Nighttime workouts
Hello! Happy humpday 🙂 Hope you’re having a wonderful morning! I’m so excited that so many of you have already tried the zucchini pizza. Glad you’re enjoying it as much as we did! 🙂
Lately I’ve received quite a few questions about nighttime workouts, especially after posting the Monsoon Sweat Workout. To be real, I don’t really love nighttime workouts. However, some evenings are the only time I can fit a workout in my schedule; naptime is for work/blog stuff and Liv hates the childcare at the gym even though the ladies who work there are wonderful. So, early morning or nighttime it is. I finally convinced myself to just do it for morning workouts, but it doesn’t work with the Pilots schedule this week, so I just make it happen when I can.
(The best part about working out at night? Gym to myself!)
A short workout benefits me health-wise, but I also feel so much more energized when I work out regularly. By working out, not only will I (hopefully) be able to keep up with our kids and future grandkids, but I also love the endorphins. Someone once told me that exercise endorphins equal 1/10 of an orgasm. I’m a believer.
Anywaaaayyyyy, here are some of the questions I received about nighttime workouts:
How do you fuel?
Usually I have a pretty late afternoon snack, since I eat lunch while Liv is napping and snack with her when she wakes up and is eating her lunch. If I had a late snack, I’ll wait until after the gym to eat dinner. If it’s a night where we have an early dinner, I’ll go an hour or so after. I’ve also gone to the gym right after dinner and with food child. This is my least favorite method 😉 I’d rather go a little hungry and eat a big meal afterwards.
The gym fuel thing is a matter of preference and like anything else, you do what’s best for you. Some people hate working out after eating while others prefer to work out with a snack or meal beforehand. Then, there are also the people like my husband who can eat an enormous meal and then run 8 miles. I will never understand.
Are you wired before bed?
YES. This is the #1 reason why I don’t really love nighttime workouts, as they’re usually the nights I end up staying awake past midnight. Lately, I’ve tried to do something to wind down before bed so I can sleep earlier (like a short bath with a bath bomb, or turning off all of the electronics and reading for a half hour in bed). If I give myself time to wind down and relax, it’s a lot easier to fall asleep.
What time do you go?
It really depends on what we’re doing and when the Pilot gets home. If we all have a later dinner together as a family, I might not go until 8 or 9. If it’s an earlier dinner, I’ll hang out with the fam and go around 7. It changes. If there’s a certain yoga class I want to go to, or if I’m meeting a friend for an earlier workout (say 6 or so), the Pilot hangs out with Liv and does the bedtime ritual with her. Even though it takes some shuffling, it’s worth it to me and I never regret a good workout, even if it’s only a 20-minute blitz.
So tell me, friends: How do you fuel your workouts? What would be your “ideal” time to work out? For me, it would be 8am. I’d have that nice morning energy without having to wake up super early! For now, 8am is usually when we’re just starting the breakfast routine 🙂
Hope you have a great day! See ya later on the Family page with our timeout routine. 😉
xoxo
Gina
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Man, it’s amazing that you can work out at night like that! I find that some of my most effective workouts happen at that time, but it is pretty much impossible for me to motivate myself to workout then. Morning workouts just have to be how it is, or they’re not happening!
My ideal workout time is 9 or 10am, which obviously is not possible when I have to work. So, when I’m working it’s usually 6pm. I don’t really like going to the gym later because then my whole evening routine gets delayed and, like you, I end up going to bed late. I prefer morning workouts when I’m working so I can get it over with but right now my schedule doesn’t allow that (because a morning workout to me does not start until 7am!). I guess it’s just a balancing act of what works based on my current schedule. I cannot eat before a workout though!
I have a hard time with nighttime workouts because like you, it gets me all wired and I have a hard time going to sleep. My ideal time is around 9 or 10 AM. It allows me to eat and digest my breakfast, slowly work into my morning, and then get my workout in with a lot of my day still left.
UGH, my husband sounds similar to the Pilot. He can eat a huge meal before a workout no problem, but if I eat half a granola bar an hour ahead of time I get huge cramps. Makes me jealous. Thanks for sharing though–I agree, it’s best to get it in when you can!
I am a way better instructor at night than I am in the mornings. Evenings are my best time actually! I alternate between 6:30 and 7:30 evening classes, but also teach 8:30 yoga classes twice/week, and I love that time frame for yoga, it’s a great way to wind down.
I often workout in the evenings as well and like you it depends why my workout is as to when I will eat!
I admire you for working out at night – when I get home after work I never want to leave again 🙂
I ususlly workout at 6am or just first thing in the morning, works best for me. And I fuel after, foodchild is the worst!
I alternate between mid-day and evening workouts. Dont mind the gym classes at 6:30 or 7:30, the prime Zumba time at my gym. Unfortunately, the runs are having to wait until 8pm or so (North Carolina heat). I’ve tried in the mornings, but the humidity is rough! When my run is at 8 or after, I never really know how to adjust my eating, but it’ll have to do for now!
My ideal time is after breakfast around 10. I’m someone that needs a good hour to fully digest. I can never understand how people workout on a full stomach!
I agree…my ideal time to work out would be 8am! During the week, I try to get up around 6:30am to get it in before work. Otherwise, I’ll workout right after I get home at 5, so my hubby and I can enjoy a later dinner together. Weekends are my favorite though cause we usually workout together and we can go whenever we want! 🙂
I’ve gotten into the 8:15pm yoga classes my studio offers lately…mostly because I’ve just been too tired to yoga in the morning, ha! Its like you point out, if its worth it to you and you really want to fit in a workout, you MAKE the time.
I would love to be able to workout at 8 a.m. every morning too, but it just doesn’t happen because of my work schedule. It would be so nice to start off with a good workout. I think it really sets the tone for the day, but since I can’t, I general workout in the evening between 6 and 6:30.
I’d prefer either first thing in the morning or mid-day. Evening work outs always leave me wired, also.
And really what is it with men?! My husband chowed down 3 pieces of pizza and drank a beer an hour before a Glo Run 5k and was still able to kick my booty 🙂
I think my favorite time to work out is right after work, if I don’t have to stay too late. 5pm would be amazing, but that never happens! Part of why I prefer the evening workout is because I can’t have much food in my stomach – even a snack has to be digested for quite a while, especially if I’m going to run! My husband needs some time to digest, but much less than me. Maybe it is a guy thing?
BTW- I did your Monsoon workout last night and absolutely loved it – I think it was my favorite work out of yours yet. Thanks for the suggestion on modifying the pull ups to lat pull downs! That was perfect for where I’m at right now. Maybe someday I’ll be able to do pull ups!
If it is a cardio day for me I like to get that out of the way in the morning. But if its a strength day I fell a lot better doing it later in the day. Then I am more awake and aware and can lift much heavier. But I always end my day with stretching. 7 days a week, I never skip it. It can be a great way to wind down before bed!
Rebecca, what’s your stretch routine? I would love a nice short pre bed stretch programme.
I would rather workout in the morning before work but I can’t run when its dark and just overall have a hard time motivating myself in the morning to get out of bed. I usually help with beginning of bed time with my boys (ages 3 and 9) then workout while my husband is reading to my youngest. My oldest will sometimes come in to talk to me if I am on the bike. If I am running, I go right before dinner or about 45 minutes later. It is a juggling act a lot of nights but I would rather get a work out in at an odd time than not at all.
My boyfriend is the same way- he will mow down a Chipotle burrito then lift/run for 2 hrs. Meanwhile- I am screaming into the locker room looking for anything to cure the heartburn!
Oh rats- now I’m jonesin’ for a burrito! 🙂
I do really prefer early morning workouts. Getting up at 6 and being out for my run at 6.30 or doing some yoga, or HIIT. It’s just that I perform best on an empty stomach or a minimal snack like half a banana or a crisp bread with jam. But my kickboxing class is always late and I won’t be home until 9pm, for those classes I do have an easy digestible afternoon snack (like fruits) and enjoy a huge late-night dinner. This system works perfectly for me, and usually I am so drenched from the workout that I fell asleep anyway.
My ideal time to workout is the morning before work, even though its truly difficult to get out of bed : (. If I can’t make it happen, i go for the evening and its better than nothing, but it also sets me up for an evening work out the NEXT day, since getting up for an AM workout after a PM workout the night before is the worst.
The older I get the more sensitive I am to eating before I work out. I’m at the point now where if I eat anything within 3 hours of working out, my body and tum tum feel like a brick. I remember the days in high school when I could eat pasta and then run for hours. WTH?
I think I might be a man. I can work out even after a huge meal. Right after. I usually workout between 7 and 10pm. I come home after work (5pm, 6pm), have my dinner (mostly joghurt, fruit, some dried fruits, sandwich or even chocolate if I feel drained after a 11hour day at the desk) and then – walk off to work out the best I can, meet friends at the gym and just sweat it out.
Afterwards I pretty much crash on the way home already! If I don’t get to work out after I have been sitting in the office, I go CRAZY. I cannot sleep, I feel angry, sad, useless…I don’t know. Maybe it became such a habit that working out became like a part of my workday.
My ideal time to workout was always right after work. I would have a little protein ball to fuel the workout, come home and have a shake to refuel while I cooked dinner. Now that I have a little one, I either have to do a home workout during a nap time, or go to the gym after bed time. We usually cook dinner while the other person does bed time, so I’m starving by the time the baby is in bed, eat and then go to the gym. It’s not ideal but it’s the only way right now!
I love working out in the evening because it’s great to de-stress, but I also don’t love that evening workouts usually get pushed aside by other things that come up during the day. Morning is ideal in that sense, though I’m not great at getting up really early and if I had my way, I’d work out around 9am! I try to fuel with something light like a granola bar or some dates, esp. in the evening when I tend to suddenly bonk in the middle of a run or whatever I’m doing.
I have run at 10pm and yes, it’s very hard to fall asleep at a decent hour after that! Now if it’s that late, I’ll try to do some yoga or something that doesn’t get my heart rate up so much.
My favorite time to work out is mid-morning, but this is virtually impossible during the summer months with 3 kids home! I have to do 5 AM or 8/9 PM for a few more weeks 🙂
I miss 8am workouts! That is our breakfast routine time too!
If I do go out for a run in the evening it is usually around 8pm – I’ve never gone to the gym though at night because Hubby would prefer that I stay at home and spend time with him. So going to the gym rarely happens. During the school year I do tend to go right after school as I usually have about an hour in between school ending and having to pick up Max. Now – since I coach track two nights a week, I go super early (directly after work) and get a work out in with my co-coach (also named Sasha, ha) before the athletes come in. Only thing is it is usually blazin hot out.
I LOVE a late night workout (if it’s dark and I can face a window when I’m running) but usually I end up doing mornings – I like something light, like a banana and small spoonful of PB 🙂
I’m all about the early morning work out. I usually wake up by 5:30 to get it in before work (did the hill challenge you used during SSU this morning). I just don’t like the thought of having to work out in the evening (I’ve probably only tried it 2 or 3 times because I’m so anti-working hard after work). When I did an evening work out like a cardio video or one of yours, I did fine. I didn’t hate it too much-knocked it out before dinner. I just cannot run in the evening. I’ve tried a couple of times recently, and I was miserable from the first step to the last. I don’t know what it is, but my legs felt like lead the entire time. Since I tend to wake up hungry, I eat half a banana before my work outs/runs.
Where do you workout? Because there’s never any people there… 😉
In high school and college, I did many late night workouts because that’s when I’d fit it into my schedule. But I definitely prefer a 7am or so workout. That doesn’t exactly work with the whole work thing, so if I’m working out in the morning, it’s typically around 6am and includes a run around our neighborhood or a 30-45 min circuit; often one of yours! I like being done with my workouts before showering for the day, but often times, I do a second workout or my main workout after work so two showers it is.
I am definitely more of a night workout person but I also don’t have a baby and have no reason to be up before 7:45 so going to bed around midnight is just fine for me. Occasionally I do like to wake up early and get it out of the way, it makes the afternoon more relaxing.
I would love to workout at like 10 am…middle of the morning energy boost! But for now I’m usually doing late afternoon/early evening. It works well though because I get a boost of energy for my afternoon studying (oh summer classes!)
If I had my way and didn’t have a full time job I would work out after day about 9-10 am. I typically do have to do evening/night workouts to work with my schedule – something is better than nothing!
I hear you on not understanding how people go running after eating a huge meal!! It definitely doesn’t work for me, and like you, I’d rather go a bit hungry and eat late. My ideal time to work out would be around 10am, after breakfast has settled, and that’s what I generally do on the weekends! But during the week, I have to head out before 6am, so I do it on an empty stomach.
I love a walk when I wake up and some yoga around 3 or 4 pm!
I like to workout at 11am. I get up around 10, eat some peanut butter toast and head out the door. I love working out before work, it makes me a much happier person. I’ve tried working out after, around 1 am, but that doesn’t work for me because then I can’t sleep.
Morning, definitely! It’s just a great way to start off the day. Unfortunately the locations of my gym and work make that kind of impossible so I go when I get off work at 3. Also, going to work (as a teacher) after sweating profusely for an hour is not that appealing. Morning workouts for the weekend win! 🙂 Also I can’t eat anything an hour before working out….I get immediate cramps in my stomach and it makes me sick. My boyfriend, however, can eat a 4 course meal and then work out. Maybe it’s a guy thing.
Nighttime workouts always keep me awake as well but it is the only time I can workout. I normally follow the gym with a hot shower and homework, which seems to do the trick 🙂
I always end up going to the gym at 1pm. I really don’t like breaking up my day but the gym is too busy in the mornings for my taste and I’m usually doing something in the evenings!
I really admire how much you can motivate and commit to nighttime workouts. I would have to dig real deep for motivation!!!
My ideal time would be 7:30-8 am if I could pick. Today I’m studying and had to go for a lunch time workout. I opted for a tiny snack to quel my hunger before my workout ans enjoyed a giant lunch after. I can’t workout on a full stomach. Barf!
Kudos to you for doing night workouts! If it doesn’t happen by 3pm it’s not gonna happen over here. Total morning person am I for sure. The exception is yoga. Yoga I can do any time of day 🙂
Liv seems like such a sweetie…it’s hard for me to imagine her even needing a timeout routine!!
That’s awesome that you make time for it 🙂 My fave is early morning or yes, 8 or 9. I don’t love teaching fitness at night, but it isn’t so bad a few times per week.
I would have to agree that 8am would be a perfect time to workout! (but it’s just not possible with work) I was getting up at 5:30am to workout out around 5:45/6:00am but my work scheduled just changed and I have to be at work at 7:30am. So for now, I’m having to switch to PM workouts…5:00am is just too early. Thanks for your tips on night time workouts!
Ha Ha “food child” is the worst!
I workout on an empty stomach first thing in the morning–otherwise it isn’t happening. If i haven’t had a gym workout i will usually try and do something else like a swim or roller blade.
I LOVE the appetite control and energy the rest of the day and I sleep like a log on days Ive had a good workout! I also have found that coffee really makes me toss and turn at night so on days when I have a big workout AND coffee it balances out and I get some decent sleep. So pretty much, I’m working out for COFFEE!
I miss how during the school year most of my workouts happened around 10 or 11 am – that was perfect for me! Right now, I’m doing early morning workouts because I know that when I get home from work, the most I feel capable of doing is taking the dog for a walk. I just want to lay on the couch for a while at that point!
We usually work out when the hubs gets off work, around 5-7pm… I’m hoping once school starts we can both go in the morning before I have class and he work! Morning is definitely the ideal time. I fuel by eating snacks all day haha.
I am 100% on night workouts. I usually work out between about 730-8pm. I have such a hard time getting up early to workout and if I do its not a good workout.
Tuesdays are my best day…I drop the older two at school and take the little one to te crèche for an hour. My workout is 9-10. Night times are hard…first to get you there and then to get you to sleep after!
I always workout pretty late at night as well. (with the exceptional of the last week where I have found I LOVE going straight after work and eating after working out)
Best things about working out late – 1. Empty gym 2. Chores and dinner are done BEFORE so you aren’t rushed to get home 3. Youll likely go to bed pretty soon after and won’t snack a lot before bed because of the increased appetite from working out
I’m such a morning person that I can ONLY work out in the morning. I’m too tired after a long day at work and would rather just plant my butt on the couch for the rest of the night if I don’t have other social plans.
I could never work out that late! I need to be asleep by 9 or 10. I love morning workouts though. Anything past 3pm is pushing it, and probably won’t end up happening.
I much prefer to workout at 6am than at night, but I totally understand getting it in when you can. I know whenever the hubs and I decide to have kids my life will be just like that, and I’d rather get a workout in at 9pm than not at all. I’m with you on that 110%.