AM Exercize - Personality Traits

[RUSTYSMOM]

After reading the posting on the food board about menu planners vs not, I can't help but wonder if us morning exercizers all try to be super organized. I now wake at 4:45 to work out, before my children and DH wake. I am really feeling great lately because I have my workouts back in check AND have been successful planing weekly meals and getting lots of cooking done on the weekends to ensure a healthy week of eating. The only way I can do this with working full time is plan, plan , plan. Iis it just me or is there a trend here???

[This message has been edited by RUSTYSMOM (edited 03-10-2001).]

[emilycat]

I don't think it's just a trend at all...
I am the super-planning princess http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Seriously, I plan everything -- I can be spontaneous, but it tends to stress me out, and although I'm extremely creative as well (just a disclaimer; a lot of people associate planners with lack of imagination, which is very untrue), I love the entire planning process of everything. I really relish planning menus, trips, training programs, etc., because on the contrary, I have so many ideas and inspiration floating around in my head that if I waited until the last minute to do everything, I'd never get anything done for being so overwhelmed with decision-making!

So I guess the answer to your question is yes http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Emily

[Lynn B]

Interesting question!

I'm w/ you guys. In the game of Life, I am a Planner! I just LOVE doing it! I MIGHT BE just a wee bit OCD http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif but I do get things done!!!

I like working out in the morning because then I know it is DONE for the day -- come what may. And I like the way that feels!

Emilycat, you are right... every true "planner" I've ever known was extremely creative! And for the very reasons you cited!

AND... I do have to say, Rustysmom, that doing what YOU do (up at 4:45, etc) is AMAZING! Bravo, girl! Before I read that I was feeling pretty proud of my 6:30 arousal... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lindrusso]

I might bust your bubble here, but I'm a planner who does not like to exercise in the A.M. Theoretically it is very attractive to me, but I tend to like to stay up until 11 p.m. or so and therefore don't like to get up early. Granted I stay at home with my kids and have less motivation to get up, but even when I worked, I NEVER worked out early. I just love to stay in bed.

Maybe that's because I'm a lazy person who's trying to become more active, etc. However, I still remained quite organized - at least when it comes to meal planning! The rest of my life is organized enough to not fall apart, but needs some work (one of my spring projects!).

It's funny that LynnB says that every planner she knows is very creative. Gail and Lorilei strike me as very creative cooks, and yet they are self-professed non-planners, perferring to cook on a whim.

I have a friend that is a planner to extremes that I have never seen. Among many other mind-boggling things, she has preprinted grocery lists broken into sections according to the lay out of her store. We often make fun of her, but really we're just jealous of her organizational abilities!!

[RUSTYSMOM]

Definately no burst bubbles here - I am not suggesting only am exercizers are planners - just wondering if this is a typical trait. As mentioned in a previous thread - the downside of early rising is early to bed - while later rising are still up being productive at night, I am counting sheep... the main thing for all of us is actaully making the time for exercize - bravo for us all!

Emilycat and Lynne - sounds like so far there is a trend. I am with you Lynne - I get the workout done before I have time to think of all of the reasons I don't have time (which is exactly what I would do). So far it is working. With all of the great inspiration on this board I think it will continue!

Have a good week!

[Lynn B]

EEK! I hope it didn't sound offensive when I stated that I think that a lot of "planners" are creative... I wasn't in ANY way implying that "spontaneous" ("NON-planners") aren't! I certainly realize that that isn't the case AT ALL! SOOOO sorry if I, in ANY way, offended anyone!
Lynn

[McSix]

I'm sitting here at 4:45 a.m. finishing my coffee and trying to decide whether I'm a planner or not. Certainly I'm a listmaker, but for the most part, I make my decisions pretty spontaneously EXCEPT that I know myself. If I don't get up and exercise in the early hours, I won't do it. Period. I do love working out early, however, because then I feel like I've accomplished something very important before I even go to work.

[MrsReber]

I am a hybrid. I like things planned in advance, but I am not so well organized. If we take a trip somewhere, I NEED to have all the details worked out in advance. We have taken some spontaneous trips, but it was difficult for me to relax because I just had to know what the next step was.

I really prefer to exercise first thing in the morning. It wakes me up and keeps me going, but since I get up at 5:15 for work and get home at 6:00 every evening, I really cannot bring myself to get out of bed any earlier. On the weekends, I am at the gym right after they open at 7:00am. I feel like my day is wasted if I get there too late.

[lindrusso]

Lynn B - No worries! I don't think it came off as offensive at all! Of course, I'm planner, so..... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif .

[BethH]

I am definitely a planner--and an a.m. exerciser! I absolutely love to plan meals, trips, my future, everything. I make lists of everything.

I've just found that everything seems to go much better and smoother in life when I spend at least a little time planning beforehand. Not to say that I don't enjoy a little spontaneity as well. There is much to be said for stumbling upon that wonderful little restaurant when on vacation or discovering that your last-minute substitution makes an everyday dish wonderful.

However, I must meal plan as I don't have the time to run to the store on a whim to pick up additional ingredients. (night school) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/mad.gif Therefore, I always buy my groceries over the weekend and typically, do much of my cooking ahead of time too. But, I'd probably be the same way even if I didn't have class every night until 8. I'm just a planner.

[MarciaTJ]

I have been reading these threads with all of these AM exercisers and feeling sort of bad for not having the capacity to drag my body out of the bed at 6:30 am in order to get to work by 8:30, let alone even contemplating working out....but I am a planner too - I plan my workouts in the evenings (whether I'll jump rope, run, do a video, or weights), along with planning out my menus - typically one day a week (especially right after I've recieved my most recent CL) And then grocery shop etc...but the rest of my life is pretty well planned - I love knowing what I am going to do, when - it gives me the opportunity to try new things I've seen or heard about.

oh well, I guess I am rambeling quite a bit...
M

[SusanD]

Looks like I've found some soul mates here - I'm definitely a fanatical planner and definitely a morning exerciser. Even though that first step out of bed is a tough one, I feel so good once I'm up and moving - and even better when I'm sitting at the table enjoying my breakfast and knowing that I've done something good for myself...and still have the whole day ahead of me!

[BeckyM]

I am definitely a planner! I sometimes drive my husband crazy with all the things I want to plan! He's more laid back and just waits for things to happen, whereas I want to plan them to happen a certain way!

Up until recently, I was an evening exerciser. It was basically because I didn't have the motivation to get up early to do it. But I wasn't really happy with that arrangement, because I would often miss workouts if I had something else planned after work or if I just didn't feel like it at the end of a long day.

But something changed recently, and I'm not sure what it is. I think I just tried working out one morning, and I discovered how great it felt to have my workout done for the day and then to have my evening to do other things. Since then, I have been regularly getting up before 5am to workout, and I've been getting in 5-6 workouts a week! (On the weekends I don't get up as early though!) I feel so great, and I've been losing weight and getting more toned. I think the key is that I am able to be consistent about exercise this way.

So I don't know if my new early morning exercise habit has anything to do with my "planning" mentality, because I've always been a planner. But I know I'm a happier planner now that I'm exercising regularly in the morning.

[CathyS]

I have to ask.... What time do you early birds go to bed???? I (unfortunately) don't get home from work until 9 at night, and I just cant drag myself out of bed in the mornings.

CathyS

[Kristi]

I am a planner MOST of the time. I plan several meals for the week (not necessarily which day we'll have what), exercise, activities outside work, etc.; however, I too consider myself to be creative and to enjoy spontaneity when it presents itself. In fact, I think I too often agree to forget exercise for the evening if friends decide to plan a spontaneous happy hour, dinner, etc. But I'm not so sure I would want to change that...right now-- when it's just me and my husband-- is the time to enjoy those types of things...all in moderation of course.

SO... being that I would like to have a more disciplined exercise schedule (not that I do terrible with it now), I keep telling myself I should try exercising in the morning. Every time I try it just doesn't seem to work! I LOVE sleeping as late as I possibly can...it's so difficult for me to get up early (even if I go to bed early). So, for those of you who are AM exercisers, did it take you a long time to get used to getting up, or have you always been eager to rise? I really envy you!!!

[emilycat]

As one of the early risers (although not nearly as early as some!) -- I get up at 5:30 to run each day -- I can say without hesitation that I am definitely a morning person. I grew up waking up early, and even on the weekends, I find it difficult to sleep past 8:00; on Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 is the norm.

I find that primarily, I am much more motivated in the mornings; after work, and especially late at night, I just don't have that much mental energy.

So waking up at 5:30 wasn't that big of an adjustment, although sometimes I get really tired -- last night I went to sleep at 8:30! Whatever works, I guess http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[McSix]

I think that, except for my lazy teen years and 20s, I've always been a morning person although not this extreme. I do get up at 4:15 during the week, but around 7:00 on weekends. The downside, of course, is being very sleepy after 7:30 or so at night. I'm always asleep by 8:30 unless it's a special occasion. Since I'm not much of a TV watcher (except for the Food channel), it's not a big deal. My husband gets up at 5:00 and ususally crashes around 9:00. I guess we're boring people, but we're happy!

[MrsReber]

Kristi, I like my sleep, too, but I also know how great I feel when I get up early on a weekend and have things done before noon. The best part is that I'm usually out before all the other people so I can avoid crowds at the supermarket and the post office or wherever else I have to go. And the exercise in the morning gives me the energy to do these things. As for going to bed- usually between 9:30 and 10:30 during the week. We do go out sometimes on Friday and Saturday and stay up late! But then we end up sleeping late the next morning. My husband loves to sleep late. Usually on the weekends, I get up early and go to the gym (which opens at 7:00 on weekends) and when I come back he's still in bed! I wish I could go to the gym every morning. It's just too difficult to get up any earlier than 5:20. I think that's early enough! I have a much harder time getting myself to the gym at night during the week. With the clocks changing soon, it'll be light out when I get home so maybe I'll be more inspired. I hope!

[Kristi]

Like I said, I would LOVE to be a "morning exerciser" for all the reasons you guys have stated. Maybe with more inspiration from this BB, someday I'll try once again to get in that habit...

[BeckyM]

Kristi -- I wouldn't call myself a morning person, and it's definitely not always an easy thing to drag myself out of bed in the morning to exercise. I've only been routinely doing it for about three weeks now, and it's a definite change for me! I used to always workout after work (except on the weekends -- then it's just whenever it fits in my schedule), but I found I was often not making it to the gym for one reason or another. I decided if I was going to be serious about working out 5-6 days a week, I needed to do it in the morning.

So I guess I just decided getting up early was not a CHOICE -- I HAVE to do it. I treat it just like I have an early meeting for work, or I have an early plane to catch or something. I don't allow myself to hit the snooze or fall back asleep. It really just has been a discipline thing. I would not normally get up that early -- I just make myself do it! Of course it helps that I'm doing this as a Lenten sort of thing (instead of giving something up -- though maybe I'm giving up sleep!), so that's added motivation to stick to it. Plus, I'm starting to see results -- I'm losing weight and getting more toned -- enough for my husband to notice even! So that adds to my reasons to stick to the early morning exercise.

And of course the feeling at the end of the day when I leave work and don't have to plan my evening around the gym is just great! I feel like I have so much time in the evenings now, and I can do fun things without sacrificing my workouts!

Good luck, Kristi! I bet if you just REALLY decide you're going to do it, you could exercise in the mornings. I know it has been worth it for me!

[aggie94]

Kristi,

I'm not a morning person either, although I have to get up everyday at 5:15 for work (I have an hour and a half commute each way). I would prefer to work out in the mornings rather than at nights after a long day at the office, but it just isn't feasible during the week. On the weekends, though, I love the feeling of already having exercised, had breakfast, showered, and read the paper before I'd normally even be out of bed if I were to sleep in.

What about a compromise? If spontaneous plans pull you away from exercise one evening, make it up by getting up early one morning that you wouldn't normally get up early to exercise. It might at least be a start to getting into a habit.

[Kristi]

I definitely need to look at it in the way you have, Becky, and BTW--congrats on your success so far! Thank you ALL so much for your input--this is a topic I'm always curious about.

[Kristi]

aggie-- A compromise of that sort sounds like a great idea. It just really seems like people who exercise in the morning tend to have an easier time with dedication (of course, not in all cases, but most...)

[Lynn B]

Kristi,

Interesting question!

I have to tell you -- I used to HATE getting up early... really resisted it, pushed "snooze" 4 or 5 times... it was awful! But about a year ago, I just started MAKING myself do it, so I could work out first thing each day. It was VERY HARD at first (GRUELING would probably be a better word!!!) - but guess what? After about 6 months (I know that seems like a REALLY long time - but it truly went fast!) - it became a habit. Now I almost even look forward to it! I really just do roll out of bed and get cranking now. (Of course, I do go to bed about 10 pm -- any later than that and I know it will be really hard to get up!)

So, either I have re-programmed my body clock (?!) or else maybe there was a "morning person" lurking inside me all those years and I didn't even know it!!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Lynn

[kek]

I am with most of you morning exercisers - I am up WAY EARLY - 3:45 am 3-4 days a week to run. I am usually up by 5:30 on the weekends too - this way I have time to myself or my kids before working out.

While I would definitely say I was a planner like many have posted here, I am also charged by how much I can actually get done in a day. I work full time and have 2 sons - 4 & 6 years old. I also travel (flight) for my job 1-2 days/week so I need to be very efficient.

In general - I think the driving force for me is efficiency - fitting as much in as possible before I drop off to sleep at 9:30! As I write this I have to question is something wrong with this picture?!!!

[Tiger]

I'm an AM exerciser (as soon as I get out of bed), planner, and very organized. I'v always been a morning person!