AM Workouts and food...

tristahenry

Sorry, I know this has been posted but when I searched I couldn't get an answer that fit my question...

My goal: Get up, walk out to my garage, do a cardio workout (specifically run).

My problem: I have an itty bitty so I often have to choose between eating or working out. I don't seem to have time to eat a breakfast (my typical is 2 eggs, 2 pieces of Canadian bacon and some veggies or V8), digest and workout during her morning nap time. At this point afternoon/evening workouts are not an option.

My other problem: I usually need to eat before a workout (typically an apple and a piece of cheese or PB) or I don't have the energy to finish my run. I also need to let my food settle for an hour before I workout or I get sick.

Thoughts, suggestions, etc.

sahm23ladies

oof! sounds like you're in a pickle! The first thing that came to mind was to get up a pinch earlier and have something light like a small protein bar or protein shake. Maybe if it were on a smaller scale you could get away with waiting only 30 mins or so prior to running out the door. I can't eat prior to running. I have to get my runs in before breakfast or I feel like I'm gonna hurl.

Can you find a jogging stroller so she can nap while you run? Is it cold where you live? It's easy for me to recommend that since it's supposed to reach a high of 81 degrees here today. lol

I hope you get some helpful suggestions!

Good luck!

ArroganceInStep

A) Eat something light beforehand. Most folks can handle a single banana or a spoonful of peanutbutter or a little bit of yogurt before working out, even without a long stretch to digest. Can you?

Tailor your workout to your energy level and save eating for after. Do the amount of cardio you can on an empty stomach and then go have breakfast. You'll likely adapt to it eventually and exercise on an empty stomach (what I do when I workout in the am) won't be so bad.

Chief_Rocka

Liquid calories like a protein shake and/or milk work well in these situations. You can even make it the night before so all you have to do is drink & go.

jacksonpt

A) Eat before your little one wakes up, then workout out during their nap.
Eat something smaller/lighter/easier and workout before he/she wakes up. A banana, a little applesauce, or even an energy gel if you wanted to get fancy
1) When you say you don't have the energy... make sure you really don't have the energy (physical limitation) and it's not just your brain saying your tired so you give in (mental limitation).

krokador

Do you drink some water before/while you workout? I find that downing a glas of water first thing in the morning gets me through a 45 minutes workout easily enough. And when I'm really starving, I take some BCAAs in water and it holds me up quite well without any unsettling in my stomach.

Otherwise I have to wait 45-60 minutes to wait for food to settle and it breaks the rhythm quite a bit.

I do think being well hydrated helps witht eh energy levels more than the food.

tristahenry

Thanks all! I'm going to give water and a protein shake a shot to see if they make me cramp up or spew. Getting up earlier isn't really doable since I'm up every 3 hours or so with her (yeah that's a whole other forum).

ArroganceInStep

Thanks all! I'm going to give water and a protein shake a shot to see if they make me cramp up or spew. Getting up earlier isn't really doable since I'm up every 3 hours or so with her (yeah that's a whole other forum).

With practice, you'll be surprised what you can become accustomed to. I wake up at 4AM to commute into work, get to the gym around 730AM, and often don't get any food until 10AM or so.