Exercise, my least favorite thing

When I moved out here, I joined a gym, to have access to spin classes (I haven't used the gym at all for any other purpose). I was in mourning for a while because the spin instructors weren't like my instructors back in my former city, and I still like those classes better, but have made my peace with the new place and found some instructors I like.* So I'm trying to go more regularly, and realized: I think I have to suck it up and start going to the 5:30 am classes. That's pretty painfully early, but I used to go to 6:15 am classes, and it was really great getting the workout over with first thing, and having my evenings free. Plus, going after work is totally fine, but more of a hassle, because I have to prepare a gym bag the night before, take it with me to work, and then change at the gym; and it kills most of my weekday errand-running time. If I leave work right on time, I have about 15 minutes to kill at the gym, which is slightly annoying; but if I run later than 15 minutes at work, I'll either miss class, or have to rush like a mad thing and race in last minute (which I hate). Conversely, if I go first thing in the morning, I can avoid the whole "change at the gym" hassle,** and should have time to get home, change, and shower before heading to work. We'll just have to see which is the greatest danger: that when the alarm goes off at god-awful-o'clock in the morning and it's dark and cold and I'm not really awake, I'll say "eff it" and go back to sleep;*** or that at the end of the day when it's dark and cold and I'm tired from work, I'll say "eff it" and just go home.

Are you a morning exerciser, or an evening, or something else? And if you're a morning exerciser, how do you make yourself actually do it?

*Had a new-to-me instructor Saturday morning, and she was really really good, overall. However, she kept talking about our workout in the context of what Thanksgiving foods it would let us eat - and while I get that it was the weekend before Thanksgiving and it's an appealing approach for a lot of people, I really really hate measuring a workout in terms of calories or food. It seems way too food-issues-triggery, I much prefer to think about it in terms of building strength, power, endurance (or flexibility/balance, depending on activity).

**I know some people don't like changing at the gym because they don't like changing in front of other people. I don't care about that; I'm just lazy, and hate hauling stuff around and making sure I have everything.

***It didn't hurt that at my old gym, you had to sign up in advance to be sure to get a bike, and if you didn't cancel more than 24 hours in advanced, you got charged for the class. So as long as I signed up in advance, it was too late to cancel the morning of; here, I can't sign up for class until 30 minutes before anyway, so no foul if I don't show up.

Comments

[Rinne]

Wow, 6:15 p.m. class. I salute you. I feel painful this semester to have an 8 a.m. class. Oh well, it's almost the end now. I am an afternoon gym person.*

*And that happens only at the beginning and near the end of a semester, when I just rented a locker or regretted that I rent a locker.

[life_of_a_fool]

I prefer afternoons/evenings. I like it because I feel like I can get all the tension of the day out, though it is inconvenient in other ways (now my schedule is flexible enough that I usually don't have to haul clothes with me very often). The only thing that got me to fairly reliably exercise way too early in the morning was training for a marathon -- the long runs were too brutal to not do in a group, which meant going by the groups' schedule. I do not recommend this as a motivation strategy though. :)

[helenesch]

I strongly prefer evernings (or late afternoons). But I'm not a morning person generally.

The title of your post reminded me of the title of the most recent post on another blog I read: http://fitisafeministissue.wordpress.com/

The post explains why the author doesn't like to think of what she does as "excercise," since that sounds so negative--like something one must force oneself to do (but is never any fun).

I mention that blog partly because I think you might find it interesting. The bloggers are both feminist philosophers and they write about their own experiences with fitness in a way that doesn't focus on excercise as a means to weight loss (they seem to empahize the things you mention above-wanting to build strength, power, endurance, etc.)

[Kathy]

I do both. I love getting the workout in and over with in the morning, but it's very hard to get up when it's cold and dark. I like to do back-to-back cycling classes once or twice a week, so those have to be in the evening. In your case, you would do better trying to get to the morning classes. Good luck!

[Kathy]

What I really meant to write above was, "In your case, *it sounds like* you would do better trying to get to the morning classes." Because what I posted made it sound like I know what's best for you...when I don't even know you! ;)

[Nitewriter]

I prefer exercising in the mornings when the weather's nice. In the winter, dark months, I prefer afternoon. Or I don't mind exercising anytime if I don't have to go out! At our gyms here, if you're a member of the gym, you don't have to pay for class. Just show up. Or not. As you choose. My DIL sometimes goes early mornings before work and sometimes in the evenings after dinner. Whatever she can fit in. She loves spin classes too!!

[Seeking Solace]

I can't do mornings because of the RA and I just love sleep too much. :)

I go after work. It's a great stress reliever for me.

[Leah]

I workout at lunch, but am fortunate enough to have a job that requires a flex schedule. If I exercise in the morning by the afternoon I feel like I need to workout again, and I simply hate working out in the evening after work.

On an unrelated note, I've been reading your blog since I was applying to grad school. I read your's and a bunch of other assistant professor's. I am now in my 6th year of my PhD program and have started a career unrelated to academia (though not necessarily unrelated to my degree). Your blog is the only "academic" blog I still read. Anyway...

[Janice]

The only exercise I get is walking the dogs which I do in the mornings during summer and in the afternoons in winter. Since Mike works evenings and I teach mornings, our days are long, long, long. I couldn't fathom regularly getting up in time for a 5:30 exercise class: you impress me!

[Kori]

I'm a morning exercise, if only because when I get home from work at night, I am WAY too tired to do anything even remotely physical. I don't have much good advice for getting motivated - I eventually just found that if I forced myself to get up and out over and over again, it became a habit. And I go to bed mad early. Good luck!

[Dame Eleanor Hull]

I am a convert to morning exercise. I used to prefer it as "punctuation" in the middle of the day, but a work schedule change meant I had to go in the morning or not at all. And then I discovered that I sleep much better if I exercise early. What I did to get myself to the gym, while making the transition, was allow myself to read "fun" books while I was working out (in the middle of the day I would read for work). I looked forward to reading my mystery or whatever early in the day, and the association with pleasure became very strong. But I hate classes and am totally a loner-exerciser, so I don't know how this would work in a class where you're supposed to pay attention to an instructor.

[Fionnuala]

I am the anti-exerciser. I get into these spurts where I become fanatical, all pack-bag-set-lunch-hour-aside.. type fanatic. It is a little gross. Then, I have the anti side. The semester brings me down, and I think.. there-is-no-way-I-can-bring-one-more-bag-to-the-college.

I stumbled across your blog via Apt. 11D and fell in love with this line, "I am a recovering academic." I am an adult, undergrad student currently in the throws of independent research, TA/RA nonsense, and staring at law school apps. Primarily because I have a love/hate relationship with the academy. I some day hope to recover. All the best to you during your hallway adventures.

[Weathergrrrl]

I'm big on the 'doing it for physical well being' pov. Sadly the local RFC peeps are all about calories and weight which seems rather self defeating. I'll never be successful from their point of view but can attest that Zumba toning, in combination with ballet barre, has resulted in improved joint flexibility and greater upper body strength.

Zumba is so much fun, I just ignore the sexual innuendo and bound around for a whole hour in my own silly non-sexual style. *lol*

[Leanne]

I have always been a morning exerciser - to be fair i am a little lazy , if i do it in the evening then i have a whole day to talk my self out of it .... first thing in the morning i don't have a choice and then i feel good about myself all day - it is a win win situation

[Gillian]

Lunch break! The YMCA is in the building next door, so it's a short walk to get there. Lots of partners in my firm work out there at lunch as well. I can't do mornings - won't get up. Can't do evenings - gotta get the kids and make dinner for them. So lunch it is!

[New Kid on the Hallway]

Weeeeeeelllllll, since posting this I have yet to make it to a 5:30 am class, so I may have spoken too soon...

Rinne, in an ideal world I would totally be an afternoon exerciser. That's one of the only downsides of leaving academia - 4 pm was my best exercise time, pre 9-5!

life_of_a_fool, I like getting the tension of the day out, too. And no worries - running a marathon is never going to be a motivation for me. ;-)

helenesch - what an interesting sounding blog! I will have to check it out.

Kathy - I do hate when the days get so short, whether you exercise in the morning or the evening, it's dark and cold!

Nitewriter - being flexible about the times sounds like a good idea; I keep thinking I'll find the "perfect" time, morning or evening, when really I'm probably better off taking to day to day.

Seeking Solace - I do like the tension release of working out at the end of the day. Working out in the morning is supposed to give you energy but when I do, by 10 am I want to take a nap!

Leah - I'm so glad to hear you still read this blog! And congrats on developing a non-academic career (not that non-academic is inherently better than academic, but you know, working out any kind of career is a good thing!).

Janice - I think your being impressed is premature! My plans are still...let's say aspirational.

Kori - it's the going to bed early thing that kills me; no matter what I do, I suck at going to bed early. It's much easier without TV, but then I'd have to go without TV...

Dame Eleanor - I like the book-as-reward idea; I have done that on occasion. It doesn't quite work with classes, no, but the nice thing about classes is I only have to get myself there, and then I just let someone tell me what to do, rather than having to make myself do it. :-)

Fionnuala - yes, it gets so dreary hauling bags of stuff around. Good luck with your academic stuff! If you have questions about law school apps that I could help with, let me know.

Weathergrrrl - yes, I can see the RFC would have that issue. Glad to hear you like Zumba so much! I haven't been able to bring myself to try it, but I hear great things.

Leanne - I know, it's become so easy to talk myself out of exercising by the end of the day!

Gillian - I think the middle of the day is a great solution - and there's a gym at work. The hard part is coping with the sweat and making myself presentable afterwards! Maybe someday I'll work out the perfect system. :-)

[BigCityProblems]

Is this topic connected with your working position or perhaps is it mostly about your hobbies and ways to spend your spare time?