Getting Organized

The 4:30am wake up hasn't been too bad. I'm finding that I don't really have too much trouble getting up, but I'm struggling with my time management in getting OUT the door.

It appears I have forgotten how to organize myself to get ready for the gym. Finding the right workout clothes (I have specific sports bras and pants that I wear for various exercises; each offer different support, comfort, convenience); preparing and eating a high protein breakfast that is fast and easy; having all my gear such as my heart rate monitor, iPod Shuffle, gloves, etc; and making my bottle of Xtend to take with me. This all sounds like they would be easy tasks, right? WRONG! Try getting all this together in the dark, while trying not to make a sound so that you don't wake the entire family! OYE VEY!

One issue I have is that I don't share a bathroom with my husband, so my bathroom is down two floors and I have to pass the kids' bedrooms. They are LIGHT sleepers so I'm creeping around in the dark and trying not to make any noise and disturb them. This morning, I realized that I left my heartrate monitor in their bathroom because I took it off last night to give my son a bath. DAMN! I went into super stealth mode to retrieve it...

Also, If I don't have my workout clothes out the night before, I have to turn on lights to find what I need and I'm shuffling all around and it takes much more time than I'd prefer, not to mention I get a grumpy husband that wants to know why I'm making such a ruckus!

For breakfast, I've been lucky this week that I've had roasted turkey in the fridge that I can grab and scarf down quickly. I get about 24 g of protein, very little fat and zero carbs right before my workout...SCORE! I know turkey doesn't sound delicious for 4:45 in the morning, but you do what you gotta do to get the right marcronutrients in before a workout :)

So here's my plan...

Night before, I need to:

1. Pack gym bag (shoes, HR monitor, iPod, headphones, gloves) This should be relatively easy since, all of it can go right back into gym bag after my workout.

2. Set out workout clothes (this fits in great that I've always got an exercise routine/plan mapped out and I know what clothes I need to wear for it)

3. Make Xtend bottle and put in fridge

4. Make breakfast that's fast and easy and can be eaten cold or on the go.

5. Have all necessary utensils for breakfast and protein shake out on counter ready to go! This way I'm not shuffling through drawers and cabinets and making too much noise.

6. GO TO BED EARLY! 9pm is perfect. I haven't felt sluggish or groggy. I know that once the weather gets colder, I'm going to have a hard time leaving my down comfortor, but right now, I'll just take comfort in the fact that I'm not having too hard of a time and hopefully I'll just get into a routine.

So week one is almost done. Let's pray that week #2 goes a little more smoothly.