Do you exercise in the morning or at night?

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e_v_v
e_v_v Posts: 131 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Wondering when you work out: before work, after work, or at night, and WHY?

If you get up and go before work, please share wisdom of how you gather the energy and motivation to wake up so early!
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  • Jm172017
    Jm172017 Posts: 20 Member
    edited February 2017
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    When I have worked out in the mornings, I would always have a loud alarm clock set in the room next to me with my pre-workout next to it ready to go. I would get up to turn the alarm off, take my pre-workout and hit the snooze button. 9 minutes later I'd wake up again to the alarm and the pre-workout beginning to work. I'd have a quick snack and head to the gym. After about 4 weeks I had a habit built up and it became much easier to get up. It's weird, but it worked for me!

    I currently workout at different times now as my work schedule allows. Good luck!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Depends...in the summer I usually ride in the AM as the alternative is riding in the heat of the day in the desert and it's not particularly pleasant. I lift on Monday and Wednesday evenings after work and Saturday mornings...'cuz that's when I can.

    In the summer I'm up at 5 and on my bike by 5:15...it's not that much different than when I'm not training in the AM as I'm up around 5:30 anyways to get myself ready for work, kids breakfast and ready for school, etc. The only difference is that my mornings are more leisurely when I'm not also training and I'm rushing around more when I am training.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Night. No way can I function on even less sleep than I already get. I'd pretty much just have to give up on sleep at all to get a workout in before work.
  • leadslinger17
    leadslinger17 Posts: 297 Member
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    It depends on the other stuff I have to do (work and take care of my kids). If work is slow, I'd prefer to work out in the afternoon so I'll eat at my desk and go then, or go during lunch. But if I can't I'll have to do it at night after the kids go to sleep. It's hard though because working out, especially cardio tends to wake me up and then I stay up too late.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    In the morning. In the past I never could get up but I was determined to do it and they say it takes 30 days for something to become a habit or break a habit. Taking a shower helps me to wake up as well.
  • jasminefoster2k
    jasminefoster2k Posts: 8 Member
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    I believe that you have to develop a mind set to stay motivated... I know right easier said than done... but i swear after a few mornings it gets easier. I have an amazing booster product that gives me energy when I get up in the morning... once that work out is in I find my energy levels are to the roof throughout the day, not forgetting my moods are way better. It's all about motivating yourself....

    Good luck!
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
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    Morning. I like getting it done first, then no excuses can creep in.

    I drop my kids off at school and then workout, shower, and I have the whole rest of the day to do whatever I need to do.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,648 Member
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    whenever I can.

    With my current schedule... Wednesdays 9pm - 10:30pm run / weights; Thursdays 6:00am run; Saturday 7pm run / weights OR Sunday 3pm run/weights.

    It's all around when I don't have my kids and when I can drag my butt down to my basement.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I vary by day. I prefer to do my bigger lower body days in the evening because it feels better. . Upper body and lighter lower body are in the morning. I'm a morning person so it's not much of a production for me to get up and get to work. I also have a home gym. I pretty much get up, eat breakfast, and start working out by 5:30-5:45 or so.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    I work out at night right before dinner. I'm usually hungry after I lift so this works for me.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    I do both. The morning workout helps me wake up and get ready for the day. The evening workout lets me do things I did not get to do in the morning (like run outside or lift heavy). It is dark in the morning, so the only way I get sunshine/time outside is to run after work. Its also a pain to try to pack everything for lifting in the morning, but sometimes I do it anyway. I like dvds at home in the morning.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I make my own schedule, so workouts happen whenever I feel like it. That could mean I'm doing strength training at the gym at 2am (I hate crowds), mountain biking with my husband in the afternoon, or trail running in the morning before it starts to heat up. I'm only up in the morning to run in the summer when I have to beat the heat, otherwise I DO NOT get up early unless it's life or death. I have a crazy sleep schedule. I just sleep when I'm tired, no matter what time of the day or night it is. (But I tend to be a night owl, though. The hours just before dawn through noon are generally reserved for sleep.) I know that's terrible sleep hygiene, but that's the way I roll. B)
  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    edited February 2017
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    Run in the morning; weights after work/night. I have found that I have better endurance in the morning for my long runs but not for lifting. My weight lifting sucks it the morning, but is fine at night. So during the summer, I usually work out twice every 3-4 days. During the school year (teacher), I have been prioritizing running over lifting at the moment in regards to time.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    Late afternoon or early evening for several reasons. One is that I'm an insomniac. Sometimes it takes me a long time to fall asleep, so getting up earlier than I have to isn't going to happen. Another is that I'm a runner and discovered that I can't run <2 hours after eating or I get bad side stitches. I tried running in the morning with no breakfast... just once... it was probably the worst run I've ever had. So running after work and before dinner is ideal. The only thing I do earlier in the day is hiking or the occasional race.
  • Fallfrenzy
    Fallfrenzy Posts: 118 Member
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    It is mornings for me. I would rather take one shower in the morning than one at night and in the morning. Getting up early is just habit. I do it without the alarm now. I get up to take the dogs for a walk first, so that wakes me up before the real exercise begins.

    I have tried afternoons, but feel less energetic probably because I still get up the same time in the morning regardless.
  • bepeejaye
    bepeejaye Posts: 775 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I am not a morning person at all (cheery morning people make me recoil, lol), but I prefer morning workouts - get it out of the way. I wake up at am (3:30 am on Thursdays) to head out for lifting then two days a week in the evenings I teach Zumba. Morning workouts hands down! :)
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    Always morning! Occasionally I go after but my goal is to go before. Even when I had a 3-hour commute and had to be in the office at 9AM I would push myself to get up and go. Now, I work from home so I basically have no excuses to not be in the gym by 7 or 8AM (although I'm totally guilty of laying in my bed until 8:30AM and then starting a little late...whoops). My trick is to bribe yourself with something...not kidding, it works. For me, it was Starbuck's. "Get up and go, or else you aren't getting that Americano today." Plus I set a million alarms with titles like "40 days until Saint Lucia, get your a** up or you'll lose those gains" LOL
  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I'm prone to fainting, and I get those awful symptoms if I try to workout in the morning. Every now and then, I get some delusional hope and think maybe it won't happen this time. It does. So mornings just aren't an option for me.

    I don't mind that reality too much because I really like exercising right after my work or hw has ended. I like the stress release and that it serves as a transition from duty to "me time." I've had the most success with making exercise a habit when I time it right then.

    I'm odd in that I can work out and fall asleep soon after, so sometimes I work out really late too, like 11pm+. Some days that works best with my schedule. I actually really like exercsing right before bed. That plus a quick shower conks me right out.
  • TheCupcakeCounter
    TheCupcakeCounter Posts: 606 Member
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    Morning. It's not my first choice but I have found that if I don't get it in first thing it doesn't happen.

    As for how to keep at and and stay motivated...still working on that but I have been doing it consistently for several weeks now.
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
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    Right after work. It gives me a "second wind."
    I tried working out in the morning, but I'm SERIOUSLY not a morning person which means I can't get to sleep earlier to match. And then I find I have problems keeping good form.
    Evening, totally.

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