Hello readers! I wanted to share with you all my routine that I’ve sort of gravitated into for days that I have to work. I’ve shared this in the past, but if you’re new, I work a 12-hour shift working at a pharmaceutical company for which I have roughly a 1 hour commute. Thankfully, with these hours, I have a staggered schedule so I don’t work the normal Monday-Friday. If I did, I feel like this routine wouldn’t be sustainable as I would eventually just get too worn out with lack of sleep and over-exertion. That being said, I do follow this routine at least four days out of the week so this is an average morning for me. But that’s enough of an intro, so let’s jump into this routine.

3:00 AM

My alarm goes off at 3:00 in the morning. I actually have it set up so my alarms are linked to my Spotify “liked” songs. I love listening to music, so this really helps me wake up in the right mood. Also, I know that this is an insane hour to wake up. Again, I feel the need to point out that this is my wake-up time only for the days that I work. I have a whole different routine for the days I don’t work. With wanting to get my workout in and having to shower, I have discovered that this is the ideal time for me to wake up so that I’m not having to rush to get ready for work.

3:15 – 3:50 AM

I give myself fifteen minutes after my alarm goes off to get dressed, get my preworkout ready and race to the basement to start my workout. I prep everything I need for my morning workout the night before, which really helps as I’m normally on a major time crunch. I also don’t eat prior to working out as I feel more sluggish if I do. My current workout program that I’m following is the 9 Week Control Freak from Beachbody. The workouts average about 30 minutes a day with a late evening stretch. 3:50 is my cut-off point for my morning workout. That being said, if my timing is off and I’m a little more sluggish, I will save the Beachbody program for after work and instead spend that time on the treadmill or catch some extra sleep if I’m just down for the count. After my workout, I will make a quick protein shake which I will take upstairs with me to finish as I gather my things around for my shower. If I’m racing around for time, I won’t do anything fancy with my morning shake. Quite often I’ll just do straight protein powder and water. My favorite is this one by the company Ghost and it’s in the flavor Nutter Butter. It mixes so smooth and tastes really good with no chalky texture that I’ve experienced with other protein powders. So I’ll take that upstairs with me and chug and then it’s time to brush my teeth and a shower.

4:15 Am

I will set an alarm for when I’m in the shower. With it being winter, when I hop in the warm shower, all I want to do is just stand there and relax. Setting the alarm keeps me moving and doesn’t allow me to dawdle. As soon as I’m done with my shower I will start my skincare routine, which usually takes the longest. I primarily use all Clinique products as I have seen the best results with their acne line. The entire time I’m doing this, I usually have two little kitties head butting my legs because they want their breakfast. After my skin is awake and feeling refreshed, I will get dressed for work. We have to wear uniforms at work, similar to what you would expect in a hospital, so pretty lightweight material. I take advantage of this and will wear workout gear under my uniform. Not only is this super comfortable all day for a 12-hour shift, but then when I get home I can just take off my uniform and hop on the treadmill or do my workout if I didn’t complete it in the morning. So it eliminates the excuse of having to change again.

4:40 AM

I try to be ready by 4:40 and head downstairs one final time. First thing, I will start up my truck and let that run for a little bit to defrost as it is winter still. Then it’s on to (finally) getting my pets their food. Just like with my pre-workout and my clothes, I have my lunch box and work bag prepped and ready to go the night before. Depending on the morning, sometimes I will grab a can of Celsius or Alani Nu for the ride to work. This, paired with my pre-workout, will give me a pretty good boost of energy that will last me the majority of the day.

4:50 AM

At last it is time for me to get out the door. I always get one last kiss from my husband and say goodbye to my pets before heading out for my hour-long commute!

The times for my routine may vary from time-to-time but I try to stick to these whenever I can. As you saw, every aspect of my morning is basically timed so that I can get my workout done and do everything I need to do to get to work on time. Everything I use for my mornings are prepped the night before, from my clothes to my skincare products. Everything is lined up and in a specific place to make it easier for me. The hardest part of this whole routine is just waking up. No one loves to wake up at 3:00 in the morning and then go workout. I dread that alarm going off. But once I get up and start moving around I am awake and excited to get my workout in. I do what I have to do, though, in order to reach my fitness goals. Again, I am doing 9 Week Control Freak and that is only five days a week. I live for the rest days as I take full advantage of this and will sleep in until a little after 4:00am. I also want to point out that this is my “work day routine”. So I am not waking up this early every single day! My body would not be able to handle that.

Thank you so much for reading! If you like this kind of content and want to see more of my routines and things that have helped me along my weightloss journey, be sure to like this post, leave a comment, and/or follow my blog! Until next time…………