question for those who workout first thing in the morning...?

Hello, I work out at 6AM M-F. It depends how I feel when I get up. I might have 1/2 cup cherrioes and a 1/2 cup coffee. If i don't eat before workout after my shower I will have a light breakfast yogurt/fresh fruit with sliced almonds. I will eat again around 10AM--smaller meal e.g. 1 cup soup or small salad with protein. I usually aim for 5 smaller meals daily. I have to feel full or I will graze and make poor choices. Good luck. I love working out early--then it is done.

I work out in the morning and take nothing other than a caffeine pill (I don't drink coffee or tea) and some water.

Up at 5 and at the gym at 6 every work day, 3 days of boot camp, 2 days with PT, then run on weekends. I make a spinach smoothie every morning so I eat half the banana before working out and put the other half in the smoothie but that's eat for eating usually. My PT told me I need to eat more carbs before coming as I've come close to passing out a couple of times but I just can't. I feel nauseous the whole time if I do. Anxious to see if anyone has overcome this hurdle. Thanks for posting this.

One huge tip my instructor gave me when I started was have your work out clothes near by so you just throw them on in the morning. I actually wore them to bed at the beginning (yes, my husband teased me about it for a while but he got over it once the results started showing) and have your lunch and work stuff ready to go.

I love that I tick that off my list of things to do first thing in the morning and I feel great all day.

Start at 4:30 AM in my home gym. As far as eating goes, depends on where my blood sugar is (I'm a T2 diabetic). If it's low, I have maybe 4 oz of orange juice. Otherwise, I exercise fasted. If I know I'm going to be doing a longer workout, like a long run, I'll have a protein bar or Kind bar.

slinky_shaz wrote: »

oh my gosh! you guys are all amazing getting up at 4am!!! i thought 6:30am was a good start.

only trouble is i don't go to bed at 8pm or 9pm. i've only just sat down now from my day and it's 9:15pm. i'll be up for at least another 2 hours.

i'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

thanks for all your tips and routines - it's really helpful.

I'll be honest, it's easy for my body to stay up later if I let it. On nights where I don't seem tired at 8-9pm I simply use Zzzquil, Benadryl (same thing only cheaper), or maybe Melatonin rarely. Gets me back on track. For instance, tomorrow is a rest day for me, so I will probably be up until 10-11, so tomorrow night it'll be rough getting back to bed at 9pm so I'll likely use some Benadryl. I have allergies anyway so I always keep Benadryl around. You just have to make it a priority. Life will intervene from time to time, but if you've been getting a decent amount of sleep the rest of the week by going to bed early a hitch here and there shouldn't kill you. Because getting up so early is tough for me, I tend to take my rest days on Mondays and Thursdays and make sure not to miss my workouts on weekends because I can sleep in then. That leaves me only 3 work week days I need to get up that early.

I just started working out in the morning and I grab water and a fruit and nut bar before my workout and eat some breakfast after.

I try to get morning work outs in, although lately it hasn't been happening. When I do go in the morning, I eat a protein bar pre-workout, BCAA's intra-work out and tons of water and coffee post-work out followed by a lot of protein throughout the course of my day. It's definitely more convenient than trying to get a work out in during the busy evening hours.

mgalovic01 wrote: »

So, I'm guessing all you guys waking up at 4am are going to bed at 8pm?

No, I go to bed at 10, up by 4:30. 6.5 hours is plenty of sleep. In fact it feels like a luxury after having a kid who woke up EVERY HOUR for the first year of her life.

I hate working out at night.... so I'm part of the 4am club too. My workouts are always fasted.

Alarm goes off at 4am, in the gym by 4:30am, back home by 6:30am, shower/dressed/hair/makeup, then bigggg breakfast, then 45 minute commute and at work for 9am. 6 days a week.