Morning workouts - help!

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yeremeyeva
yeremeyeva Posts: 46
in Health and Weight Loss
On the days that I have to work out in the mornings the workouts are just not the same! I don't have nearly the same amount of
energy as I do in the afternoons. But I don't want to miss a day or working out simply because I can't do it after work.
Any ideas of how to improve my morning work outs? Thanks!!!

Replies

  • kit_katty
    kit_katty Posts: 994 Member
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    I'm not terribly great in the mornings either, but maybe just give it a go, maybe do one each morning to get used to it. I find I now have a decent amount of energy, it helps wake me up!
  • careyharv
    careyharv Posts: 134 Member
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    I workout in the mornings all the time - it fits into my schedule better than working out after work. I would suggest making sure you have a good breakfast. I wake up around 6, eat breakfast by 7 and then workout at 8:30. It sucked at first but my body got used to it. I believe the change between am and pm workouts is just hard to do - but keep it up. It may not feel the same but as long as you are burning your calories, I think you will be fine. :smile: Good luck!
  • nikki1anna
    nikki1anna Posts: 98
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    I used to hate waking up to workout, then I found out why.

    1. I was going to sleep super late and wasn't getting 8 hours of sleep. I now go to bed by 10:00 p.m. and wake up at 6:00 a.m.
    2. It is winter and my house would be freezing. I now program the heat to be 75-80 when I wake up at 6:00 a.m.

    I workout the minute I wake up (give or take 15 mins) haha... so basically I do a 20-30 minute workout (right now it's hip hop abs, on 2/1 it will be the 30ds). then I eat breakfast, typically a bowl of fiber one cereal.

    When I get home from work, I do mommy duty and play some XBox with the hubby.

    After they go to bed at around 9:00 p.m., I play a 20-30 minute game of Xbox's Biggest Loser.

    and repeat Monday-Friday.... I have lazy Saturdays and Sundays =)
  • MissMollieD
    MissMollieD Posts: 130
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    Think of it as a morning workout is better than no work out at all!
  • sbrouillet
    sbrouillet Posts: 64 Member
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    I work out mostly mornings, at least 4 days a week. I usually will have a protein bar, or a half of protein bar with my vitamins for the day and two glasses of water, about an hour before I work out. My workout begins at 6:20, so by 5:20 I'm eating some protein. That tends to sustain me right through. Then post workout within an hour to an hour and a half I have a protein shake, which tides me over till lunch which for me is 11:30.

    This is what has worked for me for the past 3 weeks.
  • clarkeje1
    clarkeje1 Posts: 1,633 Member
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    Try a 5 hour energy shot or eat a banana and wait 1/2 an hour before working out. Bananas give me energy usually
  • PoeRaven
    PoeRaven Posts: 433 Member
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    I'm a morning person so working out first thing works best for me. However, there are days when I would really rather sleep in that extra hour as opposed to putting on my runnin' shoes and taking off like a mad-woman. On those days, actually every day, I get up and head to the bathroom where I wash my face and brush my teeth. These two simple litle tasks wake me up a lot and then I'm just ready to run, run, run!
  • missleah26
    missleah26 Posts: 146 Member
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    I'm the queen of excuses for skipping my after-work workouts, so if I'm going to do it, it has to be in the morning, no matter how much I hate getting out of bed :)

    I've started slow with only Monday-Wednesday-Friday being my morning workout days. I do a weight training routine my trainer put together for me. Starting next week, I'll add another morning for some more cardio. A few weeks later, I'll add the last morning so I'm up to M-F up at 6, at the gym and working out by 6:35 or so. Saturdays are my flex days-- I'll either run outside, try to get skiing, or ice skate on a local lake.

    My trick is to have *everything* ready to roll the night before and hitting the hay early. The less I have to think in the morning, the better! Brushing my teeth before I leave helps wake me up, too.

    Good luck!
  • GameOn2011
    GameOn2011 Posts: 73 Member
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    I'm the queen of excuses for skipping my after-work workouts, so if I'm going to do it, it has to be in the morning, no matter how much I hate getting out of bed :)

    I've started slow with only Monday-Wednesday-Friday being my morning workout days. I do a weight training routine my trainer put together for me. Starting next week, I'll add another morning for some more cardio. A few weeks later, I'll add the last morning so I'm up to M-F up at 6, at the gym and working out by 6:35 or so. Saturdays are my flex days-- I'll either run outside, try to get skiing, or ice skate on a local lake.

    My trick is to have *everything* ready to roll the night before and hitting the hay early. The less I have to think in the morning, the better! Brushing my teeth before I leave helps wake me up, too.

    Good luck!
    |This is me too!! It wasn't easy, but it becomes routine. Setting up the night before is key for me too, including the coffe pot!!!
  • firstnamekaren
    firstnamekaren Posts: 274 Member
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    I work out at 5:30 a.m. because I'd rather have my evenings free with my kid and the gym is significantly less crowded. I just make sure I get a decent amount of sleep (which for me is the hardest part) and that I have my iPod blaring. I switch off between lifting and just cardio.

    But I do love the feeling of knowing for the rest of the day that my workout's done!
  • firstnamekaren
    firstnamekaren Posts: 274 Member
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    My trick is to have *everything* ready to roll the night before and hitting the hay early. The less I have to think in the morning, the better! Brushing my teeth before I leave helps wake me up, too.

    Yes! I sleep in my gym clothes and load up my gym bag the night before, so all I have to do in the morning is pick up my bag, put on my shoes, and go!
  • angelajmrn
    angelajmrn Posts: 63 Member
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    I have noticed that I am not as motivated in the morning either. I need a few hours to "wake up". I find this funny because 10-15 years ago I would always work out first thing in the morning. I think that my life and schedule has changed so drastically now that I can't find the energy to do it in the morning. (Or I am just better with my excuses). I work out when I have the time. I work a very varied schedule so I have to workout when I can. Today happened to be in the morning.
  • yeremeyeva
    yeremeyeva Posts: 46
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    Thanks for your reply! These are good ideas. My work out would need to be much
    earlier than that though, around 5:30am. That's probably why it's hard. I would mind working
    out around 7 or 8 ;)!!
  • Supajoi
    Supajoi Posts: 22
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    I have started to do workout DVDs at home first thing in the morning. Literally, I get out of bed and put on my gym clothes, grab some water and get started. I dont have time to eat and wait half an hour before I work out, so I find this works for me? Is it really a bad thing to gym on an empty stomach??
  • AmyMK
    AmyMK Posts: 164
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    If you go to the gym, try doing a class in the mornings - I find it much easier to be motivated in a spin or lifting class then on my own at 6am
  • yeremeyeva
    yeremeyeva Posts: 46
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    I think it depends on how hard you work out. Like for example if your run is
    under an hour you don't really need a snack I heard. Also, I notice that if I don't
    eat much the night before I am pretty hungry when I wake up so I always
    eat something :-)
  • yeremeyeva
    yeremeyeva Posts: 46
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    I have started to do workout DVDs at home first thing in the morning. Literally, I get out of bed and put on my gym clothes, grab some water and get started. I dont have time to eat and wait half an hour before I work out, so I find this works for me? Is it really a bad thing to gym on an empty stomach??

    I think it depends on how hard you work out. Like for example if your run is
    under an hour you don't really need a snack I heard. Also, I notice that if I don't
    eat much the night before I am pretty hungry when I wake up so I always
    eat something :-)

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