Morning People - 5am work out — when is bedtime?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven’t read whole thing but I’m not going to wake up at 5 to workout, I’m just not. Perfect should not be the enemy of the good. If you can power walk 2-3 times a week while your kids are at activities that’s great! Maybe do orangetheiey once a week on the weekend and try to do a family hike or bike ride the other day. Use resistance bands and hand weights on your WAH days. Can you get a cheap exercise bike and do 30 min on your WAH days even while on a call where you are just in listening mode?

Read up on the concept of exercise snacking, it’s motivated me to try to get small amounts of exertion each day - running up and down stairs, doing 10 min of weeding in between calls, cranking up incline on treadmill for a few min at a time and so on.

This is the best advice on this thread OP.

There is no way you’re going to wake up regularly to exercise at 5 while falling asleep at 11-12, unless you’re one of those rare people who survive on 5-6 hours of sleep.

Exercise will not add energy or make you less sleepy (yes, regular exercise will you more stamina but it won’t counteract 5 hours of sleep). So unless you’re willing to add hours to your sleep, it won’t work.

I do much better exercising either on lunch break or evening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven’t read whole thing but I’m not going to wake up at 5 to workout, I’m just not. Perfect should not be the enemy of the good. If you can power walk 2-3 times a week while your kids are at activities that’s great! Maybe do orangetheiey once a week on the weekend and try to do a family hike or bike ride the other day. Use resistance bands and hand weights on your WAH days. Can you get a cheap exercise bike and do 30 min on your WAH days even while on a call where you are just in listening mode?


Same. I am up early but I’m not ready for activity. LOL

I am a teacher with a family and I work out at night around 6:30. And on Saturday.
Read up on the concept of exercise snacking, it’s motivated me to try to get small amounts of exertion each day - running up and down stairs, doing 10 min of weeding in between calls, cranking up incline on treadmill for a few min at a time and so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don’t prioritize exercise and it is what it is. If you did, you’d make it work. You have kid(s) in high school, make them make dinner and do laundry sometimes.

High schooler does their own laundry and empties the dishwasher -- they can't cook because they get to home for the rest of the family to eat.

I want to prioritize exercise, but the only time I can carve out is in the morning, but trying to figure out how people do it, but clearly its going to bed way earlier than we can manage. Maybe once the kinder is less hands on we can get a handle on things; they usually occupy one parent entirely even without having an activity -- the older kids don't need much when it is their night at home.

We prioritize our kids health and development, hence the constraints on our school commute and activities. Sure we could leave them in SACC till 6pm while I hit the gym, or tell them they can't play any sports they can't walk to, but that isn't why we had kids, to just ignore them.

Then you have made your choice, to put your children’s activities over yours.

[Anonymous]

This is my average day's schedule:

- Wake up at 3:30
- Go for run or workout in home gym by 4:00. Workout for 1 hour.
- Shower and get ready for work. Finish by 5:30.
- Make lunches for kids
- Get oldest kid up by 6:00, while DH is getting ready for work
- Leave for work at 6:20
- Work
- Home by 4:15
- Sports, homework, activities with kids after-school
- Make/have dinner
- Bedtime routine for kids starts at 7:45 (for youngest two) or 8:15 (for oldest)
- Everyone may read or sleep (but no electronics) after 8:30
- Everyone hopefully asleep by 9:00-9:30

My Oura ring says I get 5.5 hours of sleep most nights. It's not enough, but I function.

[Anonymous]

I go to bed by 10 for a 5:00 wake up and as close to 9:00 as possible for a 4:00 wake up. My kid rows crew and some practices are at 5:00, hence the 4:00 wake up. I don't naturally feel tired at 9 so that's hard and I'm always a little sleep deprived.

[Anonymous]

8pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What in the world are you cooking that requires sweeping and mopping every single night?

Right? Sweeping, maybe, but my floor gets mopped every other Thursday when the cleaning ladies come.

X1000

OP I also work a hybrid schedule, and on the days I go into the office we have EXTREMELY SIMPLE dinners that take like 10-15 min to get on the table and involve very few dirty dishes. I do sweep the kitchen and eating area nightly -- which takes a mere few minutes -- but of course I don't mop every night! Like the PP, that happens once every two weeks when the cleaning lady comes.

Sounds like if you change your dinner/cleaning routine you could find a bunch of time in your day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What in the world are you cooking that requires sweeping and mopping every single night?

Right? Sweeping, maybe, but my floor gets mopped every other Thursday when the cleaning ladies come.

X1000

OP I also work a hybrid schedule, and on the days I go into the office we have EXTREMELY SIMPLE dinners that take like 10-15 min to get on the table and involve very few dirty dishes. I do sweep the kitchen and eating area nightly -- which takes a mere few minutes -- but of course I don't mop every night! Like the PP, that happens once every two weeks when the cleaning lady comes.

Sounds like if you change your dinner/cleaning routine you could find a bunch of time in your day.

What are you simple dinners that make no mess?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What in the world are you cooking that requires sweeping and mopping every single night?

Right? Sweeping, maybe, but my floor gets mopped every other Thursday when the cleaning ladies come.

X1000

OP I also work a hybrid schedule, and on the days I go into the office we have EXTREMELY SIMPLE dinners that take like 10-15 min to get on the table and involve very few dirty dishes. I do sweep the kitchen and eating area nightly -- which takes a mere few minutes -- but of course I don't mop every night! Like the PP, that happens once every two weeks when the cleaning lady comes.

Sounds like if you change your dinner/cleaning routine you could find a bunch of time in your day.

What are you simple dinners that make no mess?

I make the four-ingredient chili on the back of the McCormick chili spice packet -- it uses one saute pan. Ground beef takes 7 minutes to brown, and then simmers with the other three ingredients - can of diced tomatoes, can of beans, and the spice packet (which get dumped in) for 10 minutes. Serve with typical chili toppings.

I take a sheet pan and line it with parchment paper. Put four store bough naans on sheet pan. Spread store bought pesto on each. Tear up chunks of fresh mozzarella ball and put on top. Then put on a handful of spinach on top of that and and finally top with red pepper flakes. Cook in oven for 13 minutes. Voila, pesto spinach flatbreads. Serve with store-bought marinara sauce. Only thing that can't go in dishwasher is the sheet pan.

For salads on the sides of meals I use bagged greens mixes, pre-cut veggies, and store-bought vinaigrette, etc.

I have plenty of meals like these...you get the idea.

[Anonymous]

Op knows damn well how to make a simple dinner. Yet again she just wants to deflect so she can pretend working out and being fit just isn’t possible for her!

[Anonymous]

I go to bed at 9 and I get up at 4:30. I wake up, change into exercise clothing, and drink a cup of coffee. At the gym at 5. Home by 6. Walk dogs and online by 7.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is my average day's schedule:

- Wake up at 3:30
- Go for run or workout in home gym by 4:00. Workout for 1 hour.
- Shower and get ready for work. Finish by 5:30.
- Make lunches for kids
- Get oldest kid up by 6:00, while DH is getting ready for work
- Leave for work at 6:20
- Work
- Home by 4:15
- Sports, homework, activities with kids after-school
- Make/have dinner
- Bedtime routine for kids starts at 7:45 (for youngest two) or 8:15 (for oldest)
- Everyone may read or sleep (but no electronics) after 8:30
- Everyone hopefully asleep by 9:00-9:30

My Oura ring says I get 5.5 hours of sleep most nights. It's not enough, but I function.

Why not work out for half an hour? 3:30am seems extreme. How do you sleep on weekends?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Working parent here, two full time jobs only 2x week WFH, 3 kids from elem to high school.

Afternoons are impossible because we pick up kids, have dinner; then run to activities and sports until around 9pm at night. I’ve tried to get workout during activities but usually logistics prevent anything more than a walk.

What I need to do is get up at 5am so can gym 530-630, then be ready to take kids to school by 7am, then off to work.

But getting home at 9, by time kitchen is tidy, and house is put back together it’s like 11pm, and then I get to bed. Going to bed 11pm/12am makes a 5am workout really hard.

Anyone BTDT? I wish we had a housekeeper or driving nanny, but not enough $$$ to make happen.

Turn the walk into a run.

Its a place not suitable for running because of lighting and terrain.

You have every excuse in the book.

[Anonymous]

I have read this post a few times and still can't figure out what you do from 6-11pm or why what you say you do takes so long.

I workout at 5am 4 mornings a week and go to bed by 9pm. I also work full time, commute and have 2 kids. When there were younger I hit it harder on the weekends so I only had to go to the gym 2-3 weekdays.

I also when through a period where I ran while they were in their activities.

My house isn't spotless or perfectly organized, and I definitely don't mop every night. We do cook meals from scratch most nights, but pick meals that don't take a ton of time to prep. Often times I cook and my husband does cleanup so some evenings I go for a walk after dinner.

Like others have said if it is really a priority you will find time and I do think most people can/could find 30 min a day to do some form of exercise even if it is a walk.

[Anonymous]

1) Lower your standards as to fancy home-cooked meals every night (nothing should take more than 30 minutes from raw ingredients to dinner on the table) and to levels of cleanliness.
2) Shove as many chores on the weekend as possible.
3) Prioritize your exercising above children's every single need--it's important for your physical and mental health.
4) Be flexible about when you can exercise--as many, many people have noted here, you can exercise during lunch! On your WFH days (take phone calls while doing a very brisk walk)! On weekends! In the evening instead of taking TWO HOURS to cook and clean!

If you really want to find time, you will do so.