Does anyone find it really, really difficult to get up early to exercise? page

[fcby9]

I'm 17 and I've been Primal to varying degrees of strictness over the past few months. I still haven't nailed down the nutrition aspect of the lifestyle completely (still some sweets/dairy/quinoa/rice), so I suspect that that's the culprit, but I'd like to hear others' views first.

I understand how important it is to cultivate good habits for college that will carry me through life, and one that my parents have always preached to me is to work out early in the morning, so that I can charge through work the rest of the day. My goal target wake up time is 5:50 or 6. I set an alarm. When morning comes around, I just press snooze automatically because I just feel so tired. Now, I suspect that something is wrong here because when I hear I about people who have had success with the Primal lifestyle, most of them talk about how they naturally wake up earlier.

I generally sleep around midnight, and I don't really know how to condition myself to sleep at any time earlier, like 10 PM. But I really want to make a habit of sleeping earlier in order to wake up earlier, so I don't like a walking zombie who has prematurately accumulated her Freshman 15.

So, my questions:

1. Am I unable to get up because I haven't been strict on the nutrition aspect of things? Or is it really a matter of discipline that I'm lacking?
2. Should I focus on still setting my alarm early to work out (I don't like to work out later in the day), or just getting my eating and sleeping habits in place?


Thank you in advance for reading ramblings and bestowing your wisdom. I genuinely appreciate it!

Francesca

[Leida]

No, you are not able to get up because you are a teenager that did not get enough sleep. Teenagers normally need more than the 7 hrs an adult can get by on. You might need closer to 9-10 hours of sleep. You will not be able to eat and train properly when you are underslept. Stop drinking coffee. Find a way to shut yourself down (turn off all the media, stretch and relax, take a cold shower or a hot bath) at 8 pm, and go to sleep by 9:30 pm. Then you will be able to get out of bed by 6 or so without the hardship.

[fcby9]

Thank you, Leida. I was just wondering how powering down by 8 or 9 could be sustainable in college, though...when I'm most likely sleeping at odd hours, or 11 at the earliest.

[zilog]

at the suggestion of a teenager going to sleep at 9.30 every night!! I agree with the idea of getting enough sleep in general though. Just get up later. I hate exercising early in the morning too, so I do it before lunch or in the afternoon/evening.

[Spooky_Rach]

1. Unlikely (though it could be possible), more likely due to the fact of being a teenager. In teenger-adom your biological clock and circadian rhythm shift shift so that you feel tired, fall asleep late and wake later than adults do (ADOLESCENT SLEEP). As a side note sleep experts consider adolescents to be between the ages of 11 and 22.

2.I'd say get sleeping habits sorted first (in terms of getting enough sleep and going to bed + getting up at regular times). Once you've got that down then maybe work on the getting up early (and therefore going to bed earlier so you get enough sleep), though you may find that your teenage brain conspires against you on that one .

[Goldie]

Teen's sleep cycles change when they hit puberty, so many teens don't feel sleepy until 11pm or later. There are ways to re-set the cycle, do a Google search on "teenage sleep cycle research" and you'll find lots of info.

I have to be at work at 5:30am, so I go to bed around 8:45 and get up a 4:00. This is not what my body wants to do (it's still dark at 5:30 even in the summer!) but I've gotten used to the schedule. What helps is not sleeping in on my days off... which isn't always easy!

But even when I started work at a more reasonable hour, I never did have an easy time of working out in the morning. People, adults and teens, have different times of the day when they have the most energy. If I tried to work out shortly after I wake up, I'd end up hurting myself, or at least not being able to put my full efforts into my workout! I perform best right after I get off work (3:30pm).

Have you tried working out later in the day, maybe after you get out of class for the day? Would your parents be agreeable to letting you experiment and see if that works better for you? Keep in mind that if you work out too close to when you want to go to sleep, it can keep you awake. Finish your workout at least two hours before bed and you shouldn't have any problems.

And if you need to sway your parents to your side, you'll need to be sure that you actually DO your workout on the scheduled days at more-or-less the same time each day. It's best to have a regular schedule, anyway... and research also shows that you remember what you study the best if you do it shortly before you go to sleep. So work out after class, and study before bed!

[Leida]

Thank you, Leida. I was just wondering how powering down by 8 or 9 could be sustainable in college, though...when I'm most likely sleeping at odd hours, or 11 at the earliest.

I did it when I was at the University. I went to classes, studied, enjoyed outdoors during the breaks, socialized with my friends from time to time particularly in the field schools, went to bed early and graduated with a 5.0 GPA. Sure, here and there we pulled all-nighters and chewed coffee grains, but on the whole, 16-15 hours a day of waking time was enough for a full and happy lifestyle at the Uni.

Got a dream job. Got married. Did a second graduate degree. Had a baby. Got another dream job. Still go to bed at 8 pm, get up around 4 am to make sure everything is taken care of. Life's normally much easier for 'early to bed/early to rise'. Less traffic, less hassle, more productive.

[fcby9]

Wow, Leida, I admire you! That's what I really aspire to do.

@ Goldie: I appreciate your input! But I find it much easier to work out in the morning because it sets the mood for the day, and puts things on a right note for me. When it's scheduled for the morning, working out is nonnegotiable. Whereas I can find many more excuses for myself if I save it for later. ;P Kudos to you if you can muster the energy!

[Leida]

Erm, sorry, I did not mean to fish. Just sayin', it is possible. Goldie's advice is pretty sound!

[Nivanthe]

I've always been an early riser and morning person... for a few years I had a Starbucks job during college where I preferred to open the store, so was up by 4am.

I like going to the gym in the mornings, too, so I'll go to sleep pretty early (between 8-9 usually) so that I can wake up at 4:30 and be at the gym by 5. That way, when I'm done with work at 5pm, I can just go HOME!

Then again, I don't have to deal with homework anymore, and am sort of passing the time till Christmas as quickly as possible, so I don't mind going to bed super early But basically, echoing the others... it's easy to get up early when you get enough sleep. 11-5 is rough, and hard to drum up the motivation to get out of bed if you're not used to it.