Everyone vows that come Monday morning they will bolt out of bed and exercise before they have to leave for work or get the kids off to school or even both. But, then Monday comes along, the alarm goes off and no one wants to bother with the "plan" again. Sighing, the plan is pushed back to Tuesday and then Wednesday and so on. The problem is not only willpower and determination, although both are absent at the moment. The problem is a definite lack of available energy. One very ironic tip for getting more energy is to get more exercise. It sounds like the set up for a horribly unfunny joke.

For the planner, the problem may not have been a lack of proper sleep the night before, as common as that is, but rather all of the thinking that they were doing about exercise before the time to do so came along. According to researchers in the United Kingdom, people were divided into two groups. The first group was asked to hop on an exercise bike and to keep going until they were unable to continue. The second group was asked to first do some work on a computer and then to get on the bike. The second group were seated the whole time but still tired out nearly twenty minutes before the first group did. The conclusion was the process of thinking and just sitting was enough to tire the subjects out before they started exercising.

Another way to push through exhaustion is to follow the five minute rule. Just give yourself five minutes of an exercise and if you still want to quit, then do so. However, for most people, just getting past that first five, groggy minutes is the major battle. Win that one and you are virtually home free. Exercise allows you to feel energized and better almost immediately. If you find yourself quitting more than pushing through, it is time to reconsider your workout plans altogether. Either you need to find a new exercise plan to do or try to do your exercise at a different time of day. Don't fall for the trap that you have to workout first thing in the morning. If you are not a morning person, this will never work for you.

Make sure that you are getting enough food because that is the fuel you will use for energy. Eat the right foods at the right time and you might become far more energetic even before you start exercising.