Changing Workout Time Advice

melagras

Cathlete
I want to try and change my workouts to early morning before work. My question is this: What is your routine? I have to be at work at 8:00 a.m. I can't figure out how to get in a workout, take a shower/dry hair, eat breakfast, put on makeup, get dressed and out the door by 7:25 a.m.

I have the option of changing to 8:30 a.m. but I have to cut my lunch hour to 30 minutes. Ugh!

Working out in the evening is taking up too much time. I've got house projects out the wazoo that aren't getting done.
 
Hi there,

I started working out in the mornings once I had children so I've been rising early for 8+ years now. It was the only way to squeeze in a workout. When I had to get to work for 8am I got up at 4:45 am (still do pretty much) and was in the shower by 6:20 am at the latest to get out by 7:30 am. I set up the coffee machine and laid out my workout and workout clothes/HR monitor the night before so I would be ready to go quickly. I still keep this routine up. I am in bed by 9pm. It's tight in the morning but manageable if you get everything ready the night before e.g. lunch, breakfast, clothes etc... I need the coffee in the morning to wake me up. good luck trying out your new routine.
 
I too get up really early to workout. I have to be at work by 500AM so you could only imagine what time I get up to work out! But I am out the door by 430am and I am in bed by 800pm the latest. It's the only way for me to get it done. I'm home from work by 2pm so I'm here for my little one who gets off the bus at 330 pm after I'm running around to after school stuff dinner homework and other stuff. Good luck to you ! But getting it in early feels so good the rest of the day!
 
Hi there,

I started working out in the mornings once I had children so I've been rising early for 8+ years now. It was the only way to squeeze in a workout. When I had to get to work for 8am I got up at 4:45 am (still do pretty much) and was in the shower by 6:20 am at the latest to get out by 7:30 am. I set up the coffee machine and laid out my workout and workout clothes/HR monitor the night before so I would be ready to go quickly. I still keep this routine up. I am in bed by 9pm. It's tight in the morning but manageable if you get everything ready the night before e.g. lunch, breakfast, clothes etc... I need the coffee in the morning to wake me up. good luck trying out your new routine.
Do you eat a small meal or protein bar before you workout? I wake up starving every morning.

Your routine is doable. I might try it on my weight training days. I don't know how my body will react to cardio that early in the morning.
 
I too get up really early to workout. I have to be at work by 500AM so you could only imagine what time I get up to work out! But I am out the door by 430am and I am in bed by 800pm the latest. It's the only way for me to get it done. I'm home from work by 2pm so I'm here for my little one who gets off the bus at 330 pm after I'm running around to after school stuff dinner homework and other stuff. Good luck to you ! But getting it in early feels so good the rest of the day!
Whoa! I need to stop moaning and complaining. You've got a tough schedule.
 
I get up at 4:30am so I can get it done. I've been doing that for the past year and a half. Before having children (ages 15, 12, & 11), I worked out in the evening. After having children, I tried for years to continue working out in the evening and something almost always got in the way. When I worked in the evening, I worked out 1-3 days per week. Now, I work out 5-6 days per week because there are no distractions that early in the AM. As a mom of 3 boys, there's too much going on in the evening to try to workout in the PM.
 
I get up at 4:30am so I can get it done. I've been doing that for the past year and a half. Before having children (ages 15, 12, & 11), I worked out in the evening. After having children, I tried for years to continue working out in the evening and something almost always got in the way. When I worked in the evening, I worked out 1-3 days per week. Now, I work out 5-6 days per week because there are no distractions that early in the AM. As a mom of 3 boys, there's too much going on in the evening to try to workout in the PM.

This was me!!

I get up at 4:45, are usually done with my workout by 6, get in the shower at 6:15, wake the teenagers, get dressed, makeup, hair, coffee, etc and I am out the door by 7:30.
 
nikkigiovanni said:
I get up at 4:30am so I can get it done. I've been doing that for the past year and a half. Before having children (ages 15, 12, & 11), I worked out in the evening. After having children, I tried for years to continue working out in the evening and something almost always got in the way. When I worked in the evening, I worked out 1-3 days per week. Now, I work out 5-6 days per week because there are no distractions that early in the AM. As a mom of 3 boys, there's too much going on in the evening to try to workout in the PM.

I can definitely relate to that . I have 2 little girls 6 and 1 so if I dont do it in the morning I might as well forget it.
 
Do any of you have trouble getting to sleep going to bed that early? Thanks to menopause, I don't sleep very well. I have a few good days each month where I sleep really well and then several days in a row when I toss and turn and can't get up when the alarm goes off.
 
I am in perimenopause and have no problem falling asleep at night after getting up that early in the morning. I usually fall asleep around 10:30.

Now staying asleep is another story :)
 
I wake up at 5:00am, and I'm usually done with my work out by 6:30 or 6:45. I've been doing this since my first child was born 7 years ago. After my work out I hop in the shower, get dressed, eat, and then get my daughter up at 7:00 so she can catch the bus. While she's eating and getting dressed, I dry my hair and put on make up. The key is to have everything prepared the night before, you just grab and go. It's surprising how time all those little things (getting coffe ready, picking out clothes, ect) take up when your in a hurry.
 
Wow!

I too get up really early to workout. I have to be at work by 500AM so you could only imagine what time I get up to work out! But I am out the door by 430am and I am in bed by 800pm the latest. It's the only way for me to get it done. I'm home from work by 2pm so I'm here for my little one who gets off the bus at 330 pm after I'm running around to after school stuff dinner homework and other stuff. Good luck to you ! But getting it in early feels so good the rest of the day!
If you can do it, anyone can! It just proves what you can do if you make it a priority! You are a real example of what you can do if you put your mind to it. You ARE a WONDERWOMAN!!!!
 
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You've got some great responses here! I switched to morning workouts about 8 months ago and i'm soooo glad I did!! Like other posters, I found myself often skipping evening workouts because of other commitments. I now get up around 5:15 and start my workout between 5:30 and 5:45 (depending on the length). I'm usually done and in the shower by 6:45 am and out the door by 7:30 am. Here are a few pieces of advice that helped me make the switch from evenings to mornings.

-- Have everything set out the night before (pre-workout snack, water glass, clothes, shoes, DVD, needed equipment). Some even sleep in their workout clothes (which is a great idea I may try soon). The more prepared your are, the easier it will be when you are walking around in a fog and the less chance you'll skip your workout.

-- Win the "internal sleep battle" - ya know, that battle that happens in your mind between getting up and sleeping a bit longer. I still fight this battle almost daily and that's okay. Once you say "NO, I'M GONNA DO THIS" a few times it gets easier.

-- Start slow. Expect the first week (or two) to be rough. I made my first week of morning workouts a "recovery week" and i'm so glad I did! All of the workouts were a little easier and shorter which gave my body time to adjust to the new time. It does get easier. I promise!

-- Find a pre-workout snack that works for you. Some workout on an empty stomach, some eat a small snack, and some drink a cup of coffee/glass of milk and eat a bowl of cereal/oatmeal. See what works for you. Everyone is different so what works for one person may not work for another. I found a 1/2 of a banana, a glass of water, and a 15 minute wait works best for me. I tried coffee, cereal, crackers, other fruits, milk, oatmeal, etc. before I found this "perfect" combination. :)

Best of luck!!

Katie
 
Thanks cakebaker!
It was a litttle hard a first but now I actually look forward to it. It's my time to be by myself with no interruptions. I only workout for 40 minutes mon-fri and maybe on a saturday. I do it on an empty stomach well I adctually have a cup of coffee and it is KEY to have everything ready the night before.
 
I'm usually up by 5. I eat a banana and then hop to it. The first few minutes of the workout are rough, but once the blood gets pumpin' you totally forget how early it is. It's nice- by the time i'm done working out the sun is coming up and I feel ready to take on the day.

Good luck with the transition. It'll be tough at first, but YOU CAN DO IT! ;)
 
In response to you having trouble sleeping through the night sometimes - I have a suggestion that has helped me tremendously this past year. (I hope it's okay to make this suggestion) It's a mindfulness based exercise which i use all the time now. When I waken in the night (either to use the bathroom or a dream rouses me etc..) i often do a body scan to help me fall back to sleep. I start by focusing on my toes. I focus on how they feel touching the covers, the bed, look for any vibrations, aches etc... Then, I move along my body to my ankles, shins, knees etc... I never make it very far up my body. I just eventually pass out. By focusing on sensations and feelings in the body, you are not really thinking but doing more 'feeling' work. Thoughts keep you up. Focusing on feelings tend not to. As someone who NEEDS her sleep to get up for Cathe, this works like a charm for me. I found it in a book but you might be able to google or youtube 'body scan' and Jon Kabat-Zinn (I think). Good Luck. We Cathletes need our sleep to go all out in our workouts.
 
Great suggestions, guys! I'm usually pretty organized anyway. I have everything out and ready to go before I go to bed. Its just the thought of getting up earlier and working out that freaks me out.

Katie, funny you should mention starting out with a recovery week. That is exactly what I plan on doing this week.

I tried drinking "real" coffee for the first time in 10+ years this morning to see if it would help give me a jumpstart. Wrong move! I felt like sh&* and was afraid to try any type of a workout.

I'm going to give this a shot tomorrow morning. Wish me luck!
 
I get up at 4:30 and am out the door NLT 7:30. I have coffee and chill time before I work out-can't exercise right away. Then I shower, get dressed and pack lunches for me and my DS. I eat a banana while I do that and then have breakfast when I get to work. My schedule generally goes something like this...

4:30-5:30...coffee, wake up time
5:30-6:30...prep for and do w/o
6:30-7:00...shower and get dressed
7:00-7:30...pack lunches/eat a banana and leave

Ofcourse this will vary according to so many different factors but you get the basic gist of it...HTH :)
 

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