Morning Workouts

[BelgradeBobcat]

Who here works out in the morning? Positives? Negatives? Any reformed nightowls who overcame their need for sleep to start up a morning workout routine?

I'm looking for feeback...and maybe inspiration.

[ChiOCat]

Since November my husband and I have been working out in the morning a couple days a week. I don't love it and I REALLY struggle most days. Not the getting up and getting there, but just running once I'm there. But yesterday I drank a cup of green tea on the way to the gym and had a much better run, don't know if it was mental or caffeine boost I have gone to some group lifting classes and those were better because someone was telling me what to do (and they were really full!)

The best thing about it is being done! It doesn't make me extra tired during the day and I still have lots of energy for the day. I think that's the only thing that gets me to go early!

[RickRund]

Spring, Summer and Fall I head to my favorite Trailhead and go out for a run. Generally I hit the trails at 8AM. Through a website, mapmyrun.com, I have several runs mapped out and they vary as to how I feel when I get into my first mile. At that spot there is the proverbial fork in the road (and the fork IS AT 1 mile) where i can pick up to ten or twelve different routes. This time of the year I become VERY lazy and feel bad that I do not go out for my runs nearly as often. But temperatures ranging from 25* to -5* make me turn into a wimp.....But I love the morning runs. GREAT way to start out the day.
They have started a running series, 5K, in the Reno area and my goal IS to win my age group. I can actually win some COLD CASH............Keep it up ChiOCat.....

[ChiOCat]

Wait, what time do you mean by morning? I'm talking 5:30 AM. My ideal workout time is 8-9, I like to be up and have some coffee first!

To answer another question you asked that I didn't really address, I am a well known crabby, grouchy, morning person. I do go to bed earlier when I know we're going in the morning, we get up an hour earlier to go to the gym.

Rick, you're awesome! Go win that cold hard cash!!!

[BelgradeBobcat]

The best thing about it is being done! It doesn't make me extra tired during the day and I still have lots of energy for the day. I think that's the only thing that gets me to go early!

Yeah this is one of those questions I kind of knew the answer to before I asked it. Getting the workout out of the way is most appealing. Working out after work-there's just too much other stuff to mess up the schedule and that's when I least feel like doing it.

Unfortunately I'm pretty much lazy.

In the summer I ride road bike. Going out after work is less of a problem because riding bike doesn't feel like a workout to me-it's just fun. But I pretty much abhor any other form of exercise-so after daylight savings time ends I always end up becoming sedentary. I pack on 15-20 pounds and my pants start to get tight! Problem is-as I get older losing that weight in the summers gets more difficult. So I've got to try something.

I was going to get up early this morning and just go for a brisk walk/jog (plan starting slow and simple), but I told my wife I needed to do a little more research before I got started-and rolled over. This thread is my research.

[BelgradeBobcat]

Spring, Summer and Fall I head to my favorite Trailhead and go out for a run. Generally I hit the trails at 8AM.

I do that in the evenings on the bike in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. But winter just kills me for weight gain (indoor riding on a trainer is not appealing at all). Do you have this problem? Or are you a more disciplined eater than me?

[RickRund]

I will not go out to early, as you said 5:30.....I has to be fairly light and although I don't think there would be any problems, I run 8ish due to the fact we have a fair sized cat population. And I don't mean house cat.....I want to run after they have hopefully already had breakfast. I don't think I would ever be attacked, BUT..........................My wife is VERY paranoid about that. Because where I run has ZERO people population.

[BelgradeBobcat]

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/1 ... breakfast/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

^^^more motivation. I'll have to give it a good try...if I can just get my butt out of bed.

[AlphaGriz1]

AG1 is down 21 pounds since Dec 20th.

Not a morning person at all 10am is too early.....but I have been up at 4:30 every morning. I work out for 1 hour with various resistance bands then 30 mins of free weights. Then I try to ride 10-15 miles on my mountain bike at least 5 times a week.

For 3 weeks I keeps my caloric intake under 1500 calories then the 4th week I eat decent but whatever I want.

I started out at 248lbs and right now I am 227. I will be 195 before June........or less.

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[wbtfg]

AG1 is down 21 pounds since Dec 20th.

Not a morning person at all 10am is too early.....but I have been up at 4:30 every morning. I work out for 1 hour with various resistance bands then 30 mins of free weights. Then I try to ride 10-15 miles on my mountain bike at least 5 times a week.

For 3 weeks I keeps my caloric intake under 1500 calories then the 4th week I eat decent but whatever I want.

I started out at 248lbs and right now I am 227. I will be 195 before June........or less.

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That's awesome....keep it up!

[ChiOCat]

Way to go Alpha!!

Did you go this morning BGBC? I think you should give it a shot, maybe a month? It will be springtime soon and you can get back to the bike YOU CAN DO IT!!

[BelgradeBobcat]

Much to the shock of my family-I got out of the house this morning for a short walk/jog with the dog. It was 42 degrees-so a good morning to get started. We'll see how it goes-but I'm already so dang efficient that I had time to log on and post this!

Oh and congrats Alpha. The fun part about losing weight is when people start noticing and wondering if you're wasting away from something.

[BroncoCat]

regarding diet, I am 40. slightly overweight. not very active anymore. I have assumed for years that I have 2000 to 2500 calorie diet. Last week I got a calorie counter app for my phone, and it syncs with a web site as well. Anyway, just tracking my usual eating patterns I am in the 2500 to 3000 calorie a day diet. It has been an eye opener. The app works well, it has a bar code scanner for packaged foods and restaurant menus. But I can see that some days, I have to do without the soda and candy bar and get myself into the 2000 calorie area. It also tracks work outs and factors that into my calorie allotment. For AG1, I am impressed that he can maintain the 1500 calorie diet. I refuse to eat anything low/non fat; mayonnaise and cottage cheese are diet killers.
Just another idea for losing weight.

[ilovethecats]

AG1 is down 21 pounds since Dec 20th.

Not a morning person at all 10am is too early.....but I have been up at 4:30 every morning. I work out for 1 hour with various resistance bands then 30 mins of free weights. Then I try to ride 10-15 miles on my mountain bike at least 5 times a week.

For 3 weeks I keeps my caloric intake under 1500 calories then the 4th week I eat decent but whatever I want.

I started out at 248lbs and right now I am 227. I will be 195 before June........or less.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

well done. what about the booze?

i rarely even have a beer during the week but on the weekends....especially with football...i have my fair share. certainly doesn't help.

i'm not one of those guys that makes resolutions or promises myself i'm going to be in the best shape ever. i know myself too well. so i don't swear off booze, and i don't promise to workout every day. i do however make a conscious effort to watch what i eat. i eliminate fried foods almost 100%. i save beer for the weekends, and only drink water throughout the week. i have a pretty busy schedule with work, kids, and such that if i can get on the elliptical for even 30 minutes a day i'm happy. i also try to do short sets of weights and at the very least pushups and situps. this always seems to work just fine for me. my body loses and gains weight fast so simply by eating well and drinking water i can normally lose 10+ pounds in a couple weeks. unfortunately, when i get less disciplined....it goes right back on.

i guess my point is that for those trying to find motivation, baby steps work great for me. watch what you eat, eat moderate servings, and try to get exercise in every day....if even for a half hour. once you see small results it becomes contageous.

[AlphaGriz1]

Much to the shock of my family-I got out of the house this morning for a short walk/jog with the dog. It was 42 degrees-so a good morning to get started. We'll see how it goes-but I'm already so dang efficient that I had time to log on and post this!

Oh and congrats Alpha. The fun part about losing weight is when people start noticing and wondering if you're wasting away from something.

Oh I am getting mileage out of this trust me......my mom asked if I was ok and my reply was....I would rather not talk about this right now. Her and my dad have called my brother and sister to find out if I have health problems.

1500 calories is tough at first but if you cut out snacks and drink water thats a huge part of maintaining. A couple eggs in the morning, wheat bread and turkey for lunch no mayo or mustard and a protein drink in the afternoon or after the morning workout then a cup of rice mixed into a can of chunky soup for dinner.

Way more than enough to keep you kicking.

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[allcat]

We always do the morning workouts, I just won't do it when I come home at night. Plus this way I only take the one shower a day.

[gtapp]

There is no optimum time for working out. It is personal preference. For men, testosterone tends to be lower in the morning but there are other factors that make it a wash. The best part about morning workouts is you can sleep at night instead of trying to unwind and you have your evenings with your family. I work out very late only because I am not a morning person and I like to have a full day of eating to feed the machine. The most important thing is too work out. When is up to you!!!!!!!

[gtapp]

Much to the shock of my family-I got out of the house this morning for a short walk/jog with the dog. It was 42 degrees-so a good morning to get started. We'll see how it goes-but I'm already so dang efficient that I had time to log on and post this!

Oh and congrats Alpha. The fun part about losing weight is when people start noticing and wondering if you're wasting away from something.

Oh I am getting mileage out of this trust me......my mom asked if I was ok and my reply was....I would rather not talk about this right now. Her and my dad have called my brother and sister to find out if I have health problems.

1500 calories is tough at first but if you cut out snacks and drink water thats a huge part of maintaining. A couple eggs in the morning, wheat bread and turkey for lunch no mayo or mustard and a protein drink in the afternoon or after the morning workout then a cup of rice mixed into a can of chunky soup for dinner.

Way more than enough to keep you kicking.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

Depends on your goals. For me I stay near 4500 calories a day and occasionally get up to 6000 when bulking. The problem is that at my age bulking tends to include all parts of the body. I can't get away with eating like that anymore and keep my girlish figure!

[AlphaGriz1]

Oh I agree with you, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish for me its losing my subtle buttery exterior and replacing it with lean mass. Lots of protein and low sugar intake. I have cut out soda and lots of processed foods with lots of sugar in them as well.

I want to get down to the weight I have selected then increase the calories while still working out to keep the weight off. Lots and lots of miles on the mountain bike this summer......going to try and get in 100-125 miles per week.

[ChiOCat]

regarding diet, I am 40. slightly overweight. not very active anymore. I have assumed for years that I have 2000 to 2500 calorie diet. Last week I got a calorie counter app for my phone, and it syncs with a web site as well. Anyway, just tracking my usual eating patterns I am in the 2500 to 3000 calorie a day diet. It has been an eye opener. The app works well, it has a bar code scanner for packaged foods and restaurant menus. But I can see that some days, I have to do without the soda and candy bar and get myself into the 2000 calorie area. It also tracks work outs and factors that into my calorie allotment. For AG1, I am impressed that he can maintain the 1500 calorie diet. I refuse to eat anything low/non fat; mayonnaise and cottage cheese are diet killers.
Just another idea for losing weight.

Very good point! Most people do not realize how many calories they eat in a day. For years I ran a lot so I could eat what I wanted. But then realized that I didn't look like someone who ran a lot.

Like AG, I learned that one can live on a lot less than they think they need when the calories used correctly! I never leave the house in the morning without some fruit, veggies, and a protein.