At 26, I don’t feel old. I look pretty good and feel great. Age is just a number!
But yesterday while I was thinking about why I can’t motivate myself to work out first thing in the morning, I realized that I’m an old dog! In all of my 26 years, I have never ever worked out in the morning. I’ve always worked out at night.
Throughout my 11 years of gymnastics, I practiced Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 3:30-5:30 and Tuesday and Thursday from 6:45-8:45. When I quit gymnastics and started cheering on an All Star team, I practiced 3 nights a week from 7-9.
During 5 years of college cheerleading, I practiced 4 nights a week from 6-9. I’d often go to the gym after practice and work out for another 30-45 minutes.
Now I understand why I can’t jump out of bed and hit the gym…and why I often get a burst of energy around 8 pm. I usually perform pushups and crunches in my living room while watching evening TV.
Being an old dog, there’s a good chance I won’t be able to learn any new tricks. So I’m just going to work with what I’ve got. No more attempts at morning marathon training. I’ll save all of my runs for after 5 pm. That’s when I feel the most motivated to get moving. I think I’ll enjoy my training if I’m on a schedule that I’m used to.
Yesterday morning I had my typical yogurt breakfast before heading to work.
I ordered a custom made wrap for lunch. My wrap was stuffed with chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers and drizzled with Balsamic Vinaigrette.
I snacked on a mini Clif Bar, 2 pieces of chocolate, and an Ice Tea during the long afternoon hours.
After my shift ended, I hit the treadmill for a 3 mile run. It was too hot and humid to even think about running outside. I was sweating like a beast in the AC so I can’t even imagine how gross I would’ve ended up had I ventured outdoors. My 3 miles felt great! I ran at 7 mph, 8:34 miles, and felt comfortable with the pace. The only struggle was trying to read the closed captioning on the TV because I had forgotten my headphones. 
Jared and his buddy Drew were in charge of getting dinner. So I snacked on some strawberries and some Barney Butter.
The guys didn’t get home with dinner until after 8 pm. I was expecting burgers, but they showed up with pizza. That works! My brother was in town for the night so the 4 of us hung out at my apartment, enjoyed some cool beverages to counteract the sweltering evening, and watched the Bachelorette.
Yup, 3 guys and me watched Ali’s search for love. And we had a lot of laughs watching such a ridiculous and drama filled episode. 
COMMENTS
10 Comments
1. BostonRunner
June 29th, 2010 09:55 AM
I think you’ll get the most out of your workout when you feel most awake and ready. Don’t push it to work out in the morning if that’s not what’s best for you.
2. Anne @thefitbridesmaid
June 29th, 2010 10:40 AM
I’m definitely a night exerciser. It’s all of those years of dance class from 4-9pm. They say exercise when you feel your best, so I’m sticking with it!
3. Heather
June 29th, 2010 11:34 AM
I am more of a morning work out person – but i completely understand! I used to be so much more of a morning person but as I age, I am becoming less of one.
4. Kelly @ Healthy Living With Kelly
June 29th, 2010 03:54 PM
It is good that you know yourself well enough to know what works best for you!!!
That takes a lot of people a long time to figure out!
5. Abby
June 29th, 2010 04:00 PM
Yay! Another non-morning-er(??!!)
I was a softball player..so obviously there was nothing going in the AM. I liked that
6. maria @ Chasing the Now
June 29th, 2010 07:01 PM
I did my first EARLY morning workout this morning. I am posting some tips tonight, so maybe one of them will help get you motivated?
7. Kelly
June 29th, 2010 07:06 PM
Interestingly…I am a morning work out person at heart, always have been and I even had hockey practice a lot of early mornings. However, this past year I switched to working out at night a few nights a week so I could attend classes at the gym with my friends from work. I found that motivated me a lot more.
But then again, if you can work out at night with no problem why switch it up? I just didn’t have enough time in the morning to get in a quality work out every day
8. Emily Eats and Exercises
June 30th, 2010 06:00 AM
Ugg, I can’t imagine working out in the evenings. Pretty much once I shower for the day, it’s all over for me. However, I’m lucky to be able to workout in the leisurely late morning hour. 9:30 is perfect for me. Except of course for running in this heat… I may need to squeeze in a couple of actually early mornings for that. But of course do whatever works for you!
9. Shannon
June 30th, 2010 11:16 AM
I am the complete opposite! I can’t workout in the evening. It just doesn’t happen. And I love the feeling of starting my day with a sweat session. But the only reason I am so consistent with exercise is that it feels good. If morning workouts don’t feel good and afternoon workouts do…then I think that’s what you’ve got to go with.
10. Kim
June 30th, 2010 06:46 PM
Definitely morning…gets your day going but not at 5. I like 7ish but not always possible. Nights are fine as long as my day has not been too stressful and mentally straining.