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The Groups
Let’s Get Physical.
Headbands and spandex are optional.
Not sure if I have written (in detail) about how crazy turned around things are at Casa Calliope these days. It started almost a month ago: GM has reset her clock. There was once a time when GM would wake up around 11am and go to bed around 8pm. It was actually a very lovely and accomidating schedule. It gave me a nice block of time in the morning to do the things I wanted/needed to do (blog/work out) and it gave Mother some good evening time with GM.
Then, all of a sudden, and without an obvious indicator, GM reset. It started with her going to bed earlier. We used to have dinner and watch jeopardy in the evening. By the time the final jeopardy song was in full swing she was helping me clear dishes and giving good night hugs. Then jeopardy became a sort of trigger for her. The very sound of the opening theme song would have her slowly creaking up out of her chair and shuffling off to bed.
So, clever girl that I am, I would change the channel before jeopardy started. We began to watch a block of shows on HGtv (rolling eyes. seriously- some of the shows are horrible.) But eventually GM was on to my time scam and started wanting to go to bed earlier and earlier.
And yes. I did change the clocks in the house.
There is no debating or nudging when it comes time to bed time. I tried, in vain, to plead with GM to get her stay up. Just one more garden show! Just wait until Mother gets home! Let’s go look at the ducks! Nada. Actually the more I tried the more pissed off and cranky GM would get. And having the last vibe of the night be an angry one is just not acceptable.
So (this is HUGE for me) I just let her do whatever she wants. I mean really, the woman is nearly 86 years old. If she wants to go to bed at 5:55pm, so be it. The flip side to this early to bed is of course the early to rise aspect.
[a moment of scientific explanation: I consulted GM's doctor about this new behavior and was told that it is very common in Alzheimer's. There is even a term- sundowning. While many with this symptom become extremely agitated, GM seems to be coping with it by opting to go to bed. According to the doctor we are lucky.]
I get up around 7am (most of the time). But I like to hang out upstairs, watch sea inn inn, feed the kitty, empty the litter box…so I don’t make it downstairs until around 7:30 or 8. I used to be able to go to fitness center around then. And I would have been totally fine leaving GM alone between the hours of 8 and 10. But that was back when she was waking up at 11.
GM is now waking up around 8:30. Well actually I can hear her waking up around 8, but I guess she likes to hang in her room for a while before emerging. I must have inherrited that from her. Once GM is up I am on duty. We have a full morning routine and it helps her mood tremendously if we stick to task.
So in layman’s terms - I only have about 15-20 minutes to myself in the morning. Not enough time for a work out at all. These past few weeks I have asked Mother to delay going in to work so that I could meet up with my neighbor to work out. But then the morning routine gets crapped on and the rest of the day with GM is sort of off.
This weekend I realized that I could still get in a daily workout- I just needed to flip my time from am to pm. Yikes a pm work out.
This is where you & I need to talk. Have any of you guys maintained an evening work out schedule? Has it made you too wired to go to bed? When do you eat supper: before or after? How crowded do you think the fitness center would be at this time?
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10 Responses to “Let’s Get Physical.”
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When we did it, we would work out before dinner. If we ate dinner before working out, it would feel heavy and not-so-good.
And, if it was a good enough workout, we felt more relaxed afterwards. Not wound up at all.
It’s good that you’re so flexible!
When we used to go in the evening, we would eat afterwards. Your metabolism is jacked up and (we firmly believed) cancelled out any crap you ate before you wen to bed. I’d say just give it a try. If you are wound up, you can just know it isn’t for you.
I am only ever able to excerise properly in the evenings. I’m so utterly mentally and physically uncoordinated in the mornings, not to mention famished, that I could never get it together to run before noon. I never found that it left me too wired; if anything, I’d say the opposite - there’s something mentally monotonous about exercise that helps me (and maybe you) to wind down and switch off.
Before or after food is probably something that’s quite individual. I can run on a fairly full stomach but would struggle on a fairly empty one, but others are the exact opposite. Give it a go and see what suits.
Personally, i’ve always been a PM gymmer, because i don’t have the morning energy to get up and at ‘em! i try not to go RIGHT at 5:30, because that’s when everyone seems to be there, although at my gym that tapers off as the end of the week nears.
As far as food is concerned, i always try to eat something small before hand, like a granola bar, or some nuts or something like that, but wait to have dinner afterwards. i find this is the best option for my tummy with either the gym or yoga classes, and the prospect of dinner at the end is great motivation!
And i’m probably the wrong person to ask about being too wired to sleep. i can fall asleep anytime, anywhere.
one of the plusses of a p.m. workout for me was not being as hungry afterwards(perhaps is was fear/guilt of undoing all the sweat) i was also one of those annoying people who slept better after working out.
I always worked out oin the evening. I felt energized yet relaxed enough to just fall out. Dinner was after the gym
I go at about 1645 and work out for an hour. I get home around 1830 and I eat then. I’m alwasy starving, but I find I’m more relaxed and sleep better.
I work out at night. I’d rather stay chunky (i actually prefer fluffy, thank you very much) than lose one minute of extra sleep.
I work out at about 7:00 PM while dinner cooks. By the time I eat, do the dishes, shower, get everything ready for the next day, I sleep like a baby.
One time I worked out at 10:00 and finished at 11:00 and I was definitely too wired to sleep. But another night, I did the same and I was so exhausted I still slept like a log. I guess you have to try it for yourself to see what your body does.
One awesome thing that was mentioned is that it does calm down your appetite. I am sometimes starving by the time I get home, but after my workout and a bottle of water, I am not that hungry.
I wish I had ever maintained ANY workout schedule at ANY time of day. Alas, I am a lazy one. But good luck. You, lady of the routines, will certainly be able to do it.
PM workouts aren’t for me. But I’d suggest eating dinner after you work out. Make sure you have lots of salad/veggies as you’ll be hungry and you don’t want to undo your great workout! I’d also suggest picking up some energy bars or even electrolyte mixes (Clif Shots, Clif Blocks) just in case you get too hungry prior to working out. I often use those so I can workout and then come back and eat. Working out too late wires me but mostly it helps me calm down and unwind. Hope you guys can manage the new schedule.