Do you ever have to choose between sleep and exercise?

Options
2

Replies

  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    Options
    I work 2 jobs. My kids are older and pretty self-sufficient but still living at home. I get around 6-7 hours of sleep a night and work out at 5:30am. I always choose exercise, but then it seems I'm getting more sleep than most people that have commented.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    Options
    I cram my weight training sessions and running in the evening between work and dancing, so no (with the exception of group runs or cycling on the weekends when I have to be somewhere by 9 am).
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
    Options
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    Exercise right before bedtime and you'll get better sleep, so you don't need as many hours of sleep.

    There's no way in hell I would be able to fall asleep right after exercising.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    Options
    Only honestly when I was training for a half marathon- I had to get up early to run- or it wouldn't happen. Generally I try to schedule my day together so that working out fits into my day.

    So Sometimes yes- but mostly no.
  • JeepHair77
    JeepHair77 Posts: 1,291 Member
    Options
    Not on a regular basis, no. Sure, there are times I need to get up early for a scheduled run and lose a few hours of sleep, but mostly, no. I love my sleep. I love my sleep more than most everything in the world.

    But I also need my exercise. What I've ended up choosing is less TV, fewer lunch dates with co-workers, and a lazier attitude toward housework. It works for me.
  • JLASilver
    JLASilver Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    Sadly, yes, I love my sleep but I'm trying to commit to making a lifestyle change. I commute into NYC every day (2.5 hours each way door-to-door). If I take a spin class in the city post-work I miss my opportunity at an express train. This adds ~25 mins to my trek. But I'm noticing a difference after a few months of hard work in my endurance and body. It sucks getting closer to 5-6 hours of sleep then the 8 hours I enjoy, but I haven't missed a class in well over a month!
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
    Options
    Some mornings the call of the pillow is strong.
    I love the smell of chlorine in the morning. It smells like....VICTORY!
  • lifting_momlife
    lifting_momlife Posts: 26 Member
    Options
    i face this decision everrryyyy morning. sleep always wins lol
  • Joanna2012B
    Joanna2012B Posts: 1,448 Member
    Options
    To lose weight you have to change things in the Kitchen. Although, physical activity is equally important for your heart. You can fit that in with a simple walk with your kids. If you want to tone, then I suggest setting aside a half hour or so a few times a week. You can set your kids up with homework and do a 30 minute body weight exercise at home. Check out Fitness Blender or Find your fitness at Popsugar.com. They will help you build a suitable program for yourself based on what you want and what you have. Maybe this way neither suffer!
  • Out_of_Bubblegum
    Out_of_Bubblegum Posts: 2,220 Member
    Options
    Thanks to my schedule, I have to get creative with workouts to make it fit... Short story is that I break my workouts into pieces to fit my schedule, and most of my exercise at (or close to) home... Even then I don't always get as much sleep as I like, but I can usually get at least 6.5 - 7.5 hours in.

    My typical day:
    Up at 6:00 AM
    Breakfast and coffee
    Walk Dogs (45 min)
    Taxi kid to school, commute, etc...
    Work....
    30 min lunch walk
    Work...
    Commute to pick up daughter at swim practice
    Walk while waiting on practice to end (~30-60 minutes depending on how bad traffic was that day)
    Dinner, family time, etc...
    Daughter goes to bed at 10 PM.
    HIT workout (20-30 min mixed HIIT cardio and BW strength)
    Quick Shower
    Watch a little TV while body cools down...
    Sleep by 11:30

    So even with a very busy day, including 1 hour commute each day...I squeeze in a good amount of walking and a HIT workout.

    But.. it took a lot of trial and error and planning to get to this point, and though I would love to do some gym time, right now it's just not realistic for my schedule.

    Schedule varies a lot on the weekend.. so I play that one by ear, except for a group workout I do on Sunday mornings, but I try to get the family out for a hike or bike ride or .. whatever.. (Woohooo! Bonus - family time AND exercise... that spells WIN!)
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
    edited February 2020
    Options
    I think about this every single day. I'm a working mom with 2 kids, one is special needs. I go to the gym from 9:30 to 10:30 at night. Add that to my other after-dinner chores around the house (paying bills, laundry) and the fact that I'm absolutely wired when I come home after a workout, I often don't go to sleep until 11:30 or midnight. Then I'm up at 5:30-6. So, I know I'm not getting enough sleep. I worry constantly that the lack of sleep might kill me, but I also worry that being overweight will kill me. Basically, I worry all the time. I don't know which is worse.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Options
    midlomel1971 wrote: »
    I think about this every single day. I'm a working mom with 2 kids, one is special needs. I go to the gym from 9:30 to 10:30 at night. Add that to my other after-dinner chores around the house (paying bills, laundry) and the fact that I'm absolutely wired when I come home after a workout, I often don't go to sleep until 11:30 or midnight. Then I'm up at 5:30-6. So, I know I'm not getting enough sleep. I worry constantly that the lack of sleep might kill me, but I also worry that being overweight will kill me. Basically, I worry all the time. I don't know which is worse.

    I get stuck in that same cycle, and I'm not nearly as busy as you.

    Honestly, I'd start out prioritizing sleep. Find a way to make the stuff you do all day a little more active, do some jumping jacks while you're waiting for the washer to stop spinning, but don't kill yourself to get in a regimented workout. Really focus on getting into good habits around some kind of workable, realistic sleep schedule. Once you've got that down, then figure out a way to fit the gym in if you can. Everyone goes through stages in their life where something's got to give, IMHO with all your responsibilities, sleep is more important than gym. Plus, if you're over tired, you're probably getting a lot less out of that gym hour than you should be!
  • midlomel1971
    midlomel1971 Posts: 1,283 Member
    Options
    kimny72 wrote: »
    midlomel1971 wrote: »
    I think about this every single day. I'm a working mom with 2 kids, one is special needs. I go to the gym from 9:30 to 10:30 at night. Add that to my other after-dinner chores around the house (paying bills, laundry) and the fact that I'm absolutely wired when I come home after a workout, I often don't go to sleep until 11:30 or midnight. Then I'm up at 5:30-6. So, I know I'm not getting enough sleep. I worry constantly that the lack of sleep might kill me, but I also worry that being overweight will kill me. Basically, I worry all the time. I don't know which is worse.

    I get stuck in that same cycle, and I'm not nearly as busy as you.

    Honestly, I'd start out prioritizing sleep. Find a way to make the stuff you do all day a little more active, do some jumping jacks while you're waiting for the washer to stop spinning, but don't kill yourself to get in a regimented workout. Really focus on getting into good habits around some kind of workable, realistic sleep schedule. Once you've got that down, then figure out a way to fit the gym in if you can. Everyone goes through stages in their life where something's got to give, IMHO with all your responsibilities, sleep is more important than gym. Plus, if you're over tired, you're probably getting a lot less out of that gym hour than you should be!

    You are right - all great advice. Thank you!

  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
    edited February 2020
    Options
    You don't need to go to the gym to get exercise, and you don't need to workout all at once to get benefits. I walk my dogs for 25 minutes in the morning (2 miles) and take a walk on my lunch break at work (2 miles) and then walk home from work (3.5 miles) and that's plenty of exercise without ever setting foot in a gym. I try to lift weights 3x/week for the benefits of resistance training, but when I do, I'm only in the gym for about 30 minutes.
  • ladyzherra
    ladyzherra Posts: 438 Member
    Options
    I am a working mom to a young child, and I understand the dilemma that you write about here. As mentioned above, sleep is really so important. But I get that moving the body and staying dedicated to exercise feels good because it's a release, it's "me" time, it feels like we are doing something apart from caring for everyone else; it feels important. Even if it isn't for weight loss, it's for our sanity. If you can use the time for sleep, then that is almost always going to be the healthiest option. But for busy moms, it's also often the most difficult option.
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    Options
    My job and a busy house of teens makes it so I get 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night. Would love to catch up on the weekend but I wake up anyways. So I have to pace myself. I go to the gym 2 to 3 times a week and do bodyweight exercises daily. I've found I need longer to recover now that I'm older. The lack of sleep just compounds it.
  • runnermom419
    runnermom419 Posts: 366 Member
    Options
    Yes, a few times a month, I have to decide between more sleep or getting up and working out.

    I suffer from horrible insomnia. I'm talking mind numbing, may end up with only an hour of sleep, can barely function the next day insomnia. On those days where I'm not falling asleep until 2 AM, you can bet I'm not getting up at 4 AM to workout. I get the extra hour of sleep and either take a rest day or workout that night.

    And before anyone asks, sometimes my insomnia is so bad, a sleep aid won't even touch it. Which makes the next day super fun.
  • melharrisonfitness
    melharrisonfitness Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    I workour in a morning and get up at 5.30am to do so, I try and make sure I get to bed on time to get enough sleep but often as I'm busy I end up going to bed later than planned. I find I get more and more tired as the week goes on but on a weekend I get a few more hours sleep than during the week so by Monday I feel like I've caught up again. It's a hard choice sometimes, I often don't want to get out of bed but I like to try and stick to a routine other wise I find myself making excuses!
  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    Options
    I used to choose exercise over sleep. I did that for years. I'm wiser now. I choose sleep or rest over exercise and listen to my body. I managed to diet and exercise myself into really poor health.

Categories