Does anyone workout in the MORNING????

I get up between 3:30 and 4 am and I am at the gym between 4 and 4:15. I know myself, if I don't go in the morning, I don't go at all. It used to be because I frequently had a migraine by the end of my work day, but now it is because I know how busy the gym will be and how ineffective my workout will be with that many people. I go on an empty stomach and eat when I get back, then I get ready for work and I am at my job by 7 am. In the summer, once it is light/warm enough, I like to ride my bike in the morning, that way I don't really have to warm up before I start my workout.
In order to get up at 3:30, I do go to bed between 7 and 8 pm, although sometimes I stay up later and still wake up fine. It is amazing how quickly I got used to being up at 3:30, now I often wake up before my alarm. It just takes a little push for a few days and knowing how much sleep your body requires. I don't drink coffee before I go, I just take my electrolyte powder in water with me so that I stay well hydrated. Also, if you have problems getting out of bed after the alarm goes off, I find that the more water I drink within an hour or so of going to bed, the more urgently I need to get out of bed when I wake up in the morning. Just a tip.

Yup! Up at 4:15 am for 5am classes M-F! Once you're in the routine, you're good and your body aligns very well. I also make sure I'm in bed with lights and tv off at 9:15 pm to get full 7 hours sleep. I don't know how people workout at night; I just want to go home!

PatanjaliTwist wrote: »

Every day for 2-wks, I've been to bed earlier & woken up at 2:30am on my own (first time ever sans alarm), so exercise is 3-4am.

That is not so much working out in the morning as it is working out in the middle of the night. What do you do at 4, go back to sleep?

I don't workout in the sense of going to the gym or doing weight exercises or the like, aside from bodyweight exercises occasionally. When I exercise, though, I prefer to do it in the morning. I don't have a specific time right now, as I'm not working all that often, & so my days have been fairly flexible. I go for walks or ride my bike, & I find morning the best time. If I do activity too late in the day, then I have too much energy later on & don't go to bed early enough for me. I like to go to bed around 10 PM, 11 at the latest. Any later, & my sleep isn't that great. I often wake up between 5:30 & 7:30, especially now that the days are longer. I wake up leisurely when I don't have to be anywhere first thing in the morning. Then when I'm ready to go & have had breakfast (I always have to eat something before I eat, usually fruit & yogurt or cereal & milk, before I exercise), then I'll go outside & walk or ride my bike or the like. If the weather's bad, then I'll put on some music & dance around my home, building up a good sweat & going for at least half an hour or so. Any of the exercises I do make me feel good, & I feel as if I'd started my day off right.

If I know that I have a day of a lot of heavy cleaning or other stuff that's physical & will burn a lot of exercise, I don't always go for a walk or bike ride - I'm getting over some physical issues that overdoing would exacerbate, & my energy levels don't always allow me to do as much as I'd like. Thankfully I'm getting better, though!!

I usually work out in the morning, anywhere between 8 am and 9 am. I get up early, have breakfast (low carb pita with nut butter of some kind, plus strong coffee with 2% milk), travel to the gym, which takes me about an hour by city bus, more coffee, then I'm ready to go. Mornings suit me better for several reasons already cited by others: 1) if I don't exercise first thing, I won't do it; 2) even if inclined to work out later in the day, my day often won't let me; 3) my energy level is higher in the morning; 4) working out in the evening aggravates my sleep problems.

My husband and I get up at 330am and walk into the gym by 350. I hate nothing more than the alarm going off at that hour, but I've always preferred morning workouts to evening. We live in the Washington DC area and he works at the Pentagon, so commute consideration has to come into play here. We decided we wanted to work out together and this was the best time for us. It's hard as F!!!! for a little while, but you get used to it. It doesn't take long for it to become normal. We do a 3 day on, 1 day off split so there's always at least 1 day during the work week when we get to "sleep in" until 515 and we don't go that early on the weekends. For me, the morning workout starts each day on a positive note. Hope you find a schedule that works for you!

I just recently got back to working out in the morning. I'm up by 5:30 and out the door to run by 6:15. Back by 7:15 then shower and head off to work. I eat my breakfast in the car usually.

I like running in the morning. It's quiet, and I like the sense of satisfaction that I've finished my workout before I even go to work. If I wait until after work, I'm usually anxious and antsy to get home or to the gym and the gym is usually so damn crowded at that time that it makes me MORE anxious. So morning is the way to go for me.

One thing I haven't worked out yet, however, is what to do when the weather won't let me run outside in the morning. I have a gym membership, and I should just go over there, but it takes too long to drive over there, workout, then come back home and shower and get ready (no facilities at the gym). I may just have to get up earlier to fit that all in.

I am SO jealous of those of you that say you work out in the morning but then say you get up at 6-8 AM... lucky! I have to be at work at 6:30 and before I started working out in the mornings I would be up by 5:15-5:30 depending if I need to wash my hair. I tried to work out in the evenings but although a desk job, my work day is stressful and very mentally exhausting and I would never have the energy to work out after work.

For the last week and a half, I have been up between 4:15-4:30 to work out. Luckily I don't need to go anywhere, I have a treadmill and hand weights at home. Literally the hardest part is getting out of bed, putting on a bra and shoes, and going down stairs. I don't eat anything, just have water. Although I am hungry in the mornings I can’t work out right after eating and can’t warrant waking up at 3:30 AM just to eat. For the first few mins I am sluggish but 5-10 minutes in and I am warmed up and ready to go. I’m done by 5, make a healthy breakfast then hop in the shower and get ready for work.

I have found that I have more energy in the mornings now and I set myself off on the right foot for a healthy day. Since I already have my work out in for the day, I feel much more accomplished and make smarter choices like a healthier lunch and a walk instead of going out for lunch. As of right now I curse my alarm when it goes off, but I know it takes 21 days to make a habit. I am trying hard to wake up at that time every day for the next few weeks so I can become like some of you who say it is super natural and your body wakes up at that time.

I have to work out in the morning because my body is wound up for about 4 hours after any work out and I can't sleep. It's crazy hard for me, because getting out of bed is hard, period. Having a work out buddy made it the easiest. But I don't have one now, so I prep everything the night before and try to make it as convenient as possible (i.e. on the way to work so I have no excuse not to if I am going to work anyway, that sort of thing).

Motivation is fleeting. It comes and goes like the wind. What you really need to do is dig down deep and grab hold of your determination. If you're determined, you will do whatever it takes to reach your goals. It's a mind thing- it's just something you have to decide for yourself. When the motivation isn't there, that's when you need to find your determination. That being said, I work out in the AM because I found that for me, it really helps me stay on track with my eating habits throughout the day. And it just makes me feel more energized and less lazy.

How do you have energy to do your workout tho? Do u eat anything before your workout?

Because ive tried it once and I was starving and didn't have energy to continue my workout [/quote]

I think the answer is just that everyone is different, I've tried eating before a workout and it was horrible-literally made me nauseous. If for some reason I was starving I would probably just eat some spoonfuls of my oatmeal. It's more important for me to get 8 hours sleep and if I can do that I'm feeling pretty good. If you are starving then your body just requires fuel before a workout and a lot of people are the same as you. Just try to find what will give you that energy boost to do your workout and maybe try eating some before and some after workout.

Yup. Up at 3:45. At the gym by 4:45. Done by 7.

I go to my gym at 5am on the weekdays. I used to not eat anything first, but noticed I was feeling sluggish so now I have 1 or 2 "energy bites." You can find lots of recipes on pinterest. Mine have oats, peanut butter, espresso powder, maple syrup, flax meal, and shredded coconut. They are like a dessert to me so they are my "treat" to bribe myself to get out of bed! I will have them in the refrigerator and can just grab one on my way out the door. I also put my gym clothes in the bathroom the night before so I can roll out of bed and get ready as quickly as possible. I miss being able to stay up later at night watching tv, but I just go to bed earlier so I can still get enough sleep. It really does become a routine. And of course, it helps to do something you are looking forward to - a great class at the gym, meet a friend to walk, etc.

Mornings work for me and I've been doing it for more than two years already. I got P90X3 program and set my basement up for working out, with flooring mats, free weights and an elliptical machine. I followed P90X fully and those three months helped me create the habit. I now easily wake up at 5am, warm up on the elliptical for 20 mins and do the routine P90X for 30 mins. Having a routine helps keeping it on and fights boredom. I don't eat before exercising, only a quick snack after I get ready for work, before I leave. This means a banana or smoothie or a protein bar. I eat my breakfast at work and delay lunch after 1 pm. I go to bed early, 9 pm the latest, so my dinners are very light or nonexistent sometimes.