This is what it looks like in our back yard at 6 am. The sun isn’t quite up yet, but it’s on its way. How do I know this? Because I’ve finally decided that there is hardly ever going to be a time when I feel like exercising after I get home from work at night. I tried fooling myself into thinking that after work was the best time for me to do it (since I am so not a morning person), but it just meant that I’d come home, not exercise, and feel slightly guilty the rest of the evening.
So, I heard about the Fitbit and thought maybe that would help. If someone says I’m supposed to walk 10,000 steps a day and do 10 flights of stairs, then those are the numbers I try to hit. And since I started getting up early in the morning to walk for an hour, it has been working. I do like getting it out of the way before work. And I get to see pretty scenes like this (finally – the sun is up above the horizon.):
And this (I love seeing mountains first thing every morning.):
These things have helped me stick to this routine for a couple of months now:
1. Personally, I need to do it every single day of the week. I do take Saturdays and Sundays off, but I’m just about ready to throw at least Saturday into the mix, too. Mondays are a bugger when 6 am rolls around again.
2. I listen to audiobooks. It makes the hour of walking pass by really quickly.
3. I fool my brain. I tell myself that I’m going to walk for 30 minutes (in one direction, away from my house) and then I’ll just walk home. That equals an hour, but the last part of it is just “walking home”. 🙂
The downside? I am tired too early in the evening. It’s affecting my knitting, FPS. Somehow I need to learn to be a morning person AND a night person. Is that possible?? I need to finish my Camp Loopy Project Three this weekend. (I’m making a Derecho out of the Loopy Solid Series. So many fun colors to choose from.)
Today’s blog contest question: Are you a night person or a morning person? (And while we’re at it, do you have any tips about sticking to an exercise routine?) Leave a comment below and I’ll draw names for two more skeins of Wollmeise Lace next week.
We do have winners from last week’s blog contest! I’m sending a skein of Wollmeise Lace to Linda in IL and Amber in IN. Congratulations to you two!
Sheri 9162stepssofarfortoday.
Mustwalkbackandforthintheshopafewmoretimes….
When it comes to exercise, I am definitely a morning person. If I don’t do it first thing in the morning, it won’t get done.
Wish I was a morning person (as I have to be at work at 7:30 AM) but I am definitely of the night variety!!
I love the mornings where I happen to be awake and alert bright and early because there’s something about that light. But, being a creature of inertia, and more likely to stay awake when already awake, I’m definite night owl.
I’m more of a night person but have recently started forcing myself out of bed early in the mornings to walk because there is just no way i’m going to do it in the evenings (at least not during the summer when it’s still 90 degrees in texas after the sun goes down!). I’m pretty competitive so i get the most motivated to exercise when i have a friend who is working out too.
Definitely a morning person! I love a good sunrise! Of course, the flip side is that I am useless during the afternoon siesta hours. I do all my close-encounter knitting when I first wake up and save the mindless knitting for nighttime. As for motivation to keep exercising, it feels better the longer you keep at it. And waking up feeling good makes for a great day ahead!
Totally a night person. I’m working on becoming a morning person since it appears I no longer have a choice in the matter.
as a kid i used to be both. as an adult I’m more a night person. when school is in I get up at 5am 7days a week I work the weekends. I haven’t found an exercise routine I can sitck with.
I am definitely a morning person, but still can’t get myself to exercise that early. A few years ago I did it, up at 5am every morning to walk and I lost 50 lbs. Then I stopped… and the weight came back. For two years now, I still have my alarm set to 5am so I can get back on the treadmill, but it hasn’t happened, not even once. It feels like giving up if I change my alarm clock to 6. Funny how our minds work. Good for you for sticking with it!
I’ve always been a night person. I envy morning people. On the rare occasion I get up early, I really enjoy the quiet time before the day becomes hectic.
Exercise is not really my thing. I try to find activities that keep me moving – like hiking and rock climbing.
I’m both, I love mornings and being up early. However if given the chance my body prefers to be up late. So biologically I’m a night owl but mentally I’m a morning person.
Definitely a morning person, but I don’t like to leave the house until 11 or so. Of course I DO leave the house earlier than that because I have to be at work at 8:30, but I think my psyche is still at home until 11. If someone comes up with the secret for sticking to an exercise routine please call me immediately!! I need help, major help, in that area!
How about a midday person? I’m not a morning person and not usually an evening person either. I tend to work exercise in during the kids practices. I go to a gym and when I drop one or more off for a practice, then I try to use that time to workout. For the most part it has worked since February.
I’m a night person that’s had to learn to live in a morning world. If I could, I’d sleep until 10am every morning and stay awake until 2am – alas, my alarm goes off at 5:55am, five days a week. Exercise? Oh dear.
Weird – I’m technically a morning person but I can’t get my exercise routine to stick either – I’ll have to read through all the other comments to get some good advice. 🙂
I’ve tried exercising before work – that does feel good to get it “out of the way” but I’ve also felt good exercising after work to de stress from my day. . .
I hate sweating so that’s kind of hard to avoid if I’m aiming for real results … 🙂
I did best on my walking when I wore I pedometer, wrote down my steps each day, and was accountable to someone (my doctor). I also wrote down what I ate, which made me think twice about eating something unhealthy.
Definately a morning person. I think you’ve figured out the best exercise tip, do it in the morning. If you don’t, it won’t happen. I have two dogs to walk also. They have a very persuavise way of getting me motivated, those eyes.
I am without a doubt a night person – mornings before 9 am do not exist as far as I’m concerned. Fortunately, I can set my own work hours and so do not have to go into the office at the crack of dawn. 6 weeks ago I had outpatient surgery and had to be at the hospital at 7 am, which meant leaving my house at 6 am, which meant getting up at 5 am (I wasn’t sure there was such an hour in the mornings). I was joking with the anesthesiologist that I wouldn’t need drugs to go back to sleep – I didn’t refuse them though :-).
I hate exercise – but it has to be done. I have a “workout buddy” in my office and we go to the gym after work. If one of us doesn’t want to go we bully, cajole, guilt and encourage each other. We try not to let work get in the way if we have to stay late – we simply come back to the office after our workout.
I’m a night person who wishes she was a morning person. After a certain time at night, your choice of activities is considerably fewer than your morning options.
For exercising, I’m neither a morning person (I’m setting up my alarm clock as late as possible to still be in time at work and I can’t motivate myself to loose any precious sleeping minutes for a work-out!), nor an evening person (I’m usually to tired and/or to lazy to do anything after work and evenings are when my knitting happens, so I can’t sacrifice that!). The best solution for me is to work out at lunch time. I’m going to the gym with a co-worker or go for a run during my lunch break. It’s a great escape from work, perfectly cut the day in 2 and I come back refreshed and energized, ready to tackle the rest of my day!
I think the best motivation I’ve got from working out is to see the changes on my body: a more toned, less flabby me and less tight clothes are the best reward! But I have to admit that I don’t feel guilty of buying a well deserved (and not necessary) skein of pretty yarn if I reach my 15-miles a week running goal 😉
I miss seeing mountains in the morning. Sounds like you are getting good at the mornings. I have found I can be an evening person if I have an antioxidant fruit drink in the late afternoon. (I get mine from arbonne). Sometimes we just work too hard to stay up very late at night. Thanks for sharing your sunrises!
I am a night person. As for the exercising, I don’t have a regular routine other than I horse back ride every weekend which helps my core and also my spinal fluidity. It is also very relaxing and great mental therapy too!
I applaud your initiative. I know it is harder than it sounds. When I worked Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, I went to Curves on Tues, Thurs and Sat mornings first thing. But when my kids started college, I needed to work 5/days a week and I learned that I also couldn’t exercise in the evening. No get up and go at all. I do try to go to Zumba one evening or I started learning to tap dance (at 55) and that was also in the evening. They are so much fun and I have the incentive of picking up carry out on the way home so I don’t have to cook that night.
But I now walk every morning – how do I do it? I have a dog. They need to go out rain or shine, winter or summer. The alternative is not pretty.
I really don’t know how to answer the morning or night person question anymore. I used to be a night person and I’m still awake past midnight most nights but I take a nap from 10 to 11:30. Last fall I started getting up between 6:00 and 6:30 which is early for me but then went back to sleeping till 8 during the winter due to health issues which are gone now. I’m now beginning to wake up early again which I really prefer now.
I wish I could be more of a morning person… but I’m just really not! I’ve been thinking of adjusting my schedule like you have and trying to exercise in the morning, though, so I like your advice on walking for “just 30 minutes”! 🙂
I am now a morning person. My husband and I wake up everyday at 7am before the kids wake up to exercise. I never enjoyed exercise before, but now its just me time. I listen to music and have quiet time before the kids wake up so that makes it worth it for me. We have only been doing it a month and so I have no sticking to it tips. We have taken a few days off due to a bathroom renovation and I feel guilt, but renovating is a way better workout. Im sore from head to toe!
Definitely a night owl but not needing a lot of sleep helps that. Can’t be wasting my precious free time sleeping. 🙂
I am definitely a morning person. I have a dog who gets me up every morning for his walk. No need for an alarm. He wakes me up at precisely the same time almost every day. On occasion, he will sleep in 20 mins or so, but still up in time for a walk before work. 🙂
A night person, when the house is quiet. I exercise between work and dinner, knit after dinner.
My solution to exercise – join a gym and make it social. When the nest emptied out, I felt the need for more social interaction with women who shared the same interests. I missed pto meetings and school athletic events. Talking with guys in the office wasn’t the same. Joined a “fitness palace” that was very accepting of “every body”, including the 50+ crowd. Now take a variety of classes – cardio, yoga, pilates weeknights and on Saturday. Knowing people and wanting to hear the latest about what Pam’s daughter’s boyfriend , the college’s dumb policy about meal plans, and the yoga teacher’s two-year old keeps me going back.. Like a “stitch and bitch” for exercise.
I used to be a night person until I started working 4 10-hour days from 6am to 4pm. Now? I am a morning person. I wake up between 5 and 5:30 every day and I have grown to love the extra daylight in my life (even though it’s dark when I wake)…
Alas, I can’t offer any suggestions for the exercise routine since I have never stuck to one longer than 8 months! (And THAT was many many years ago!)
Plain and simple, I am a night owl. Mornings do not make me happy at all.
I am definitely not a morning person, but am trying to exercise in the morning as I find that I am more alert when I exercise in the morning, but still hit the snooze way to many times before getting up.
sadly i am a night and a morning person! Which means i do not sleep much! 🙂 Hubby would say i am a morning person more so though. I try to motivate myself by doing other healthy treats, maybe hitting the goodwill for a new piece of workout wear once a week if i have been on track, or trying a few new good looking healthy recipes… all staying on track.
Night person sort of. Really more of a mid day person though.
I am a night person without a doubt. I can a morning person with enough coffee. I wish I had tips for sticking to a workout routine – if I did, I might actually workout. I’m not sure why knitting does not count as a workout!
I have a white board in my kitchen–it is a good size 3ftw by 2 ft h. I write down all the things that have to be done each day. Exercise (for me that is walking0 IF #1 AND WRITTEN IN RED. I see this board so many times a day that I can not avoid it. I leave my runners, socks, and a full water bottle right on the floor underneath. I’ve done this for years and because it is at the top of the list I usually try to do my walk as soon as possible so I can cross it off. I don’t erase it, but leave the crossed off item as a reminder that I did do what I planned to do. I have done this for years. I sometimes wear a pedometer, but lately have lost a few but have my route so well mapped out . I also record my exercise, food and any aches and pains in a daily journal (I have Crohn’s disease and fibromyalgia so it is important to write things down and to exercise)
ps to last comment I walk whenever I fit it in. If I say that I will only go in the mornings then I can use this as an excuse when something comes up. Walking is something that can be done at any time. ONce you get going it is fun
Morning Person here!! I am up at 5am walking 3 miles in the morning. But by 9:30 pm I am dead tired, understand the issue of cutting into knitting time. So I rereward myself for getting up so early and walking, with a nice dessert, or a skein of yarn… Good luck!!!
I used to be a night person, but these days I’m so tired by bed-time that I don’t have too much problem heading to bed. But it’s still hard to get up in the mornings! I don’t think I’ll ever be a morning person…
Congrats to last week’s winners! I’m by far a night person, without a doubt. As for an exercise routine, if I knew how to stick to one, I’d certainly share… but without a doubt, I’m not your person for that! 🙂
I’m more of a morning person, once I’m up that is. I love riding my bike and going for walks.
I am most definatly a night person. Although I have noticed that on the weekends I am sleeping in less and less but I wouldn’t say that I am a morning person yet!
I’m a night person all the way!
My advice for you would be to set small goals. It never works when you try to do a lot all at once. Trying going out for a 10 minute walk and integrate it slowly into your routine. Good luck!
morning. definite morning person.
i have to do any work out after work. i know it seems harder and longer until i realize that i can not stress about ‘will i get to work on time’ and also realize when i shower after then it is much more relaxing, i eat less at dinner and sleep early.
i also do a time not distance work out.
I dont push with ‘i have to do 2mi each time’ or anything. It is I give myself a 30m time limit. Some days i get over a mile, some days i don’t, sometime i am suprised and get nearly 2 miles in. I just find it is less pressure on me. When i kept doing “No i have to go THIS far” then i’d feel bad when i didn’t get it done and was too hard on myself.
Night person… I best the best way to exercise is with a friend so someone is there to always motivate you and vice versa.
Morning. I also did the “I’ll do it tonight” routine but of course, I never did. Now I schedule morning exercise and when the alarm goes off I try some positive reinforcement: “time for my daily contribution to my retirement fund” – 30-60 minutes of activity now will keep me limber and healthy 10 years from now.
LOVE LOVE LOVE my Fitbit! Highest daily total so far is 17,000 steps; I’m aiming for a 20,000-step day!
I am a morning person, but I do admit, most days it’s very difficult to get that first foot out of bed. Once I do, I’m pretty much good to go. Some things that help me include varying my route. Your neighborhood looks so picturesque, but mine does not, so I vary the route to keep up the interest. Also I don’t always like going so far and then turning back over the same route again, I bore easily, so lately I’ve been doing a loop from west to north to east to south and then west again back to my house, like a circle with my house somewhere in the middle. Earphones with music or talk radio helps. Probably the very best thing is finding someone to walk with. You start talking and in no time at all the hour is up and you’ve also gotten the benefit of talking about things on your mind (and so has your friend) and you are both refreshed physically and mentally to start your day. My friend can only make it on Thursdays, but it’s great. Happy Walking. P.S. I kicked it up a bit and I’ve lost 17 pounds this summer!
I am a night person! mornings are just uggh. I am a mother so I suck it up and do mornings, but left to my own devices I would be up very late and sleep later in the morning than most people deem acceptable.
My best exercise tip is to have an accountability partner. I am fortunate to have my sister living close by, and knowing that she is exercising and is going to ask me about my exercising keeps me very motivated.
I am a night owl, and I love it! My kids, however, are morning people! As far as exercising goes, it is really easy with little kids! I just tell them we are going for a walk or bike ride, and they pester me about it until we go.
I work out both in the morning and after work. Crazy but true. I usually do a 30 minute HIIT routine (High Intensity Interval Training) which is usually interval running/walking. And then I come home and do a workout DVD for toning. I just find I get rid of the stress of the day doing that and my husband comes home to a happier me. I just do it. I don’t let the voice in my head talk me out of it. I focus on the after effects and that helps me.
I used to be a night person, but now that I’m getting older I’m becoming more of a morning person. Still haven’t figured out how to stick to an exercise routine. 🙂