The other day, a dear friend had posted on Facebook a rally cry for friends to provide inspiration for early morning workouts. Before moving in with Corey, I had always been an evening workout kinda gal. With a very early commute (hello 7am train) and an open evening often spent alone, it made sense. The pitfall of course was any enticing invitation for a happy hour drink or need to work late. Quickly my workout became the last priority.

Now that we have been blissfully living in sin for 2 years, I have switched to early morning workouts- sometimes as early as 5 am.  When I share this with friends and colleagues I’m often met with groans and “I don’t know how you do that” comments. But really, the early alarm is all mental my friends. Here’s my list of ways to get moving in the morning:

1.)   Get to bed! According to studies from Harvard, a chronic lack of sleep (less than 8 hours) can lead to high blood pressure, weight gain and a decrease in your immune system. I always prioritize sleep over a workout and am often getting to bed between 9- 9:30 every night for a 5- 5:30 alarm. If I have a bad night’s sleep or if I have a series of late nights, I push my workouts to later in the week. The potential for injury is not worth it and honestly my workouts are not as effective.

2.)   Find something that excites you- Let’s face it, when the weather turns dark and cold in the winter, even the diehard exercisers struggle with their desire to get out of bed for the gym. For me, I have looked forward to morning workouts if I really love what I am doing. If it feels like a chore, then maybe its not the right workout for you! Lately Crossfit has been striking my fancy and even though late work nights have prevented my 6am attendance, I am itching to get back.

3.)   Get Social- Sometimes it just takes a few encouraging words to give you the boost you need. Tweet, FB, Instagram your intent for a morning workout or the after sweaty pic. It will amaze you the support you will receive in the most surprising places.

4.)   Find a Friend- This is one of the oldest tricks in the book but a friend to hold you accountable goes a long way! I look forward to my 6am WOD crew and you better believe when I go MIA, they’re sending me the encouragement to get back. Lately, I have lost my running mojo until I tried a short run with furbaby Piper. She’s now my motivation to lace up and get out!

5.)   Plan your day accordingly- When I have morning workouts I plan out my day ahead of time. By setting out my workout clothes, picking out my work outfit and planning my lunch, I allow myself the time to exercise without excuses. No more, I have a 9am meeting and couldn’t get ready in time. When you plan ahead, its harder to make excuses.

Are these tips fail-safe? Certainly not, but the trick to any workout, diet, lifestyle regimen is the desire and want to continue and improve. Do you want to be healthy? Do you want to feel good, eat right, sleep well? You are the person in control to make that decision everyday.

Question of the day: What tips can you share about making morning workouts easier?

Its that time of year again where everyone is searching high and low for the perfect Christmas and Holiday gifts for loved ones. Here’s my 5 Favorite things for your favorite home chef! I seriously don’t know how I would live without these. And the best part? Each item is under $50!

We use the immersion or ‘stick’ blender at least 2x a week in our house. Between soups and smoothies this thing is tough and gets the job done without having to lug out a massive blender. This is a great gift for family or friends that enjoy to cook and may not have a lot of storage in their kitchen. This little baby fits nicely into any drawer or cabinet!

This was a gift last year for Corey and we have used it almost every fall/winter weekend! The 16 inches of cooking surface is perfect for a dinner for two or even four. We often use it in place of a pot to cook roasts, or large pieces of meat with veggies and broth. This is great for meals where you want to sear the outside of the meat and steam cook the inside. You can find this at any Walmart, Target or Bed Bath and Beyond.

This stocking stuffer is used all the time in our house! Since we’re wine enthusiasts we often will open more than one bottle at once having only a glass of various wines. That leaves us with half a bottle or more for a later date. The Rabbit wine saver will not preserve the wine for more than a week, but let’s face it, does an open bottle really last that long? Especially during the holidays!

This brand of dishes is somewhat of a tradition that has been passed down from my grandmother to my mom and now to me. Not only are these dishes presentable to serve from (please do me a favor and don’t serve from your cooking pot!) and they are oven, microwave and dishwasher safe! We’ve baked some hardcore casseroles in these and they have cleaned up easily every time. That itself is a reason to buy!

Like my true inner cavelady, I have a deep love of cooking meat.  Until recently, I would tell how done the meat is by outer color/shell and the color of the juices that were secreted. (FYI if the juice is clear the meat is TYPICALLY done) But in an effort to cook safely and deliciously, we bought a meat thermometer similar to the one shown above.  My favorite part? That it tells you the ‘doneness’ of each meat.

Question of the Day: What’s your favorite kitchen gadgets? Is there a particular one you would like from Santa?