It’s ok to be a night owl (guest post).

by

MizFit leaves this early to workout--NOT Erika!

MizFit exits this early–Erika does NOT!

 

What do you consider sleeping in?

Are you one of those people who get up at 0’dark thirty to run or workout?

Or are you a card carrying Night Owl?

I’m a night owl.

I’ve been one since I was a child.

I remember still being awake in my bed most nights when my parents would check on me on their way to bed. I can’t tell you how many nights of my life I’ve been up past midnight, but if I think the number is higher than 50%.

This makes it really hard to get up early.

Other than races and long runs for my only fall marathon (MCM in 2008), I have never gotten up early to work out.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve tried.

But I’m not a “hit the ground running” kind of person in the morning. (Pun intended.) I need an hour at least to get from bed to activity of any sort.

When you think about the fact that my husband leaves for work at 6:30am and back that time up for wake up time, work out time, etc… Yeah, we’re talking about a 4:30am wakeup call.

Not.going.to.happen. (I don’t need a lot of sleep, but even I need more than 4 hours.)

Which leaves me having to workout later in the day. All the studies say that you are much more likely to work out if you do it first thing. I’m too lazy to actually get statistics, but it’s true. Otherwise, life gets in the way.

So, why do I still work out later in the day and how do I make sure it happens?

Why? Honestly, it makes me unhappy to try to shift my body clock and work out early. And since exercise is my happy, it’s not worth it to me.

So how do I make sure it happens?

  • I evaluate each week on Sunday night and figure out which days will work best for which workouts. I have a general idea in my head of what I’d like to accomplish and I fit it into the week.
  • Each morning, while I’m drinking my coffee and waking up, I look at my schedule and reconfirm my plan.
  • I don’t shower until after I get my workout in. (I’m absolutely sure the moms at my kids’ school love this. Not.)
  • I dress in workout clothes from the moment I get up. (I work from home, so I have that flexibility. When I worked in an office, I took my clothes and worked out during lunch some days).
  • Prioritize! Prioritize! Prioritize! I’m a better wife, mother, and employee when I’m working out on a regular basis and everyone around me knows that.
  • Accept that shorter is better than nothing. If I’m really missing my workout, I’ll try to squeeze in a quick HIIT or Tabata workout.

Sometimes, I have to cut myself some slack.

Sometimes, things just don’t go as planned.

And that’s ok.

I just remind myself that a few missed days are not the first steps down the road towards couch potato.

Tomorrow (afternoon) is another day.

 

Erika is a mom of two boys.  She spends her time running, running after her boys, & attempting to work amidst chaos.  In her spare time (ha!), she’s pursuing her goal of running a race in every state combined with visits to as many brewpubs as possible.  She writes about her adventures at MCM Mama.

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Comments

  1. I am not a night owl at all but I do workout at night. I hate going to bed any later than 10 on a work night because I have to get up at the ass crack of dawn, 4am, just to be at work in time. Because of this there is NO way in hell am I getting up earlier to workout.

  2. I am the complete opposite! Since college, I can probably count on one hand how many times I’ve been up past midnight. She’s right though. You need to find a time to exercise that works for you. That’s what makes it a habit!

  3. I’m glad you can make it work, Erika! Nighttimes are not my times–confirmed early bird here. I shudder at the thought of being up much beyond 9 p.m.!

  5. When I was in my early 20’s and working nights at a restaurant I would be able to workout after work until midnight.

    Now however, it’s a different story. I only work three days a week but if I’m training for a race, I”ll have to wake up at “o’ dark thirty” (445 am) to get a HITT session in. It sucks. But on the days that I work, they’re twelve hour shifts. So, I’ll wake up at 5am to work on my blog before work. I guess that’s sort of like mental exercise…

  6. I am not a night owl, but I do work out in the evening. In order for me to work out before work, I would have to get up by 3:30….did that for about 2 months last year, hated myself and went back to night workouts.

  8. I used to be a night owl. I’m convinced I still could be one even if I find myself fast asleep at 10pm. lol

    I always need an hour in the morning to prepare for the day. That includes breakfast, writing, reading, writing, eating, writing..giving the puppies some love oh and getting dressed too 😉

  9. Amen! I’m a night owl too. I was up until midnight last night working on a client site – as I am most nights of the week. I also work a full-time day job, so I work out at lunch. 6 am comes FAR TOO EARLY for me!

  10. Personally I am a morning exerciser. If I put it off till night, I just won’t get it done and that’s motivation enough for me. In the morning, I just wake up and go before my brain even realizes what’s going on or has the ability to come up with excuses. Of course, different strokes for different folks 🙂 As long as we DO it, that’s what matters!

  11. This goes along so well with my “Excuses” post today. It could be so easy for you to find excuses but instead you find a way to prioritize fitness.

    As for me, I’m one of the rare ones who changed her body clock. When I was young, I worked night shifts, stayed up beyond that, and slept in late. I changed that pretty much when I became a mom, shifted to day shifts (and mom shifts 🙂 ). Now I’m up before the sun even on days I don’t need to be (and in bed by 9 – or earlier!)

    As for working out, if it doesn’t get done in the morning, chances are it won’t get done.

  12. I workout at 0?dark thirty. It fits in my day and then is’t done and as long as I can drag my butt out of bed it starts my day off great. I really miss it when I can’t.

  13. I used to be a night owl – I could stay up till 1 or 2 with no problem. However several years ago I made myself transition to early mornings so I could workout first thing. Now it isn’t uncommon for me to get up at 4:30 although I prefer the more reasonable time of 5:00!

  14. When I worked in an office, I took at lunch whenever I could. (blizzards or very cold weather = could not). If I were in or near a tall building, I’d walk the stairs when weather precluded walking outside.

    It was my sanity.

    Now I head to the gym several hours after waking up. I get up, do my morning things, then hit the gym and run errands. Home for lunch and continue on with my day…

    The thing about regular exercise is once you set a regular time up, your body will begin to crave that movement at that time. If we listen and honor our body’s request- be it to lift, walk, dance, or yoga- instead of over-riding this craving, we will be fine.

  16. Great tips. I’m so not a morning person either…but I like the idea of still planning your workouts and getting dressed for them ahead of time.

  17. if you are a born morning lark (as i am), go with it. If you are a born night owl (my Sweetie and all 4 of our kids), go with it.

    Everyone has an optimal time, and we don’t all fit the same mold. Good for you, doing what works for you.

  18. As I’m battling my new schedule and the way my workout routine fits into it, I really needed to hear this. Thank you!

  20. You get out the door only if you really have to get out the door. I get up at 3:45 and am packed for work (workout) the night before. I leave the house at 6:15 to get to work by 7. I love early mornings…or I just MAY be a night owl running at 4:30 as that’s when the owls are in their trees hooting to me, thinking I am some other animal out before dawn….
    Working out sets my day and gets me ready to tackle my preschool kiddos-gives me the energy I need.

  21. I am a morn person but as the old saying goes – do what works for you & when it works for you! Who cares what the studies say if it does not fit into your lifestyle. 🙂

  23. I am a night owl but I prefer to workout in the morning. I feel great when I get a workout in at ALL!

  24. Also….it DOES matter if you miss a few days if you are training for a marathon or Ironman.

  26. I’m a night owl especially back in the college days. I find myself more productive, more focused in the night when everything’s quiet. That can also be said about the early morning. But like you, it takes me a while to start up and get going. The problem now is that since I have to wake up early and commute to work, I can’t stay up late. Sadly, I need my hours for sleep too. My favorite time to workout is generally a bit after dinner. I tried a lot of different times to workout (early mornings are good but I can’t keep it up) and find night time the best. It gets me refreshed and a little energy boost after to do some more work after. After a long day’s of work, I’m generally exhausted. But a nice workout will give me a second wind to get some more work done.

  28. Great news for us night owls. Managing time is key. Going to bed later means waking up later, leaving less time in the day for things like shopping or even social activities. As you mention though, making a plan makes a huge difference.

  29. I am actually not a night owl but I found your post interesting to see the other perspective. Finding the right routine for yourself is the key. No use trying to be something your not.

  30. For the last thirty years I have been a night owl. I just can’t get over it. I makes me tired all the day. It was tough once I was doing early morning shifts. I couldn’t get sleep till 2 A.M every night and had to wake up at 4.30 A.M.. Had a horrible time.. then..

  31. It’s ok to be night owl but it affects the health and longevity. Human body re-energizes and the cells rejuvenates in the night. People who are night owls look tired during the days and it is not good for the human brain to get less sleep.

  32. I used to be a night owl during my college days and yes during the weekends i guess every one is. I sometimes work till late like 1.30 max..but never later than that like till the dawn..phew..not anymore. College days used to like that during exam preps.

Trackbacks

  1. […] if you want to read some actual tips for fitting in your work outs, I’m guest posting over at MizFit today.  I admit I did a little “squee!” when I saw […]

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