When Do YOU Exercise?

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  • countjackula
    countjackula Posts: 99
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    Just out of curiosity; When, in your opinion, is the best time to exercise... morning or evening? And when do you exercise?

    Myself, I prefer morning workouts- after breakfast, of course- because it helps get you going in the morning and energizes you. Not to mention the sense of accomplishment you get and continue to feel for the rest of the day. I find morning workouts are more effective too, as you have much more of it than after a full day's work or whatever- and you haven't had time yet to make up excuses for yourself as to why you shouldn't workout.

    Working a full-time job, however, prevents me from doing am workouts and so I'm stuck going right after work or in the evening- and I find I never get as-good of a workout because you've got the whole day behind you already, and motivation along with energy is lower than it is in the mornings. But, this leaves you to workout following most of the day's meals...and so, is it more effective for toning up or weight loss because of that?

    Just curious. Let me know what you guys think!

    I see advantages and disadvantages to both. Working out in the morning (which I've done) is good because it forces you to get your workout done -- you can't use being tired after work as an excuse! The downside is that I always feel more rushed because I'm on a stricter schedule.

    I usually workout in the evenings after work/before bed. You are right; the motivation is definitely an issue but I just drag myself there and I've found that I've NEVER regretted going to the gym. Afterwards, I head home, drink a light protein shake and have some cottage cheese and call it a night. :)

    As for your second question, I believe studies have shown that when you workout has little to no effect on how much fat is burned or how much muscle is built -- providing that you workout just as hard.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    The best time to exercise is when you can fit it into your schedule and it becomes habit.
    I work out mostly in the morning before work.
  • Shirley61
    Shirley61 Posts: 7,758 Member
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    Since I work during the day, evenings are
    the only alternative. I am going to (3) days
    a week starting next week and looking
    forward to morning exercising. Actually
    looking forward to more exercising and
    meditation too. :wink:
  • Cristy_AZ
    Cristy_AZ Posts: 986
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    I work out early, or I won't do it at all. Right now we are up at 4:30 am and I work out as soon as my husband leaves for work about 5:00 am. Worked out from 5:00 to 6:00 am this morning!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    The best time to exercise is when you can fit it into your schedule and it becomes habit.

    I totally agree!!! Great way to put it.

    Personally, I prefer working out in the evenings - it's a great way to end my day - leaves me feeling accomplished and I can work out any frustrations I have in a productive way. It's become habit for me to go after dinner - the gym usually isn't too crowded if I wait until 7:30 or 8. Plus, I'm NOT a morning person, and although I would love to be able to get up early and workout in the mornings before work, I enjoy my evening time, and there are only so many hours in a day!
  • Rondaks
    Rondaks Posts: 22
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    I am a lucky one in that I am a stay at home mom and student. My schedule is really flexible, but I like to exercise the same time every day. So Monday - Friday I workout right after I take my son to school. I go straight to the gym from there. On Saturdays and Sundays I am always the first one awake, so I go as soon as I get up. I like having a gym to go to. We have a treadmill at home, but at the gym, I am only there for one reason. There is nothing stopping me from working out (like the laundry, making breakfast, getting the kid ready for school, doing the dishes, etc.). If something messes up my schedule, like having to go to a meeting or an appointment of some kind, then it really messes up my routine. I can sometimes get my workout in the evening when that happens, but it is more of a struggle to get myself there if that happens.
  • Buttsmom
    Buttsmom Posts: 351 Member
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    Sometime after midnight when everything else is done for the day and everyone else is in bed here.
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    I am a lucky one in that I am a stay at home mom and student. My schedule is really flexible, but I like to exercise the same time every day. So Monday - Friday I workout right after I take my son to school. I go straight to the gym from there. On Saturdays and Sundays I am always the first one awake, so I go as soon as I get up. I like having a gym to go to. We have a treadmill at home, but at the gym, I am only there for one reason. There is nothing stopping me from working out (like the laundry, making breakfast, getting the kid ready for school, doing the dishes, etc.). If something messes up my schedule, like having to go to a meeting or an appointment of some kind, then it really messes up my routine. I can sometimes get my workout in the evening when that happens, but it is more of a struggle to get myself there if that happens.

    Even though I'm focused on my home workouts. If there are dishes in the sink or laundry to be done, sometimes my mind is on that. If I didn't fill and start the dishwasher at night, there have been times that I've done it right before starting my workout. My workouts are very important to me, but we still have housework to do.
  • RunConquerCelebrate
    RunConquerCelebrate Posts: 956 Member
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    I work out at night, I have a full time job two little ones at home so the only time I have left is night when they go to bed. I would love to work out in the AM but honestly I am not a morning person so it is hard to get up at 5 am to start working out.
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,411 Member
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    I am a lucky one in that I am a stay at home mom and student. My schedule is really flexible, but I like to exercise the same time every day. So Monday - Friday I workout right after I take my son to school. I go straight to the gym from there. On Saturdays and Sundays I am always the first one awake, so I go as soon as I get up. I like having a gym to go to. We have a treadmill at home, but at the gym, I am only there for one reason. There is nothing stopping me from working out (like the laundry, making breakfast, getting the kid ready for school, doing the dishes, etc.). If something messes up my schedule, like having to go to a meeting or an appointment of some kind, then it really messes up my routine. I can sometimes get my workout in the evening when that happens, but it is more of a struggle to get myself there if that happens.

    This is me (except the student part). If I don't go straight to the gym after school drop off, it doesn't happen. My kids are old enough that I can leave them alone during breaks, but I need that push out the door in the morning. On Saturdays I take my son to swim practice and go straight to the gym then. I don't workout well at home. Besides all the distractions that are around that need to be done, I can always find something else I'd rather be doing (even if it's just spending time on here!).
  • binary_jester
    binary_jester Posts: 3,311 Member
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    I usually spend at least 2 hours at the gym, so i have to exercise at night. No way I could get up early enough before work to do that.
  • npryor100
    npryor100 Posts: 99 Member
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    I feel exactly the same way! I am trying to not beat myself up over not being a 5AM workout person, and instead embracing the evening
  • CassieH818
    CassieH818 Posts: 221 Member
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    I work out at night after my daughter goes to sleep. I have tried the early morning workouts but its not for me!

    As long as im working out I am happy!
  • BleacherAddict
    BleacherAddict Posts: 35
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    I'm gone 7am-7pm everyday for work, then I grab a quick bite for dinner, and am out the door to the gym by 730. I do about an hour and a half and I'm back home by 930. It's a full day for me, there is no way I could do that before work. I do prefer to do my weekend workouts as soon as I wake up though, and they are usually quite a bit longer.
  • Sigra
    Sigra Posts: 374 Member
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    I used to work out after work. I would give myself a few hours to cool down but never take a nap before the gym. When I worked 8am-5pm I would hit the gym around 8pm and stay there for a good hour. It felt amazing because I was always ready for a nice warm shower and bed after the fact :)

    With my new schedule, 10:30am-7:30pm it is a little bit more difficult, and I've had a hard time finding a good time to work out :(
  • athenafl
    athenafl Posts: 41 Member
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    I get up at 4 and hit the road by 5, either running or on my bike. That lets me get in a swim practice at 7 three days a week and still get to work by 9.

    I decided a few years ago that I had to workout at a crazy early time because something *always* happens at work to keep me there late and preventing me from exercising in the evening. Plus, the exercise tends to energize me and I have trouble falling asleep if I work out in the evening.

    Everybody's different, though. What works for me may not work for someone else.
  • lindasain
    lindasain Posts: 163 Member
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    :drinker:
    just kidding
    I like to go to the gym in the morning around 9 am.. that is the week i am off I still haven't got one at work going to try a dvd tape..
  • ropedancer
    ropedancer Posts: 115
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    I'm pretty lucky in that I don't need to be at work that early. The earliest I need to get on the road is 9AM, which leaves me plenty of time to wake up, exercise for 30-45 min, shower, eat breakfast , and get ready without waking up at some crazy time. I have so much respect for people who can get up in the wee hours of the morning to exercise. I'm not sure I could do it!
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    Even though I'm focused on my home workouts. If there are dishes in the sink or laundry to be done, sometimes my mind is on that. If I didn't fill and start the dishwasher at night, there have been times that I've done it right before starting my workout. My workouts are very important to me, but we still have housework to do.

    I start DH and the kids on the housework so I can work out on weekends :) During the week, I'm generally up between 4:30 and 5:00 depending on the workout planned. DH and I have an agreement he leaves for work before i start my work out and it's generally before the kids get up. My 11 yo trains with me often, so we are both up doing it together.

    If we don't workout early then the days activities become overwhelming and the exercise gets skipped the only way to ensure that doesn't happen is to start with it.
  • gold27701
    gold27701 Posts: 15 Member
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    During the off-season I only exercise during the morning, getting up at 5:15 to head to the gym. Typically workout for 1.5 hours. During the on-season, I get to the gym at 6:00AM then get 1.0 hour workout, but I lunch time I typically do an 8 mile course on a singlespeed mountain bike, this typically takes about 50 minutes to complete.

    The off-season workout is new, trying to customize the workout to meet my needs and achieve my weight loss goals. Incorporating interval training on the stationary bikes isn't very exciting but I hope it achieves my goals.

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