What time of the day do you work out?

ArtsieSarah
ArtsieSarah Posts: 129 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey all,

Recently my schedule has changed and it's been hard trying to figure out what's a good time to exercise. I used to have an hour lunch break and I'd exercise at that time which was a perfect way to beat afternoon grogginess. I literally had nothing else to do with that free hour!

I don't have that long lunch break anymore and I need to figure out if I should work out before or after work. I seem to be tired either way. I'm not a morning person, I can barely get up for work as it is, and then I'm beat after work and I just want to wind down and have dinner! What is everyone else's routine?? I feel like I have to choose between 2 not-so-hot options.

Replies

  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    edited November 2019
    I prefer the morning. But due to schedules of those I work out with we have changed to evening. I was finding it hard, but most of that was just organizing my day around it and having everything scheduled properly so I am not in a rush and don’t have anything left to do in the evening but go to the gym. Last week it flowed, and even though today is a holiday for me and I could have worked out any time today, I am leaving in just under an hour to meet some ladies so we can push each other.
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
    ArtsieSarah wrote: »
    Hey all,

    Recently my schedule has changed and it's been hard trying to figure out what's a good time to exercise. I used to have an hour lunch break and I'd exercise at that time which was a perfect way to beat afternoon grogginess. I literally had nothing else to do with that free hour!

    I don't have that long lunch break anymore and I need to figure out if I should work out before or after work. I seem to be tired either way. I'm not a morning person, I can barely get up for work as it is, and then I'm beat after work and I just want to wind down and have dinner! What is everyone else's routine?? I feel like I have to choose between 2 not-so-hot options.

    Why don’t you start by just choosing one or the other and just telling yourself “15 minutes, if after 15min I am still not feeling it, I can leave”. That is what I do some days and find by the time I am warmed up my mood is better and I have more energy.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited November 2019
    When I was still working and going to the gym, I went at 4:30 am, so it didn’t interfere with my time with my husband after work. Now I’m retired and don’t do the gym anymore.

    Fit it in where you can; whatever works best for you.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    I do both. I get up early to get in a video workout at home everyday, and then 2-3x per week I go to the gym right after work to lift. I don't waste any time between, just change and go! Once you make it part of your routine, your body tends to adapt, even if it seemed early at first.
  • flotek72
    flotek72 Posts: 500 Member
    Around now. Be back in an hour. :)
  • sweetbe44
    sweetbe44 Posts: 195 Member
    I go to a gym after work that’s close to my workplace. By the time I’m done traffic has subsided and I get to coast all the way home. Win win, lol.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    I can lift weights in the morning but cardio in the morning just doesn't sit well with me.
    I also prefer afternoon workouts, but when life gets in the way I squeeze them in wherever and whenever I can. Most my workouts tend to be early evening.
  • GreenValli
    GreenValli Posts: 1,054 Member
    Mid morning. I leave my house about 8:45 to avoid the heavy traffic. I go to work early afternoon, so I have time to exercise, come home and shower, and leave for work after lunch.
  • xrunlukerunx
    xrunlukerunx Posts: 37 Member
    Whenever I have free time. At the moment, its on my lunch break. In the past its been at 5am every morning, other times its been 9pm at night.
  • Shortgirlrunning
    Shortgirlrunning Posts: 1,020 Member
    I aim for a morning workout. I have a great schedule where that doesn’t mean super early morning - it means like 9 or 10 am. But working out before work makes me feel more awake and energized during the day.

    Waiting until after work just gives me all day to think up excuses to skip the workout.
  • cupcakesandproteinshakes
    cupcakesandproteinshakes Posts: 1,158 Member
    I go early afternoon. I get a better work out if I have had a couple of meals first. Plus gym is much quieter. I’m lucky tho I can go when I want as I work from home
  • Lolinloggen
    Lolinloggen Posts: 466 Member
    Both for me. Naturally I prefer morning but all I can muster is 30/40 minutes in my homegym as I start work reasonably early too and I value my sleep.
    Often I run in the evening when I get home. It took quite some time to get into that pattern I too was tired when I got home, still am but I was determined to build the habit and decided to do it for a month and then re-evaluate
    By that stage the pattern had emerged and a habit was forming Yet if it had not worked - then at least I had tried it for a decent amount of time
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    What if you get up a little earlier and start your routine, then see how it goes. If that doesn't work out, go for the other end of the spectrum. And as another poster suggested, just start your workout to see how you feel. Can you divide your time into 2 shorter periods?

    My answer won't help you. I am retired so my day is open. But personally, I've broken a longer routine into 2x a day, 1 first thing in the a.m. and usually the 2nd early afternoon.

    Good luck with finding the right time for you!
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,881 Member
    I usually exercise around 8-9 PM (after dinner and some time for digestion) or if I'm home earlier, and I don't have to cook dinner, I will exercise before dinner. Either way, putting my workout clothes on right after coming home lowers the temptation of not exercising.

    Exercise in the morning simply isn't an option for me, I have a hard enough time catching my train to work as it is.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,024 Member
    I'm "basically" retired now, and workout from home. Sometimes mornings, sometimes late afternoon and sometimes both. It's nice to have the options.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    I work out several times a day. I had an early morning PT session today, plus lifted and did Zumba which took most of the morning.
    Then this evening I'll be doing insanity and boxercise.
  • PennyP312
    PennyP312 Posts: 161 Member
    I get up at 5 and at gym before 6 am. I was never a morning person but with 4 kids at home and a husband who works out of the house, it’s the best option. And now I love it!

    I set my clothes out the night before and have my gym bag all ready to go.

    I don’t even need an alarm anymore. I get annoyed on the weekends because my gym doesn’t open till 8 on saturdays and 10 on Sunday’s, I’m addicted to early am workouts!

    Whatever you decide, give yourself a few weeks to adjust to the new routine and stick with it!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    My routine is largely season dependent. I only go to the gym a couple times per week to lift...Tuesday after work and then again Friday after work when I workout with a trainer. Most of my exercise is outside on my bike. In the summer I ride early in the morning as soon as I get a little day light in order to beat the heat. In the fall, it's too dark in the morning, so I ride in the evening when I get home from work. When the time changes and we fall back to standard time I ride at lunch because it's too dark (and cold) in the AM or PM. On the weekends, it's whatever's clever.

    Riding is a good workout, but I rarely think of it as that...it's more recreation and hobby than anything, and just also happens to be good exercise. I'm hard pressed to do any more than two days at the gym...I'd rather be outside.
  • maureenkhilde
    maureenkhilde Posts: 849 Member
    Never been a morning person, but used to go to gym before work hated it. Now I do from home, around 10PM and really like it. Added benefit, sleep better, and has helped control overnight blood sugars.
  • FinelyFermented
    FinelyFermented Posts: 102 Member
    I eat at my desk, and go most days during the lunch hour. Mornings are a butch, and I have to chauffeur my kids around all evening misr days
  • cbailey989
    cbailey989 Posts: 13 Member
    I'm not a morning person at all. Last year I was working out in the evenings around 8 but now I go on my lunch hour. I enjoyed the late evening gym since it had already cleared out.
  • Gisel2015
    Gisel2015 Posts: 4,189 Member
    Fitness classes in the morning because that is when they are available. Gym (strength, calisthenics, and cardio workouts) in the mid afternoon.

    I am retired so I have more freedom on how to schedule my fitness plans. However, when I was working, I always exercised after work and never before work.

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