Glorious were the post-college days when I went to bed at 3 am and my days started at 11. If I never grew up, that's what they'd look like today. But they don't. Not even on the weekend. No, these days I am a mature, responsible adult who enjoys early nights in and crack-of-dawn wake up calls. If you believed that last part you're stupid. Who actually enjoys going to bed by 10 and getting up at 5:30? No one unless you're a weirdo, in which case I'm judging you, which also negates that first part about me being a mature, responsible adult. I'm just an adult fml.

The truth is, despite what the girls at BBF assume, I haaaaaate getting up so early. Every morning I drag myself out of bed as I curse God for inventing ungodly hours of the morning. How inhumane! So basically for the 2 or so minutes between getting out of bed and washing my face, I am a bitter bitch and hate life. But then I'm me again! (If you think I'm a bitter bitch always, f you I hate you. Just kidding.)

The great thing about getting up early and working out is that once you get over your initial loathing of the world, you're good. Yes, the last thing you want to do when your body is begging you for sleep is work out, but this feeling is fleeting. You get up, wash your face, drink some coffee and all is good with the world again. Then you have no choice but to be productive and feel the elusive feeling of achievement, which really feels like a big hug, truly. You get your fitness on and before you know it, you've just finished your workout while everyone is hitting the snooze button. Do you feel superior in this moment? Yes. Yes, you do.

Here are a few tips to help you get up for an early am workout:

Lay out the clothes you plan to exercise in the night before and set your socks and shoes in front of your bed. GO TO SLEEP ON TIME! For me that means no later than 9:30 pm. I'm so not cool but I so don't care because I'd rather end my day early than walk around like a zombie the next.

If it's comfortable, go to sleep in your sports bra and running shorts. That way, half the work is already done when your alarm goes off.

Whether you're using a phone or alarm clock, put it far away enough so that you have to get out of bed to turn it off.

Set a bottle of water close to your alarm clock, preferably with some lemon juice in it.

When your alarm goes off, DO NOT HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON! I really can't stress this one enough. Just don't do it. Set the alarm for the latest time possible, so you trick your brain into thinking you're in a hurry, rather than thinking, "I can sleep for 10 more minutes." That 10 minutes won't make you less tired. It will, however, turn into 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, then no workout for you. Trust me on this one.

While you're up, grab that bottle of water you set aside the night before and drink a good amount. The lemon juice will kick start your metabolism and help your body wake up faster.

Turn on the TV or put some music on. Or if you prefer, meditate for a few minutes and thank the universe for this day.

Eat a good breakfast (whole grain cereal with unsweetened vanilla almond milk!) Chewing will let your digestive system know it's time to start working, and the good carbs will fuel your workout. Drink a cup of coffee for a caffeine jolt. One cup in the morning is good for you.

Before you even think of heading back to bed, put on your sneakers and the rest of your workout gear. Now you're ready to go before your brain has figured out what just happened.