Change in routine is killing me!

ilbcnuz

I went from working 2nd shift and working out first thing in the morning, to an early bird first shift and only having time to exercise after work. Some days I work 8 hours. Some days 12 or 14 hours. And there always seems to be something that desperately needs done immediately after work. I can't hardly force myself to exercise in the evenings. I feel great after I do, but then have a hard time getting to sleep. The alarm is set for 3:30 am so an early bedtime is a necessity.

Any tips/hints for talking myself into exercising late afternoons/early evenings?

tomatoey

My thoughts are:
- Your sleep is the #1 thing right now - this new pattern needs to sink in. Same bedtime every day, weekends and weekdays.
- Only work out after short (8 hour) days, never 12-14 hr days. When you do work out, do it immediately after work and have a snack (at work) about 1 hour before you exercise.
- Pick a gym as close to work as possible
- Save your harder/longer workouts for weekends (or days off if you work weekends).
- Be really careful with your diet, this will matter most for weight loss.
- Play with your macros to fuel workouts and deal with mornings to see what feels best. (Like if I'm low on sleep, more carbs feel better. Carbs are better before harder workouts. Proteins are easier to digest in the middle of the day. I don't know how any of that would feel for you, but experiment.)
- OMG I can't believe you work this shift, seriously, I would die or be fired within a week