100 lb. Club - Morning Excercise - HOW?

Excercising in general is not an easy thing - it is a committment and takes time to plan and make yourself go.

Perhaps because I am single, I somewhat have the luxury to choose when I fit my excercise during the day. A few people who I know prefer to do it right after work, do not stop at home, just aim straight for the gym. Then later have dinner if you desire one. This is what I did yesterday, and I cannot say it worked well for me - I was tired and hungry through the workout. Yet I felt full when I got home and could not take a bite, but a ate just a bit even though I was ehaused and sleepy. As midnight approached, I was not sleepy anymore. My body was totally confused.
Others I see at work - they find time to do it during lunch. Not my option, I need more than an hour (This week is only cardio, and may be some press if I can manage it), and then I need a shower. Hauling bags of stuff, changing at work or at the gym, showering there - I find it very unplesant, even though it is clean.
So far my option has been: Go home at 6pm, eat by 7pm, rest till 9 and then gym, shower at home, and direcly into bed. Worked well, and I felt rested.
The thought of getting up at 6:30 to be at the gym by 7 [15min at home and 15min to drive there], work out and be at home at 9, and not be at work till 10???
How do you girls do it? What about mornings? How do you manage?

When I was single, I loved going to the gym after dinner. I even tried that with DH when we were just dating and he didn't like it at all.

Now I'm a before bed at home exerciser or sometimes after work exerciser. I have periods of doing it in the morning and you start by getting up earlier and earlier and doing a little bit each day. I would also do it at home though.

When I was going to the gym and did mornings, I'd take everything with me, get to the gym around 6:30, exercise, shower and get ready there and then go to work.

Hmm I struggle I think more with "take everything with me" then with showering there.
I think because of my self immage as large and big, I have trouble carrying a big bag with all my stuff with me, I fill as I am even bigger than I am already because of the bags...Besides when I try on something in the morning, I change my mind frequently as things sometimes fit better or worst as time goes on. Even going on a trip I take double the closes that I need.
Lastly I am affraid I will forget something...:mad:

Well we all have different circumstances. I work at home and my "official" starting time is 10:00. And on top of that I'm an early riser. And on top of that I don't head to a gym to exercise, saving me even more time. So I do have time in the morning. I usually walk for about 40 mins in the morning outdoors and do about 35 mins of some kind of aerobic/cardio workout in my home and yup this is all usually before 8:00. Times do vary for me depending on my kids scheduele. I do change it up during the course of the school year. For me the mornings work out quite well. I also do a workout of some sort, usually more walking and then strength training, in the late afternoon or evenings as well.

It IS a commitment and sometimes a pain in the you know what, but the benfits outweigh any inconveniences by so much that it's worth it.

But you need to decide for yourself what would be the best time to work it into your scheduele. Even if it means getting up a little earlier then you'd prefer. It's just THAT important.

Good luck. :)

I try to get up in the morning to go for my walk. Up at 7am out the door by 7:18 back in at 7:45 then 20 push ups and 50 crunches. I found it eaiser once I was going it. I found being in bed at 11pm helped as well. Even tho I'm single and a night owl I forced myself and I was able to get up earlier.

You don't need a gym to start of working out. Unless your the type that hey I'm paying for it I'm going to use it. A couple of dollar tree buckets with water/or sand can act as dumb bells. If you live in a good neighborhood you could walk outside or bike. When I was in phyiscal therpy they had these rubber bands that you could all kind of stuff with.

When I work out I look at whats going to raise my heart rate up for atleast 30mins I also shoot for 3 days a week.

Hi,
I am a SAHM , at the moment, so I do elliptical and general exercises for about 45 minutes in the morning, and at night I do about 15 minutes of free weights. I recently started doing the weights at night, because I felt real tired after the elliptical. For me exercising at night is hard, I just want to relax after cooking and cleaning, ect... So after DD is at summer school I come home and begin exercising about 8 am( I am usually up between 5 and 6 am, feeding cats, cleaning litter boxes, sweeping, washing clothes ect... I try and eat breakfast around 6 am so I have the energy to exercise, but sometimes I will only drink grapefruit juice and then after I exercise I will eat a bowl of cereal at 9 am.
So I do have more time than you, but I am more of a morning person, and like doing this, when the time comes and I have to get to work, that is going to be a big problem fitting in the exercise.
cheryl

I think whatever you will stick to is the answer. I've played around with lots of different schedules and for me, so far, regular morning exercise doesn't work. So, I work anywhere from mid afternoon to night. I often work an odd schedule though, so what works for me may not work for others.

The other thing I have had to ask myself as I think about exercise schedules is whether or not I'm just making excuses for myself. I really don't like to think about DOING exercise, and I tend to come up with lots of reasons why I can't do it, often revolving around not having time. However, I have found that when I do take the time to exercise, I feel better, have more energy and just feel better about myself (because I am exercising itself AND because I am doing something for me). So I have had to learn to make myself exercise even when I don't want to. I don't know if any of this describes you or not...

Yep, you've got to find a time that works for you. I get up at 4 and either do a DVD, ride the stationary bike for 30 minutes to an hour or I get to the gym when it opens at 5 and work out for an hour. And I stop at the gym after work and on Saturdays to work out for 1 to 2 hours. I make sure I eat a small snack at 3:00 and another one on the drive to the gym at 5:00. But I'm still trying to work out my dinner. When I first started this journey one of my rules was no eating after 7 and that worked great when I was just working out at home. But now that I've actually joined a gym I'm finding that isn't possible. Going home first isn't an option since the closest gym is 30 miles form my home (I live in the sticks :) ) So until I figure it out, I'm eating a lot of pre-cooked meals that I've thrown in my freezer.

I agree. You just have to make it a priority and a habit for whatever time you like the most. I work full time and have to be there at 8:00. I also have active kids, so after work doesn't work for me. I'm exhausted at night, so not a good time. So... I get up at 5:00 am and get it done.

For two years, I got up at 5:00 a.m. to work out. Recently, I've been working out in the morning, but not quite that early. I can't lie to you: It was never "easy." However the hardest part was actually getting out of bed. Once I did that, the rest was just routine. Also, it felt great to come back from the gym, take a shower, and enjoy a great cup of coffee. As I had my coffee, I always felt a sense of accomplishment because I knew that my exercise was out of the way.

Here's what I've found: I am a more consistent exerciser when I work out in the morning, but I feel I have more strength & energy when I work out in the early afternoon.

I would love to exercise in the evening (a key reason being my decreased appetite post exercise) but it just doesn't fit w/ my lifestyle.

Wow, thank you so much for you replies.
Today is a really tough day for me for some reason, any post that I read I burst in tears, scared that I am not be able to... I do understand that everythign is possilbe, and I have done it before.
Excercise is just one of my current inner-struggles...

Rockinrobin,
Thank you for your comments. I do have a somewhat flexible schedule, where most of the days I can be at work after 9, and I do live just 15minutes away from work, and 10 minutes away from the gym.
May I ask you about your exercise further?
When you walk, what’s the usual speed, i.e. do you do power walks up the hill, or is it more a wake-up kind not too slow but without “the push”.
What kind of aerobics exercise do you?
How many days a week do you usually work out twice a day?
Please, don’t take it the wrong way, I am just trying to learn as much as I can right now. I am not being skeptical, I am trying to get myself used to the idea, of what will need ot be done to achieve desired results.
Congratulations on your weight loss.

[QUOTE=Outland]....

You don't need a gym to start of working out. Unless your the type that hey I'm paying for it I'm going to use it. A couple of dollar tree buckets with water/or sand can act as dumb bells. If you live in a good neighborhood you could walk outside or bike. When I was in phyiscal therpy they had these rubber bands that you could all kind of stuff with.
[\QUOTE]

I do have a membership already, but I am not that type :-)
In the past being at the gym made it easier because doing it alone at home was somewhat borring. Driving to the gym usually sets me up into the right mood.
Walking around the neighborhood is kind of tough, It is an ok place, but not somewhere where I would enjoy the walk. I don't own a TV and therefore I used TV as reward for doing eliptical machine.
The rubber bands things are helpful, I even have a couple, after my last physical theraphy...

..... I really don't like to think about DOING exercise, and I tend to come up with lots of reasons why I can't do it, often revolving around not having time. However, I have found that when I do take the time to exercise, I feel better, have more energy and just feel better about myself (because I am exercising itself AND because I am doing something for me). So I have had to learn to make myself exercise even when I don't want to. I don't know if any of this describes you or not...

Yes, you are right. I cannot say about now, because 1 or 2 days are not a good test, but in the past at first I looked for reasons not to go, which later turned into I want to go, but lazy to get up. Kind of strange feeling...But certainly afterwords I usually felt great, even though tired and sleepy at times.
Again as I get more into it this time around, I think i will find the same, right now I am trying to supress all of my thoughts about excercise.

.....

Here's what I've found: I am a more consistent exerciser when I work out in the morning, but I feel I have more strength & energy when I work out in the early afternoon.

I would love to exercise in the evening (a key reason being my decreased appetite post exercise) but it just doesn't fit w/ my lifestyle.

Interesting. I do believe that this will apply to me. I've tried going to the gym around 10am or 11 am in the past, and I felt that it was 2-3 times as hard on my body, which simply did not want to move.
Again evening comment is also true, usually while at the gym I might feel hungry, but after the work-out, I can easily not eat. If I go to bed within an hour of the work-out I am golden till the morning.

cbeta -- I don't know if it helps to hear this or not, but exercise has always been the hardest thing for me to work in. I AM STILL lazy and STILL have a tendency to not exercise. But you CAN overcome it if you really want to (and that's the problem you're having). For me, knowing that I am likely to talk myself out of exercise helps me come up with strategies to overcome it.

For example, on days I exercise after work, it helps that my gym bag is IN the car. And I have 2 parking lot choices, and it helps when I park the car in the lot closer to the gym! Seriously. Little things sometimes make the difference. And once I point the car to the gym (rather than home) I always make it!

I am a WAHM so I can work it into my day anytime. My Dh does his as soon as he gets home from work before he eats. My MIL does hers on her lunch.

Rockinrobin,
Thank you for your comments. I do have a somewhat flexible schedule, where most of the days I can be at work after 9, and I do live just 15minutes away from work, and 10 minutes away from the gym.
May I ask you about your exercise further?
When you walk, what’s the usual speed, i.e. do you do power walks up the hill, or is it more a wake-up kind not too slow but without “the push”.
What kind of aerobics exercise do you?
How many days a week do you usually work out twice a day?
Please, don’t take it the wrong way, I am just trying to learn as much as I can right now. I am not being skeptical, I am trying to get myself used to the idea, of what will need ot be done to achieve desired results.
Congratulations on your weight loss.

What I'm doing now and what I'm doing when I first started out are 2 totally different things.

When I first started out I was barely walking 15 minutes at a pop, slowly at that and probably about 4 X a week. I slowly increased my length of walking and my speed and the amount of days that I exercise. I'm up to 7 now and have been for quite some time, I figure if I eat every day (I like to eat), I might as well be doing SOME sort of activity. I still don't love to exercise. But I love what it does for me. So, I don't like spending 60-90 mins at a time doing it. So that's why I break it down to several parts. This is what works for me. I don't remember at what point I added in a 2nd walk, but to me it made perfect sense. If I couldn't do it for longer, I could do it more often. Burn more calories. Now, even though I could go longer, I still choose to break it up. I now add in intervals of jogging.

My at home workout (non-walking outdoors) consists of mainly dancing and strength training. Sit ups, stretching, resistance band and that kind of stuff. The past couple of day though I just changed it up a bit and have been doing Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds 3 mile walk DVD adjusting it a bit to fit my needs. Those are great, great beginner tapes by the way. Her one mile walk is quick and easy to follow.

In the beginning just get used to getting yourself moving. You have plenty of time to increase. Activity and movement is what you are looking for right now. Just do a little bit more then the day before. If you're watching TV, get off that couch at every commercial. STraighten up the living room, wash some dishes - just move. That's what I did. I used all those "little tricks" to get myself moving. Taking stairs instead of the elevator. Parking further away from your destination then need be. I always have it on my head to burn extra calories. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. And it works.

It's a process. You don't need to get from A - Z in one full swoop. Ease into it. Good luck to you. You CAN do this. And you've got the full support of everyone here to guide you through in whatever you need. :hug:

EDITED TO ADD: I just read that you don't have a TV. That might take away the getting off the couch at every commercial portion of my post. But as far as exerise DVD's go, you can view them on your computer.

robin, thansk for the hug. I think you hid the nail on the head... "tricking myself". It might be that this is the harders thing to overcome. I struggle inside myself (as I learn how others did it).
I wil try to explain: There is a path to my goal, and to even out the road, and perhaps make it faster, I can "help" myself along with the tricks. This is a step forward on that path towards my goal. But inside, I constantly analyze that I am living a lie, lieing to myself and others about what I want and do not want to do...[it is super hard, I am crying as I was reading everyone's comments and as I am typing now] I cannot seem to make piece with it.
In my past attempts, I think I disabled that process, acting like Scarlett from Gone with the Wind - "I will think about it tomorrow", but later is no better - I have to come to terms with it and I just don't know how.
It is childish to look for reasons why "I am so different than others", and therefore I want to change inside myself somehow...I know something will click and then I will be ok.
Thank you very much for your comments.
I am actually ok on walking: in the evening at the gym, I can still do my 45 minutes of eliptical yes with some sweat, but w/o being super ehausted. I can do 100 crunches, on a that thing which curls my arms. My old trainer said that physically I have good muscell mass, and that is because I used to dance semi-professionally about 15 years back. I do go camping, and can walk up some hills, slowly but can...my friends have been very supportive several times as I tried it, all is great except for my left knee which is not very stable.
I've seen those walk away the pounds cds. I stopped crying as I typed and now started again...sorry I am just a mess today. I think I will go and do some excercise (I thought of skipping it, but talking with everyone and not doing anything made me guilty)
[Sorry for writing so much, I might sound like I am crazy, but today has been one crazy day and as soon as I excecise I am ready for it for be over]

See my post 30 min ago, as I promissed I did 30 minutes of Gilad excercise dvd :-) first 15 came from his abs workout and rest were from his aerobics. I feel better because I did them, but somehow still not enough :-(

Please don't feel bad CBETA. It is an absolute struggle for me to make myself exercise! When I first started losing weight, I was at the gym, 4 times a week doing cardio...Then summer hit, I was out of school, no schedule...And I stopped doing it completely. ONly in the last 2 weeks have I convinced myself I need to do this..For me exercising is like visiting the gyno rhino...I don't want to do it, and I DREAD the day I have my appointment...but I know I HAVE TO and once it's over, I realize it really wasn't so bad as I hyped it up to be. And with exercise, after I get back into the routine a few days and stop being sore, I actually ENJOY the way my body feels after a work out...I feel lighter and healthier! So just give it a few days, try to get into a routine that works for you, and you might just like it :D

smokeymonkey and everyone else thank you so much for encouraging words.
I know it will be esier it just takes time...
I am feeling better after the excercise and after some unplanned reward:
Back in May I went on a last minute trip to see a friend from my native city who I've not seen for 14 years. She traveled to France with a group of guys from my native city mostly. Everyone including her (except for me) were lawers. Mainly men, i.e. a team of 25 or so lawers who play soccer in the Lawers Soccer League. (EuroLawers tornament, which took place in St Maxime - south of France). I really enjoyed my time there and made lots of friends. After doing the dvd, I saw a paper with their numbers, and decided to call a couple of them. We were so excited to reconnect and talk again, one of them even stepped out of the court when he saw an out of the country number.
I am planning to go with them on thier next your tournament which will take place in Spain. I do want to lose the weight. A little wish I've had for years, of a man carrying me, might come true more than once.
I do know they wish me well, and really some of them stood up for me there more than once. I want to suprise them and look slimmer just like all girls in my native country...no wonder they bring brides from there. Girls are really toned and I want to be better than I am now. (may be shallow but true)
Again thanks for the support I do feel a bit better, off to bed - tomorrow is another day and another stuggle for me.

I find it easiest to get up early and do my exercises, but thats not really practical for me to do alot of the times...

I like to walk outdoors, and since my tredmill is on the fritz I kinda half to, but I hate that people I know will see me out walking, (living in a small town, that happens ALOT), so I like to walk when its dark, so no one see's me.

Mornings are best for me, which means I have to get up around 4am, to be out the door by 4:15 or so...

But with my chaotic work schedule it doesn't work very well. I'm on-call for the ambulance 90+ hours a week, so when my pager goes off I have to go, and we have a 3 minute responce time here so if I'm out walking around town and the pager goes off I'm screwed!!

I just try to fit it in whenever I can. It varies.

I am a single parent that works 40 hours a week away from home. My work hours are 8am to 5pm. I have tried getting up in the morning to exercise, and once I got out of bed, the workout was fun and I was energized all day long. The getting out of bed is the hardest part. Morning exercise also means going to bed earlier and I resist this because I will be giving up my "Me Time".
Currently, I exercise about 7:30 -8:00pm. I get home, make dinner, clean up the kitchen and begin my exercises. My ideal night starts with a 30 minutes walk around the neighborhood. When I get home, I am dressed for a workout and am warmed up. My ideal night doesn't happen often. lol Last night I exercised right after work. Then the kids helped me make dinner. That worked very well.
I am gearing myself up to begin a morning exercise routine. It's so hot here right now (100 degrees today with a high humidity) that an evening walk is impossible. But a morning one is doable. I am checking out the C25K program because I feel a 20 to 30 minute run in the morning will give me a better workout than a walk. And the time frame is easier to work in because it's shorter too. But it means leaving my kids at home alone in the mornings too.
To be consistent with exercise, you have to make it a priority. I know I feel better and lose weight faster when I exercise. I know it makes me healthier and my heart happier. Exercise makes my body more toned and more attractive. You can to it too!

Thank you guys for all the great advice.
I've rested the entire weekend, and did not do any serious exercising primarily because of TOM, but this morning was my first.
I did get up and went to the gym spent 45 min on an eliptical, and did 60 crunches.
Now I am about to have breakfast and head to the office. I am actually already have been working for about half an hour, as our application went down and got called on my way back from the gym.

I am proud to announce that for the first time in my life, I've become a "morning exerciser". I am normally a night person, but for over a month I've gotten up M-F to work out at 6am at the gym. It works for me because I've had morning insomnia (waking up too early, unable to fall back asleep) for a while, and I decided I'd rather get out of bed and experience the "discomfort" of a gym than to deal with ongoing frustration about insomnia. Tossing and turning trying to sleep was a waste of time, and I took it as my body telling me something.

It also helps me that I have a workout buddy who meets me every morning at the gym. I like having a social activity, some "me time", before having to go in to work.

Getting ready at the gym: yeah, it's kind of inconvenient, but there are tricks and benefits to it. The benefit of showering at the gym every day is that my own bathroom stays clean! I tend to wear wrinkle-free clothes to work that I *know* work together (I often try things on the night before). I bought sample/travel sizes of my favorite products, and when I ran out of them I refilled the bottles with my at-home stash, so I always have small bottles of hygiene products in the gym bag. I pack my bag at night - trying to pack a gym bag at 5:00am for me is pathetic.

At this time, I keep my workout routine simple. I did treadmill for the first few weeks, then eventually added in ellipticals, stationary bikes, and the row machine. On weekends, I add in "recreational" exercise like hiking, or taking my DS swimming. DS also enjoys the gym, so sometimes I do an extended session on the elliptical on the weekends. I also occasionally go to an evening cardio class, walk, or roller blade with a friend in the evenings as well.

I like having all of my exercise requirements done for the day, so when I go home I can be as lazy as I want to.