So, I joined the gym. I still can’t afford it. I still did it anyway. I will never be good at money.
In an effort to make myself go to said gym enough times to warrant what I pay for it, I decided that I would start going in the mornings if I had after work plans.
I’ve done this twice so far, somehow forgetting the fact that working out in the morning is the worst idea anyone ever thought up.
Healthy people are always saying “working out in the morning gives me so much energy and makes me feel so great starting the day off right!”
But that’s not how it goes for me.
First of all, the dread of having to work out in the morning makes me sleep even worse than usual. I’m always really paranoid when I have an early wake-up call thinking I’m going to oversleep. As a result, I lay awake all night until about an hour before my alarm goes off.
Then, when I wake up, I’m too discombobulated to eat or drink anything, so I go into the workout on a completely empty stomach and my body is like “hey, what the fuck is this?” and I’m like “I don’t know, where’d you come from anyway?” and we’re both like “where are we?”
It’s confusing, to say the least. Especially if burpees are involved. No one should burpee before 8 a.m.
Then I suffer through the workout, never feeling that natural energy that people speak of. Instead I feel anger, and then sadness, and then a numb empty feeling.
Then I go home and drink coffee (finally! but still not hungry for food) and sweat. Then I take a shower and keep sweating. Then I put my makeup on and immediately sweat it off. Then I put my clothes on and sweat through them.
The sweat will not stop!
Then I go to work, and I realize that I’m starving and I might perish before I get off the metro.
So then I eat something really unhealthy because I feel sorry for myself for having had such a traumatic morning.
And then I feel really sleepy because I ate more food than I usually do in a day when I don’t workout so I have to drink five more cups of coffee.
Then I get all jittery and spazzy and can’t really focus on my life.
And then I realize that, really, there was no point in going to the gym this morning.
For me, cardio AM gives me the energy boost and the “yay, I feel sparkly” all day feeling. Weight lifting on the other hand does nothing to make me “sparkly” and I try to do it in the afternoon. And I NEVER work out on an empty stomach. I try to get a piece of whole wheat toast (with peanut butter or melted cheese and honey) in my belly with a glass of water. That helps. Sorry you’re so tired. BUT YAY for working out ALL THE MUSCLES!
I did cardio this morning. After the horror of that class I tried last week and being super sore it was all I could muster. But I’m still not sparkly
I’m sorry. If you eat before the workout, it tends to help with the hunger issue too. Honestly.
I just can’t stomach food that early. Especially if I’m going to be jumping up and down immediately after.
Hmm…Steph is going to love this…so when I was half marathon training, I got up at 3:30am, ate, processed my food, pottied, started my run between 4:30 and 5am. Never got an upset stomach since I ate an hour before exercise.
This is it in a nutshell. People that workout in the morning are fucking CRAZY (sorry SIL, you’re out of your damn mind). It doesn’t give me energy, it only means I’m falling asleep at my desk by 11am. And it makes me want to eat all the food, thus negating working out.
Yep. I keep hoping that I’ll somehow adjust and have a different result, but that doesn’t seem to be happening.
No offense taken, Steph. This is why I love you. We are opposites. And I love a girl with passionate opinions!
Bahahaha! That’s hilarious!
Uhm, that sweating issue is the reason I can’t work out in the morning. I can’t even handle it. You’re right, the loss of sleep and general annoying morning routine makes it all completely pointless.
Yep. I’m the same way. It’s awful! I value my sleep too much. And it just starts off my day feeling exhausted. I may have extra energy at first but I am tired way earlier than normal and I eat triple what I normally would. I am definitely a night time workouter. Even if i’m tired after work, if I drag myself to the gym it suddenly gives me a quick boost of energy so that i don’t go straight to bed after work and at least am able to stay up to watch some primetime TV and/or do something else productive.
Yeah, I can do it once a week if I have to (because I really have to get my money’s worth out of this fricking gym) but I do much better working out at night or at lunch – I miss being able to do that.
Nope, you’re not melodramatic at all.
Haha, I love it. This is how I feel when I work out in the evening, so I feel your pain. Just reversed.
I guess I’m just weird. Because it takes a LOT for me to be force myself to head to the gym after being in the office for 9 hours and commuting… I don’t know how you guys can do it. For real.
Plus I feel it important to mention I dont’ know how you deal with the douchebags in the gym at mainstream times. I think half the reason I enjoy morning workouts so much is that no one is around….
Yeah, I honestly don’t enjoy going to the gym at any time of day, but I hate it less in the evening
Hahahhaa YUP. Morning workouts are not my friend. I don’t feel energized and ready to take on the day after, I feel completely exhausted, ready to go back to bed but unfortunately have to get ready for work. And I am always, always late for work if I try to go to the gym in the morning. No one should burpee before 8am, needs to be a new mantra.
Really no one should burpee like, ever. Those things are terrible.
I tried to get up this morning to workout, and you know what happened? I didn’t do it because some days it just sucks too much. The only reason I ever do them is because I’m really trying hard not to gain a million pounds from sitting all day at work, and then all night at school. Some weeks it’s really just the only way, but I’ll avoid it wherever I can. If I’m not starving to death after school I’ll hop on the treadmill for 20 minutes just so I can say I worked out and give myself an excuse not to get up in the morning.
Today was the first time I’ve ever gone in the morning before work and I kind of hated it. I mean, yes, it’s good that I worked out and now I don’t have to go when I get out of the event I’m going to, but it makes me SO HUNGRY and everyone keeps asking me what’s wrong, so apparently it also makes me kind of bitchy?
F that noise. After work or nothing from now on.
SO HUNGRY!!!!!!
I am exactly the same as you. I love the idea of working out in the morning, especially since finding time otherwise is difficult. But… I won’t sleep, in fear of oversleeping… and then I won’t put “my all” into my workout, for fear of going over my time and being late to work. And then of course… the sweat is the biggest issue!
When I work out – and then 2 hours afterwards… I am a sweaty red beet!
Yeah, the time crunch is another issue.
I hate it too! I do the same thing where I can’t sleep well because I’m paranoid that my alarm is going to go off soon. I’m not energized after, I’m tired like two hours later. It just doesn’t work for me. I go straight after work. I change my clothes at work to make myself go.
I used to do that when I had a car, but I lug enough bags on the metro, adding a gym bag would officially make me look crazy.
Doing anything other than eating, drinking, and checking emails before I leave for work is never happening. I’ve been contemplating joining the gym, but since I am not even raking in enough cash to cover my bills, it’s probably not gonna happen. Plus the whole if I’m not working out at home, what makes me think I’ll travel somewhere for the distinct purpose of working out.
Yeah, don’t follow my path… I’m so irresponsible. Working out at home is definitely a good option!
Haha except I don’t do that either. Maybe if I joined a gym, there’d be more motivation? I am thinking about the YMCA, where I can swim…
Nobody should have to burpee, ever. I am NOT a morning person but do work out in the morning. Not sure that I will ever be a morning person, but I do like getting the workout done early. You are going to have to find a way to eat something. At least after. Or bring something with you.
The Kidless Kronicles
Yeah I guess I need to experiment with it. Maybe a banana or something.
I go back and forth between AM and PM workouts – totally based on my work schedule for the week. The only thing a morning workout does for me is make me happy that I can come home, change into my PJs, and relax! But regardless of when you workout, YAY for using your gym membership!!
Yeah, that is pretty amazing.
Ha ha ha! I love your analysis of the morning workout! I totally do the anxious sleep thing too. Today I had my alarm set to run this am… said eff it and hit snooze. Now I have to do it after work. I really hope I do…
I don’t know where the power to actually make myself get out of bed has come from, but for some reason I’ve just been popping up and going. I have a feeling it won’t last long.
I haven’t worked out in about a year … it’s not a good thing.
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