You know you want to be a morning workout person.
Your energy levels are way too low after being at the office all day, and you love the feeling of checking something off of your to-do list immediately after you wake up.
Getting up and to the gym isn’t the problem, though—it’s how to look presentable afterwards.
And that time is precious! If you’re making the effort to wake up early, most of that time should actually be used to workout. To cut down as many minutes as possible from your post-gym routine, try out some of the following:
Take Advantage Of Gym Facilities
Instead of traveling back and forth between your apartment and the gym to shower, get ready right at the gym. Scope out the facilities on the weekend to see what’s available to you. Staying at the gym to get ready will give you a bit of extra time to squeeze in a few more minutes to your run or to add an abs routine to the end of your workout.
Don’t Wash Your Hair
Most of us have at least heard at this point that we shouldn’t wash our hair every day—whether we actually follow through on that advice is a totally different story. But this is one of the best ways to keep your hair healthy and save some time. Try this: before your workout, put conditioner on the ends of your dry hair, and then tie it up in a bun. When you shower, all you have to do is rinse out the conditioner. It saves time and leaves your hair smelling fresh and looking silky. Dry shampoo is another option.
Keep Your Gym Bag Organized
For many, this means investing in smaller bags to go in a larger bag. Have one bag for your shower essentials, one for your makeup, one for clean clothes and one for dirty clothes. You want to avoid tearing through your bag in a panic looking for your hairbrush. If you know which bag has which stuff (and you can keep it organized), then going through your bag will be a breeze.
Simplify Your Makeup Routine
Keep it as basic as possible. Figure out what your bare minimum is, and promise yourself that will be enough. Maybe it’s just mascara. Maybe it’s a little BB cream and some lip gloss. Or maybe that post-gym glow is enough to get you through the day. Pack essentials so you’re only looking at what you need.
Don’t let getting ready for work keep you from hitting the gym in the morning. Becoming a morning exerciser is one of the best ways to make moving your body a habit, and the last thing that should keep you from making a healthy choice is what needs to happen after. You may not look quite as put together as you usually do, but shaving a little time from your morning routine will pay off in how much healthier you look and feel in the long run.
Feature Photo via Beauty & The Dirt
