimes, however, I do find little tricks on how to actually get my ass out of the house before the gym starts filling up...

• Instagram
  Nothing gets you motivated out the house like a gym bunny on Insta flaunting her abs and pre-workout like she's got her entire life figured out.

Image Credit: Madalin Giorgetta

Image Credit: Brooke Mullen

• A good song
  Dancing wakes you up, even if your moves are incredibly white and dorky. At the moment, "Mambo No. 5" really has me rocking out. Nothing better than getting into a song about a dude having countless women in his life. It's surprisingly empowering (if I pretend I'm the guy in this scenario, anyway).
  
  
• A breaky worth fighting for
  Unsurprisingly, a bowl of oatmeal, honey and seeds really doesn't do it for me. Yogurt and fruit, however, have become my entire life. Having a whole bunch of vanilla ice cream protein thrown in there as well really helps the meal feel like a kick-start. 

• A lush new gym outfit
  Obviously not a day-to-day recommendation, but it's always good to change it up once in a while with something different for your wake-up routine. 

Image Credit: Lorna Jane

Image Credit: Cotton On Body

• Stick to one alarm 
  Or two, if you're like me. Having multiple would usually give me the excuse of going back to sleep. My mind is astonishingly good at holding a persuasive argument in the first few seconds of morning. But having one at 5:30AM and then another a minute after is usually wake-up call enough to send me whining out of bed.
  
• Get out of bed as soon as possible
  This seems obvious, but the longer you stay in bed the more you'll probably debate even leaving the house. So, ideally, wait till breakfast is served before browsing through social media. Avoid breakfast in bed as well.