Waking up at 5am to work out, does it get easier?

LindaCWy
LindaCWy Posts: 463 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Well? Does it?
I did it last week (once) and again today and I felt great initially now I'm super tired again. I am not a morning person at all but thought it would really free my evenings if I got a few of my workouts in in the morning.

Anyone else do this?
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Replies

  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I have to get up early when I bicycle to work (14 miles each way, takes about an hour as opposed to my 20-minute drive). I'm absolutely not a morning person, I struggle to try and fall asleep at midnight and 5:30 comes WAY too early on cycle days.

    I have to force myself to have a snack of some type before I head out. I've found that low glycogen is far more impactful than lack of sleep in terms of the quality of my cycling. A single slice of bread with some cream cheese and/or peanut butter and a small glass of water is plenty to fuel my ride, though. I also have to refuel after the ride - it's about an 800-900 calorie burn so I need a SOLID breakfast or I get tired.

    After a couple of weeks on the bike, I generally find that I can fall asleep a bit earlier and it's a little less tough to drag myself out of bed. But the second week is tough - I haven't adapted my schedule fully and the lack of sleep from the attempt is catching up with me.
  • LindaCWy
    LindaCWy Posts: 463 Member
    I didn't eat beforehand, which was stupid, but that early in the morning I'm never hungry. But then I waited an hour after my workout to eat, which was also stupid. I think food has alot to do with performance.
  • SiberianHusky747
    SiberianHusky747 Posts: 14
    Yeah! Five am is the only time I can run! I love how peaceful it is outside with barely anyone awake. It is a great time to think and it's nice that it stays at a cool temperature in the early morning. I don't eat before. I think I would probably throw up if I did that. I know that it is the hardest thing when your alarm goes off at 5 and you want more than anything to press snooze. But the hardest step s the one out the door. Don't worry, it does get easier! Trust me! But make sure you are going to bed no later than 10. That way you will get at least 7 hours of sleep. As your body becomes accustomed to getting up at that time and you get more and more in shape you will have more and more energy and feel so much better! Plus you'll get it out of the way before most people are out of bed! Keep going and remember you aren't alone! Best wishes!
  • js370
    js370 Posts: 140
    I've been getting up at 4am since Feb. and I still sometimes wake up tired. I do it, for the same reasons that you're trying too...to free up my evenings. To me that's worth it. I really enjoy having to go home after work. It's not always bad. You do get used to it. As soon as I wake up I head right to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. I have a protein shake afterwards and then have breakfast about an hour or so later when I get to work.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I tried this myself back when I was doing P90X. I couldn't stick with it for a few reasons:

    1. The whole point of working out in the AM is to work out fasted. But this doesn't really work for higher intensity exercises because you need nutrients in your system. You can do more basic workouts like going for a run/walk or something like that, but for hitting the weights or doing super-high-intensity stuff like plyometrics, its a no-no.

    2. I personally am very uncoordinated in the mornings. I have to hold onto the railing when going up and down the stairs to my room. Trying to do anything that constitutes exercise in that state is just begging for injuries.
  • lkcostello
    lkcostello Posts: 49 Member
    I think it gets easier. I get up at 4 M-F to workout. I wish I didn't have to but I don't get home from work until 6. Then there's dinner, get food ready for next day, husband time. If I don't do it in the morning, it won't get done. Good luck.

    Oh-I don't eat first. I roll out of bed, get dressed, grab a bottle of water and start working out.
  • riverhollow
    riverhollow Posts: 19 Member
    Absolutely love it! Straight from bed to the gym (well, one or two other things to do before); I only properly wake up there.
    Since I start my workout approximately 30min after I have woken up, I feel no hunger. But I do eat immediately after.

    I'm a morning person and when I go to the gym first thing in the morning, I feel fresh and full of energy the entire day :-)
  • Shamrock_me
    Shamrock_me Posts: 161
    I rise but don't shine at 4:45 in order to down a cup of coffee, eat a yogurt with flaxseed and drive to the gym by 5:15. You gotta have a lil something in your stomach! Try a protein smoothie.

    I'm not a morning person but I'm also not a people person so going to the gym at this time is best for me. No one else is there and if per chance there is another body in there, they like me, aren't all smiles and cheery that you want to punch them.

    Having all the machines available for a little circuit training is really great too. And if I try out a new machine and end up looking like a goof - well no one is there to see me!

    When I go to the gym at 'regular hours' it just seems like the people next to me don't get my workout motto: "If I have breath to carry on a conversation, I'm not working out hard enough."
  • LindaCWy
    LindaCWy Posts: 463 Member
    I tried this myself back when I was doing P90X. I couldn't stick with it for a few reasons:

    1. The whole point of working out in the AM is to work out fasted. But this doesn't really work for higher intensity exercises because you need nutrients in your system. You can do more basic workouts like going for a run/walk or something like that, but for hitting the weights or doing super-high-intensity stuff like plyometrics, its a no-no.

    2. I personally am very uncoordinated in the mornings. I have to hold onto the railing when going up and down the stairs to my room. Trying to do anything that constitutes exercise in that state is just begging for injuries.

    Wuh oh, I did weight training and cardio this morning fasted, I was having a hard time finishing off the cardio that I usually rock in the eveings so next time I will make sure to eat something first. I prepared my day last night food wise so I'm in a pretty good position with nutrients throughout the day, but as I was lifting the barbell I thought to myself "I should have eatens something". I workout in my basement at home so its a total bonus.
  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
    I tried this myself back when I was doing P90X. I couldn't stick with it for a few reasons:

    1. The whole point of working out in the AM is to work out fasted. But this doesn't really work for higher intensity exercises because you need nutrients in your system. You can do more basic workouts like going for a run/walk or something like that, but for hitting the weights or doing super-high-intensity stuff like plyometrics, its a no-no.

    2. I personally am very uncoordinated in the mornings. I have to hold onto the railing when going up and down the stairs to my room. Trying to do anything that constitutes exercise in that state is just begging for injuries.

    Wuh oh, I did weight training and cardio this morning fasted, I was having a hard time finishing off the cardio that I usually rock in the eveings so next time I will make sure to eat something first. I prepared my day last night food wise so I'm in a pretty good position with nutrients throughout the day, but as I was lifting the barbell I thought to myself "I should have eatens something". I workout in my basement at home so its a total bonus.

    If you insist on doing your workouts in the AM here is my suggestion: Wake up with enough time to eat a light breakfast consisting of fast-absorbing proteins and carbohydrates (example would be a whey protein shake and a larger portion of fruits). Give yourself an hour for it to settle, THEN go do your workout. Adding in a good pre workout supplement helps too.
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
    It only gets easier if you go to bed earlier. If you cheat yourself of sleep to get up earlier it will only get harder.
  • jinlopez
    jinlopez Posts: 38
    Yeah! Five am is the only time I can run! I love how peaceful it is outside with barely anyone awake. It is a great time to think and it's nice that it stays at a cool temperature in the early morning. I don't eat before. I think I would probably throw up if I did that. I know that it is the hardest thing when your alarm goes off at 5 and you want more than anything to press snooze. But the hardest step s the one out the door. Don't worry, it does get easier! Trust me! But make sure you are going to bed no later than 10. That way you will get at least 7 hours of sleep. As your body becomes accustomed to getting up at that time and you get more and more in shape you will have more and more energy and feel so much better! Plus you'll get it out of the way before most people are out of bed! Keep going and remember you aren't alone! Best wishes!

    Ditto.
  • 17ChargerGirl17
    17ChargerGirl17 Posts: 441
    I wake up at 4 15 every morning to go workout at 5.
    I find that I can not just get out of bed and immediately go exercise.
    I have been doing this since December and yes it does get easier. My body is used to it, but there are some mornings that I wake up and am tired and don't want to go. But I get up anyways and by the end of my workout I am glad that I did.
    Just don't give up. You can do it....
  • ElleBee615
    ElleBee615 Posts: 177
    It only gets easier if you go to bed earlier. If you cheat yourself of sleep to get up earlier it will only get harder.

    ^^This!

    I've changed my sleep schedule and have been getting up between 5:30-6 (depending on the day)...which I normally would get up around 7:30. I've been doing this a month and only days I'm DYING is when I don't get enough sleep the night before. Now I go to bed earlier than I normally have but it has gotten easier.
  • rmsrws
    rmsrws Posts: 639 Member
    4:45 am my alarm goes off. Most times I wake a few minutes before on my own.

    My body is use to this schedule. If I don't get up and work out, my entire day is out of whack!!! It gets much easier as time passes. Don't get me wrong there are days I'd rather just stay under the covers and pretend I don't care, but deep down I do care!
  • rprussell2004
    rprussell2004 Posts: 870 Member
    MUCH easier.

    I'm about to the point where I wake up on my own (my time is 5:30) rather than relying on the alarm clock.

    Been doing it since January.
  • dawnblu
    dawnblu Posts: 95 Member
    I have to work out at night because I get up at 2:45am to be at work by 4am. I can tell you that it does not get easier to get up earlier. I would love to be able to get up at 5am. When I used to have normal hours of 8-5 I got up at 6 to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes before an hour commute and it wasn't bad... but I was getting plenty of sleep. Now I only average about 4 hrs a night and it's brutal. Going to bed with the birds still chirping is... well, for the birds! Hang in there though and it will become a habit. It might not be easy but neither is hauling around extra pounds. :flowerforyou:
  • thriftycupl
    thriftycupl Posts: 310 Member
    It gets easier the more you do it and the process becomes a routine for you. I get up around 4:45 am to squeeze in additional working out. There are days however, when I'm just too darn tired and will get in some additional activity throughout the day.
  • mamnboston
    mamnboston Posts: 81
    Early riser here, the best way to start your day but it's an adjustment. Hang in there, it will get better ;)
  • EmilyCholette1990
    EmilyCholette1990 Posts: 39 Member
    Im not a morning person AT ALL but i find that my body craves the early work out now and it makes me feel beter throughout the day :0
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I get up at 4:50 4 days a week to workout. Some days it is really easy, others it is a big struggle. I just keep making myself get up and do it. At first, I had to go to be around 8:30 or I couldn't function the next day. Now, I can stay awake until 10 or so.
  • bethany1031
    bethany1031 Posts: 40 Member
    I'm up at 4:45 every morning. Typically I slog my way to the treadmill with nothing in my stomach, but have a protein shake on my way into the office. It works for me. By the time I get home from work, working out was the last thing on my mind.....which is why I ballooned up.

    Some mornings I hit snooze more than I should. But it does get easier! On days when I just absolutely cannot make it happen (maybe they baby was up during the night, or I stayed up too late watching a movie or something) I may sleep in....but I know the next day I drag my *kitten* out of bed.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    My problem is, I just don't wake up. I have five alarms in my house. I've set them all for within a couple of minutes of each other and I STILL slept through them all. I want to get up early, but my body just won't cooperate.
  • sjflowers
    sjflowers Posts: 148
    I don't personally get up to work out, but my husband does. And he says it gets easier. Also, that if he misses a morning he feels draggy at work. Not as sharp. :)
  • cwgrl4u
    cwgrl4u Posts: 12 Member
    Yep....It sure does! :yawn:
  • lcs1211
    lcs1211 Posts: 121 Member
    I love the morning workouts. A friend and I have been doing this for a couple of years now (meeting at the gym at 5:00) and we both love it. It is hard to get up and motivated but it makes the day so much easier and leaves my evenings free. We are so used to getting up to work out now that we even meet early on Saturdays to get our work out in. It definitely gets easier as you do it. Good luck and stay motivated whenever you decide to work out!
  • littlewords
    littlewords Posts: 43
    Nope. If you're not a morning person, you're not.
    That's why I switched from 5am to more like 8am. No, that doesn't always work out either, but it works out WAY more often than 5am did, once I was off the initially "gung ho" kick of going to the gym so early.
    I know what you mean about not wanting to waste your evenings, and 8 am isn't for everyone, only for people with more flexible schedules.

    Just find whatever time really WORKS for you - what time of day would you find yourself sitting around doing nothing, or nothing more than typing on the internet?
  • jennieodwyer
    jennieodwyer Posts: 1,036 Member
    Yes it does get easier! Once you make it part of your regular routine, you will adjust. It took me a while of forcing myself out of bed to workout (since I had no other time) but now it is like second nature. I don't eat before though. I would totally vomit if I did. haha
  • blynn2708
    blynn2708 Posts: 262 Member
    I used to get at 5am to go to the gym, and I loved it! I was energized all day! Now I workout at home, and workout in the evenings. I got up at 5 am once this week to do a workout...only once...I cannot seem to get my butt out of bed! I want to workout in the AM, my son tells me I don't do anything fun with him anymore...made me feel really bad! So, I'm going to keep trying mornings...I did it before I can do it again, just a matter of routine! Once I do it a few times, it'll be the norm! Good luck to you! It will get easier:bigsmile:
  • specialtreat
    specialtreat Posts: 75
    Yes, for me it has gotten easier, and believe me I have never been a morning person, let alone getting out of bed before 7:30am.
    It was extremely hard for me to get up at 4:45am to go for a walk before the kids woke up to get ready for school.

    Now, if I am not getting up to go for a walk , I wake at 4:45am anyway, I think my body clock has tuned in to that time of the morning for me to be awake..I must admit though it is a beautiful time of day, once I am up and moving....

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