The early morning hours were mine, but over the past few months I  have been sharing them. I thought the sharing was equitable until a few days ago when I did not have to share those hours at all.  They were all mine and it was wonderful. I did not realize how much I missed having it all to myself.

Being a father of four kids, not much is mine nowadays and the morning is no exception.  I had the mornings to myself for nearly a year after my third child started sleeping in a bit.  My mornings (and nights) were rocked, however, when I had my fourth child in November. Gone were the morning workout, time to unwind afterward said workout, and a quiet house before everyone woke up.  I wanted my morning back.

Slowly that dream of having my mornings back to myself has become a bit more realistic.  My son is kind of sleeping through the night on a consistent basis. When he wakes up is the wildcard that has been holding me back, it could be 4:30 or 5:15 or 6:30.  The uncertainty has kept me from the morning workout – the crown jewel I have been missing.

These past few mornings he has been waking up in the 4 o’clock hour, eating and going back to sleep.  This has enabled me to get a full workout in after he eats and goes back to sleep. For me, starting the day with a good workout leads to a much better day overall, something I had forgotten.

Don’t take this the wrong way, I love my kids and spending time with them, but as any parent knows, it is nice to get a little break from them.  One of the reasons I started working out before everyone was awake was because it allowed me to workout without feeling guilty about missing time with them.  Working out in the morning me consistency which is a key to success.

With kids all sorts of things can disrupt your day, but if you have your workout done before they are awake your odds of missing workouts is drastically reduced.