My mornings are lacking. Need advice!

[hekks]

On an average night, I get to sleep at midnight and then wake at 6am to start my day. The 6am part is out of necessity, as I work from morning to afternoon (ugh, coasting the Slowlane I know!).

The reason that I'm posting this thread is to see if anyone has any tips for diet and motivation to get an energetic start to the day. I do have morning jogging in the back of my mind, and as of right now, I'm committing myself to start it tomorrow as a daily morning routine (as it's time to go to work now).

I would like to know, from any early birds out there, if there are certain diets that are tried-and-true to help with energy and overall mood. Here's an even better question... what should I be eating before going for my jog, and what should I eat afterward?

It's certainly not in my comfort zone right now to be jogging, but since jogging is an obvious benefit to physical and mental health, continuing my harmful lack of exercise is treasonous to my goals and therefore short-term comfort has no value. I just wanted to write that last part out for myself to help realize its logic and truthfulness, but hopefully it might inspire a few others to start an exercise routine if they haven't already!

:driving:

 

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[911Carrera]

6 hrs of sleep might not be enough rest for you. I need my 8 hrs to feel well rested. Anything less than that, I have a hard time getting up for work even tho I exercise 4 times a week.

 

[valuegiver]

Read Primal Blueprint. I sleep 4-6 hours per day. And I wake up energized.

6 hrs of sleep might not be enough rest for you. I need my 8 hrs to feel well rested. Anything less than that, I have a hard time getting up for work even tho I exercise 4 times a week.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Funny you should ask! I'm creating a program that solves this very problem!

There are three basic concepts but I'll just focus on the one since you are talking about physical health and energy.

You need... Superior Conditioning!!!!

You need to 1. Build the Body, and 2. Fuel the Body

As far as fueling the body for more energy, there are usually a couple of culprits that are sucking your energy and some that are lacking that would increase your energy. I've developed the "rules of three" for each.

Develop the proper eating habits:

1. Change your eating pattern from < to >
2. Use the old Samurai rule of 3/4 full (if you are eating a typical american diet)
3. Develop the habit of a cheat day to start you on your way to eating healthier during the week.

Fueling the Body

1. Increase your water intake (most common increase should be about 3-4x what you drinking right now. You know the first sign of dehydration? It's not thirst - it's fatigue!)
2. Eating your Vegetables! This is mandatory. If you are an adult - and you don't eat your green vegetables... are you serious? (the Ratio here is what usually astounds people. For maximum affect on energy and health we should have a 4 to 1 ratio here. Meaning 80% of your plate should be raw green vegetables. Start small, build your way up... unless you want results, start doing it right away)
3. Increase your protein intake. I recently did a food log for a week when I was lacking energy running these two businesses, I realized my protein intake was extremely low. Tim Ferris suggests 30g right when you get up, seems to work well. The other thing that I've noticed is to hit at least 1g-1.5g of protein per pound (weight).

Eliminate the Sucks
1. Sugar
2. White Carbs
3. Dairy

This is all pretty general and would take a lot of explaining (which is why I'm creating a program for it - this only scratches the surface of what's possible). BUT don't take that as an excuse to not take action. Do even one of these and you will start to feel more energy.

 

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[hekks]

Thanks to everyone for the input. I really do need to drink more water, with a combination of more activity. It is all-too-easy to become spoiled and feed the brain online while completely neglecting your physical fitness.

 

[John C.]

Hekks,

Jogging certainly has its benefits but I would at least like to share my routine. I get up at 5:30 and get on my exercise bike with a book in hand. I ride and read for half an hour each morning. So not only am I getting my cardio exercise, I am reading high quality non-fiction books. I read about 50 - 60 books per year, mostly from the half hour each morning. I also post a review on Amazon.com and this has many, many benefits. I now get 4 - 5 free books per month, I also have gotten to know many authors through reading and posting reviews. It is certainly the most beneficial way to start a day I have come across. And since I have been doing it for over 5 years, it is a habit .... I don't even consider not doing it.

 

[Ska2free]

Eliminate the Sucks
1. Sugar
2. White Carbs
3. Dairy

What a great post, KFS...thanks!! A quick question: why is dairy on the sucks list? Can't yogurt or cheese be a good protein source? Obviously there are choices within the grocery store's wall of yogurt that are horrible (fat free chocolate yogurt with Oreo sprinkles, seriously?!?), but I thought I was doing good by having a Greek (or homemade, if I'm feeling particularly industrious!) yogurt as part of breakfast...please let me know if that is incorrect!

Thx!

 

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[matt]

I get up and go for a walk every morning. Not trying to exercise as much as I am just trying to get my thoughts together and get ready for the day.

 

[Stefan Em]

I've had the same questions some months ago.

At the moment I'm eating fully Primal / Paleo, also check out "The UltraMind Solution" by Dr. Mark Hyman. It's really worth a read, believe me!

He portrays what determines your health and well being, how you can re-balance your chemicals and hormones in your body to feel really awesome.

It helped me a lot.

Amazon.com: The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First (9781416549710): Mark Hyman MD: Books

Stefan


btw. this is him at TedMed: [video=youtube;IhkLcpJTV9M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhkLcpJTV9M[/video]

 

[Likwid24]

Depending on what your goals are with the jogging, you have 2 options:

1- If your goal is weight loss, just drink some water before you jog so you don't dehydrate. If you go jogging on an empty stomach you will immediately begin to start burning fat since your carbs are burnt up through the night while you sleep.

2- If your goal is just to get some exercise to get you going and make you feel better, I suggest you add some carbs such as whole wheat toast before the run. Eat something healthy and light.


As far as breakfast goes, try for a mix of complex carbs, protein and healthy fats. I'm a health freak and my favorite breakfast, I eat almost every morning, is:

-1/2 cup of oatmeal
-1/2 cup of almond milk (very low calorie and very tasty)
-1 scoop of vanilla whey protein isolate
-Handful of blueberries and blackberries


I can't think of a better breakfast. It has everything you need to get you going. The berries are also an excellent source of "brain" food. They will get you started of on the right track mentally.

I would also listen to Kung Fu Steve. He always has good health advice. One thing he forgot to add was that you should be eating 6-7 small meals per day. I usually eat something every 2-3 hours, whether its one of my normal meals or just a snack such as a handful of almonds or a protein shake. It keeps the metabolism going.

 

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[CVentures1B12]

My mornings consist of a glass of water then a walk/bike ride. Normally a bike ride depending on the day. I used to jog but I was a catcher for about 18 years so you can understand that I have terrible knees. It is a lot harder to get the workout that I used to from jogging but much better on my body. Even just a long walk in the morning (30 minutes one way and turn around) does wonders for your health and creativity.

Are you married/in a relationship? There is also one thing that I do most mornings that is, definitely, the best workout I could ask for Seriously though, great physical/emotional benefits and amazing for your relationship!

JC

 

[BizWritingTips]

For the night person in us...

:wave:Great question! From someone who is not a morning person naturally (it doesn't matter what time I got to bed or how many hrs of sleep I get. Trying to get up before 8am is TOUGH!), I find that I need to WANT to get out of bed.
For example, I used to try to get up early to exercise...I was fighting a losing battle!
While I love to feel fit, it is NOT the first thing I want to do in the morning.

However, sitting with a hot mug of tea and doing 45minutes of pleasure writing & yoga is my idea of a beautiful morning. Knowing I could get out of bed and just relax into my morning with tea, writing & yoga made it much easier for me to get up at 6am. I found I wanted to get up.

It also helped me feel refreshed for my day and I had more time to get the rest of my "work" done!

What kind of morning rituals would make you smile from the inside out?

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

I have to hit the shower and teach a couple classes then I will report back to you guys.

 

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[CommonCents]

You should also look up HIIT. High Intensity Interval Training. It has awesome results while exercising in a shorter period of time. One example is sprinting 20 seconds, then walk/jog 40 seconds. Do that 8-10 times. Especially in morning where you benefit by elevated metabolism throughout the day. The basic idea here is look at how sprinters look vs. long distance runners. Sprinters are mostly Lean muscular vs. long distance are thin and many are skinny-fat. Throw some HITT in a couple times a week to shake things up.

 

[deepestblue]

You might want to try a green smoothie in the morning. They can give sustained peak energy and a sense of well being like no other food.

 

[BEd-to-EI]

Most of the runners I know wouldln't recommend eating right before you go jogging. If you want to jog in the morning they would suggest you wake up, head right out and eat when you get back.
Unlike the rest of my running family though I need to eat before a run so homemade oatmeal with some blueberries or a piece of bread with some peanut butter on it is typically what I go for. It helps if you have a bit of time between running and eating but personally I find it doesn't bother me unless I try to really push myself with the pace.

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

What a great post, KFS...thanks!! A quick question: why is dairy on the sucks list? Can't yogurt or cheese be a good protein source? Obviously there are choices within the grocery store's wall of yogurt that are horrible (fat free chocolate yogurt with Oreo sprinkles, seriously?!?), but I thought I was doing good by having a Greek (or homemade, if I'm feeling particularly industrious!) yogurt as part of breakfast...please let me know if that is incorrect!

Thx!

Dairy is extremely acidic. Meaning it pollutes the blood stream and causes all sorts of issues. A large chunk of our bio chemistry relies on how much oxygen we receive to the brain and the rest of the body. In simple terms, more oxygen, more energy, clearer thought process.

Since humans are actually lactose intolerant (most have built up a resistance) the moment you eat/drink dairy products (mainly milk, cheese) your body creates a thick mucus that stuffs you up - the body is trying to protect itself from the acid.

If you're anything like me, I used to eat cheese upon cheese mccheese with extra cheesey cheese sauce. Used to get sinus infections and head colds constantly. Lo and behold I stop eating cheese and stop drinking milk (in addition to some other things), and I haven't been sick in 4 years.

But saying the dairy is an energy suck because of this is not at all conclusive. What it really comes down to is the sluggishness that you feel once you eat heavy dairy. Think of the last time you had 7-cheese layered lasagna and wanted to get up from the table and go do jumping jacks? Come to think of it, have you ever wanted to move after eating a heavy dairy meal? (I.E. Italian) - There are a lot of contributing factors, but my advice is to test what you eat. Food logs are fantastic to keep. Tim Ferris suggests taking a picture of the food you are about to eat. Another good idea.

As a matter of fact check these guys out: Free Calorie Counter, Diet & Exercise Journal | MyFitnessPal.com

It automatically tracks nutrition for you, cool stuff. Good luck