Working out first thing in the morning sounds like a mild form of torture to me — like, I don't know about you, but I can barely convince myself to get out of bed for a quality bowl of cereal or a stack of pancakes, so do you think I'm going to willingly crank out some burpees? The answer is hell no. But really, just because I'm not a fan of #RisingAndGrinding doesn't mean that my preferred, evening-exercise time slot doesn't have its faults, too. People who work out at night know that planning for their evening sweat sessions comes with a whole set of struggles in and of itself, but still, that doesn't keep them from hitting the gym during those p.m. hours time and time again.
If you hit the gym after work on the reg, respect, girl. Look, I'm a vehement supporter of working out at night, too, but that doesn't mean there aren't days when I'd much rather be face-planting into my couch and watching Friends reruns to my heart's content — you feel me?
But fitness beckons, my friends — and you know you're always happier passing out in your bed after the fact. Real talk: If you love working out at night, then you probably know these five annoying struggles all too well. Luckily, the positives of the p.m. gym grind do tend to outweigh the negatives — but sometimes, complaining is just kind of fun, OK?
Like I said, there are some days when morphing into one unidentifiable blob with your couch and catching up on your fave Netflix shows sounds way more appealing than hitting the gym for some cardio and core work.
Sometimes, as far as you're concerned, you already left the house once in the morning to do your adult duties — must you really do it twice? Yeah, eventually you suck it up, change into your most motivating athleisure set, and hit the gym. And yes, you can't help but admit you do feel great after the fact — but still, blegh.
Working out on a full stomach is a huge no-no for most people, so you usually wait until, like, 9 p.m. to eat dinner. That, or you have to wait to work out until after you digest, which is just a recipe for your motivation going down the freaking drain.
Good things come to those who wait, right? At least, that's what you tell yourself as you complete your HIIT circuit while dreaming about the delicious meal waiting for you back at home.
It's a pretty popular misconception that working out too close to bedtime will keep you up all night. Evening exercisers are usually in the clear when it comes to catching quality shut-eye, but still, there are days when you'll probably feel a bit more amped up than others.
According to LIVESTRONG, to combat this, you just have to make sure you cool down properly after you're done working out, so your body has a chance to relax and wind down before bed. Deep breaths and stretching are the key to success, girl (even if, sometimes, you totally want to skip out on that post-workout cool-down — I feel you).
When all your friends are super excited to watch Grey's Anatomy at 8 p.m., but you're stuck at the barre class you booked. Ugh. It low-key kills you inside, but honestly, that's what on-demand features were made for, right? Oh, and if anyone even thinks of leaking any spoilers, you will have no problem destroying them.
So, uh, is it normal to fantasize about what's happening on the finale of my fave show during my workout? Asking for a friend.
The good thing about working out in the evening is that it increases your body heat and relaxes your muscles, according to Men's Health, which is awesome for relieving any tension or stress you may have built up throughout a long day.
However, it's usually not great to try to reward yourself with a long, hot shower afterward, as great as it may feel in the moment. According to Dr. Mercola, a board-certified traditional and natural medicine doctor, having a cooler body temperature right before you go to sleep is best for making sure you fall and stay asleep throughout the night.
Here's to convincing yourself that 50-degree showers are fun. Yay!
