Early Morning Workout?? Opinions??

I almost always work out in the morning except when my husband's home. Then we will bike ride together in the afternoon. If you really want to lose weight and firm up then you will have to make time even if it means getting up early. I get up 4:30 in the morning to exercise. It gives you energy and makes you feel good all day. If you can't do mornings try walking at lunchtime. You can split the times up also. The recommended time is only 30minutes a day.

+1 on early morning workouts. I get up at 5:30 out the door for my run at 5:45. Come home do my stretches and core-strengthening for my back. In the shower by 6:45.

I tried working out after work. It was very difficult to be consistent. Fatigue and/or late-day "emergencies" at work always seemed to derail my best intentions.

First thing in the morning, nothing can interfere with my workout except me. The hardest part is resisting the urge to sleep in. But, once my feet hit the floor, there is no stopping me.

Since I started working out in the morning, I find that I am a lot more focused and productive at work.

i haven't read all the posts, i don't have time right now. but i just wanted to say exercise however early you want just make sure you GET ENOUGH SLEEP!!!!!! 8 hours recomended, sleep affect weight loss ( or lack there of), and so many other things in your life.

I try to switch it up so I don't feel "guilty" if I don't wake up in time. For instance, this morning I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm (5am) with tons of energy so I headed to the gym. If I miss the morning workout I'll usually go after work but it's never as productive.
Ideally, I would like to start first thing in the morning EVERYDAY. I would compare it to eating a HUGE breakfast, heavy on starches and sugar, versus eating light, but filling. I feel much better through the day if I workout first. Just my two cents

Morning workouts don't work for me during the week. I wake up a 6 and leave at 7 to be to work at 8. I do 20 minutes of hardcore elliptical on my lunchbreak and then a second workout (usually turbofire, taebo, or something of that nature) in the evening. I tried the early am workouts for a week, but I was burning about 20% fewer calories than I would in the evening. Turbo and Taebo are quite intense and I just couldn't go as hard first thing in the am on an empty stomach. I was always a bit behind and I couldn't do some of the tougher moves like the air-jacks, which resulted in a lower calorie burn. I was actually worried I was going to injur myself. On Saturday and Sunday I do my workout an hour after breakfast, which is usually about 7:30/8:30. I really like the morning workouts, but they just were't as effective for me during the week, so I do evenings. I have heard that exercising on an empty stomach is not good for you. This article suggests it results in muscle loss: http://www.rodale.com/eating-exercise

I work 12 hour shifts and I absolutely hate getting up at 5:30 am let alone 4:30 am to work out. However I do have to say after 12 hours of work I don't want to do anything so ultimately getting up early saves me time and after I get going I don't even notice a difference and actually feel better throughout the day! Good luck!

The best time to work out is whenever you have time to do so.

^ This.

The physiological differences (fat burning) would only be applicable for already lean individuals and even in that case it would depend.

See here:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/fasted-cardio-and-fat-loss-qa.html

The best time to work out is whenever you have time to do so.

^ This.

The physiological differences (fat burning) would only be applicable for already lean individuals and even in that case it would depend.

See here:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/fasted-cardio-and-fat-loss-qa.html

^^ What he said.... However, I like the morning workouts and feel better if I workout in the morning. I am dead to the world if I don't. Then I put it off and it doesn’t get done… 5 kids will do that to you! I wake up at 4-4:30 (depending on how long or what I am doing that day) get dressed and go right into my workout hard. It works for me. I am doing Insanity right now and they have about a 10 min warm up in the beginning then into stretches so this gets me going and I don't have to wait to wake up or wait to get my HR going. When I run or do the elliptical I do ladders and in the beginning of those you do a warm up to, to get you started.

I know I feel better during the day when I'm able to get an early workout in but I'm such a sleepyhead in the mornings.

I alternate and like both. I have trouble sleeping after my 9pm workouts but prefer the evening workouts. 3 days a week I run trails and do it at sunrise due to the heat of the afternoons.

If you can do it, I would recommend it. It's tough the first day, but I've noticed that in the following days, I have much more energy and it's easier to get up. I put on some good music (when I'm actually doing it, that is! :laugh: ) and that puts me in a great mood for the day. The only problem for me is that if I skip it one day, just one morning say "Oh, I don't need to do it today," I am done for. I won't get up the next day or the day after that. And then I have to work back up to forcing myself to get up in the morning. It's a never ending cycle for me, even though I know that I love the way that I feel for the rest of the day (and about myself in general) when I get up early to exercise, I still wake up in the morning and say "Ten more minutes..." Why, just this morning I woke up at 5:55 like usual to give my son his thyroid medicine, and he was pretty wide awake so when I tried to lay back down, he came in and was talking to me. I got up, moved the kitten out of my room, tucked my son back into bed, and then went and got on the computer to (of all things) look up how many calories I would burn (roughly) if I did a 27 minute Jillian Michaels video! I didn't actually get up and do it, I sat on the computer thinking about doing it! Wide awake and everything. I guess I'm working my way up to it. I just need a good kick in the pants to get me going!

For all of you that rise at o' dark thirty...
What do you fuel with pre workout that early?

I start out with a banana and a big glass of water before my ride.

I started getting up at 5am to ride my bike because that is the only time I know I can ride. It was rough at first, but now I like it. It is not as hot and the roads are quiet.

I feel the most productive after an early morning jog with the dog. I get my exercise complete, beat the heat and i set myself up for a healthier day.
Only problem is if i DONT sleep well the night before i usually cant drag my butt out of bed. Getting up at 5:45 can take its toll. I'm beat by friday night.

I could workout in the mornings if I really wanted to, but I do not like to at all. I always feel weak and like I am going to pass out. I have to eat breakfast before I can workout, but cannot workout on a full tummy (my breakfast is my biggest meal of the day). So I usually workout as soon as I get home from work (around 4pm) and it is perfect for me. It is long enough for my body to digest my lunch and right before dinner (I try to eat an early-ish dinner) so I can get my post workout meal in. The only early morning workout I like to do is jogging.

If working out in the morning is the best time, or the only time, I say go for it. One workout suggestion would be to Jillian Michael's DVDs. You can purchase several that are about 20-40 mins long. Or, you could purchase any other kind of home workout DVD. Or just doing old school stuff, like jumping jacks, mountain climbers, push ups, crunches. If you google "at home workouts" there are lots of different suggestions. Also, youtube has free workout videos. Just go to youtube and search BeFit. Hope that helps.