Morning Workouts. (Or, Those Things Other People Do.)
photo by tomas
This morning I woke up 20 minutes before I needed to. Nope, I’m not becoming a morning person; the towel hook in my bathroom finally unstuck itself. I woke up to an echoing ka-plunk at 6:15 a.m. and, naturally, the first thing I thought was that someone was breaking into my apartment. Of course.
(In my defense, in an apartment building I lived in about a year ago, my neighbors across the hall were beaten with a hammer when their apartment was broken in to. Yes, they were OK. No, we no longer live there. Thus explains my anxiety.)
After checking the place, shaking myself out of early morning grogginess, and realizing our weak little towel hook was to blame, I slid back under the warm covers.
“This would be the perfect time to do some early-morning yoga,” I thought. I always envy those people who can wake up early to exercise and stretch before the day begins. They seem so awake, so centered, so fit.
And then I fell back asleep.
So far, the research hasn’t chosen a side in the workout debate. Some people claim morning exercisers are more likely to stick to their fitness plan. Once the day gets going, we’re more likely to let other tasks, chores, or distractions come between us and our workout. Others say muscles perform better in the late afternoon or early evening. And still others say exercise is best whenever you can fit it in—during the wee hours of the morning (that’s anywhere from 4 to 9 a.m. to me), afternoon, evening, or night.
I’ve never been to the gym before 9 a.m. but I’d like to wager that most people are like me, the squeeze-it-in-after-work-and-before-your-stomach-eats-itself-for-dinner type. I believe this because the gym is packed like a Jonas Brothers concert every night at 5 or 6 p.m.
Still, I have a nagging desire to become this crazy morning person who wakes up at 4 a.m., does some yoga, maybe cardio and strength training every other day, eats breakfast while reading the news, does a little cleaning, and gets ready for the day. All before I’d normally be pressing snooze for the fifth time. (Sigh.)
All right folks, this tired blogger is signing off. It’s time to whip up a quick dinner before I bake some oatmeal breakfast cookies. (Apparently these have escaped my oatmeal boredom.) I cribbed liberally from The Fitnessista’s recipe, though I cool mine in the fridge, roll them into balls, then bake in the oven until they’re crisp. I make a batch that lasts half a week. This week’s add-ins to the oats/milk/protein powder mix: almond butter (of course) with a few chocolate chips, and apples and cinnamon.
Before you go, lemme know: When do you like to exercise? Does the time of day you exercise make a difference to how hard you work out or what type of exercise you do?
17 comments
i don’t understand people who work out before work in the morning either. i would like to be able to work out during my lunch hour, but i’m never able to get away long enough for that. therefore, i’m an after work girl. but i try to go around 7 after the 5-6 rush!
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Tracey Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Clothing Menu: My lunch break is too short, too. I wish I could go around 7, but I’d be starving for dinner.
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Working from home solves this whole when-to-workout conundrum. It really is my favorite part of the whole deal. I work out late morning or early afternoon, whenever I need a mental reboot. The thing is, I am so much more productive when I get back to work I can’t believe that workplaces don’t require a midday workout. I used to hate going to the gym after work. I just read that book The Four Hour Work Week, which I don’t really recommend, but there is some very useful advice in their for persuading your employer, no matter what kind of job you have, to let you work at least part of the time from home. You should get it out of the library and read that part.
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Tracey Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Joy, I would love, love love to work out in the afternoon. It would nicely break up the workday, like you said. I just don’t see how people fit a decent workout in if they also plan to freshen up/shower and actually eat lunch. My workouts alone take longer than my lunch break, never mind traveling, etc. I envy your flexible schedule. I’ll have to remember the Four Hour Work Week, thanks!
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a Jonas concert at the gym? now I know where my teen is when she doesn’t come right now.
On the weekends I’ve been running mid-afternoon. Totally weird timing for me. But it’s working.
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Tracey Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 11:51 pm
Yum Yucky, You know, I’ve been doing some random afternoon workouts on weekends, too. It’s kind of nice. Thanks for stopping by!
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I totally would have thought someone was breaking into my apartment also. I prefer working out in the mornings. I am so not a night person, that my workouts really suffer in the evenings. I also tend to cut them short due to hunger.
In my 10 years of working in gyms the morning crowd while smaller than the evening crowd is overall a more consistent group of exercisers. However, the best time of day to workout is whatever time is best for an individual.
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Tracey Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Jess, Thanks for the expert insight!
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I am a morning person! I wake up, brush my teeth, lace up the shoes and head out! It is what works for me. I love getting my workout done first thing because it sets the tone for my day and gives me energy. With that said, not everyone is like that! My husband is a mid-day workout guy and that is what works best for him. I think it is just an individual decision and once you find what works for you then you will stick with it.
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I would love to workout in the morning but as a mom of 2 this is really not possible unless I get up super early. For my PM workouts it is a chance for me to unwind and decompress from the day. It works for me but I know that everyone is an individual.
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Tracey Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Sarah–I hadn’t thought about it, but I also like that I can de-stress from the day with my evening workout. Thanks for visiting my blog!
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I love to do yoga in the morning…but I don’t always get myself up for it. When I do, I usually feel a little sluggish at the start, but after I’m done, I feel wonderful, and feel like I’ve accomplished so much even before breakfast! Cardio on the other hand, I much prefer to do later in the day when I’m more awake.
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Tracey Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
FoodFitnessFreshair: Ugh, I tried early-morning cardio one time and realized I was like a zombie. I don’t think I even sweat!
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Regrettably I have found the 5:30 alarm clock, leading to running in the dark at 6AM, has been the most reliable way of making sure my exercise happens. If I’m really disciplined I can do it in the after work (love your description of that!) slot too, but, for efficiency of showering if nothing else, I like that morning thing. The hardest part is getting out the front door – once I’m out in the cool air, I love it.
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Tracey Reply:
January 28th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Struggler, way to go! Not only are you up at 6 a.m., but you’re running!
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so im totally a morning exerciser. mostly because i hate the toolbags at the gym from 6-8pm (you and the normal people excluded. but you know those that im talking about.) once i started doing it in the morning, it was so much better for my schedule. i feel more energized come 10am, im able to just relax in the evening, and it works for me. also, when im training for a race, especially in the warm weather, i like to get my run in early before it’s sweltering outside.
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Great question… And yes – question is over highly debated issue/topic.
I like working out in the morning. Currently, I lift on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons because a couple of buddies agreed to do so w/ me. I find it’s more enjoyable to work out with at least another person.
I go for a walk on Tuesay, Saturday, and Sunday mornings (anywhere from 5 through 6 AM).
A long, long time ago I read an article on some health magazine that suggested to work out for strength in the mornings and for endurance in the afternoons. Logic being that you have more energy and power in the mornings BEFORE work-related stresses and various activities.
Kevin
On Twitter as @glycotrainer
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