Lacking Energy for workouts :(

[JanObe]

So I find myself sometimes lacking in energy for workouts. My husband and I workout right after work around 6:30pm.

I tried searching some of the threads for answers and googling for answers and what I have seen is that these things are important:

1) enough sleep.. I am so-so with this, I should be doing better

2) lots of water (Spezzy says she drinks 100oz of water before her morning workout.... I drink about 50oz in my entire day... sounds like I should increase this a lot)...

The part I am struggling with understanding is the food. I am trying to lose fat so I really really want to stay away from grains and heavy carbs because I want my fat to be used as energy instead so it buuuurrrrrns awaaaaaayyyy. With a more Paleo/Keto ish diet in mind, what do you think is a good energy snack for me to have and how soon before workout?

We lift weights 2-3 times a week and jog 2-3 times a week (training for a 5k obstacle course).

[cline]

I am paleo and losing fat, so I'm with you on the diet thing. And sure, my sleep could be better too. But I have tons of energy for workouts in the evening (mine are usually around 5p). Spousal unit on the other hand, less so unless he's crossfitting.

First, you're at the end of your day. A long day probably filled with busy stuff. Is natural to be winding down.

I kind of get all hopped up about working out. Spouse thinks it's odd. But I LOVE it. But then, get this, instead of giving me tons of energy like everyone else on the planet claims, hard exercise really blisses me out and makes me super relaxed and kind of sleepy. Ha!

So maybe you want to mix it up a bit and "fall in love" with working out again so it's all exciting and new? Maybe a post jog treat? Or maybe jog a new path every time? Maybe take turns making up your lifting routines and surprise each other so you don't know what to expect? I'm just guessing....

As long as you are getting the right nutrients/food and enough, you should be okay food wise. I try to eat by 12:30 every day so I'm what I call "semi fasted" going into a workout. I don't want to feel sluggish. I also like to slug a coffee in the afternoon around 2 (I know... gah).

[Kewilson]

Maybe try shifting your workouts to the morning if possible. When I do morning workouts (my schedule can be pretty random, so workouts sometimes vary throughout the day) I'm usually still a bit tired for the warm-up and even the first couple of sets, but after that I'm wide awake.

[Mad Rocker]

Have you tried changing the time?

Despite lots of other people preferring morning workouts, I simply can't enjoy it, has to be in the evening for me and usually after eating all my meals for the day. Maybe experimenting with shifting the workout to a different part of your day could help?

[Elastigirl]

Maybe you would be better off working out less? Say 2 times weightlifting and 2 times jogging. Then put your all into those workouts. The other days do some slow activity like walking.

[JanObe]

My husband works from 7am to 6pm 4 days a week so its really hard for us to work out in the morning since we would have to get up no later than 5am. To get 8 hours of sleep we would have to be asleep by 9pm.

I am thinking that there are plenty of people who workout in the evening that have good amounts of energy... so I am hoping some of them respond

[Kishi]

Hi. I work out in the evenings. Maybe I can help you.

I cycle my diet so that it works certain ways on certain days. I try to cycle in carbs on days when I'm doing strength work, and I cycle them out for days when I'm not lifting heavy things. The carbs help me have lots of energy for when I'm working out, and because I'm mostly getting them from paleo/primal sources they aren't too heavy in general. I cut the carbs down when I'm doing things like martial arts or long slow distance stuff (like jogging).

On those low carb days, I tend toward eating lots of nuts. Another good snack, if you don't mind doing some batch cooking, would be hard-boiled eggs. I also wouldn't be against eating fruit on the days that you go jogging. Eaten afterward, they're a good source of post-workout sugar.

Beyond that, it's mostly lifestyle stuff. Rest more. Decrease workout frequency so that you can increase intensity. Things like that.

[Church]

Hey, I'm still new here so I don't have a lot of credibility yet, but I've found it that as far as sleep is concerned, I can acually function best on about 6 hours as 8 hours of sleep leaves me feeling cramped up, groggy and generally disaster-ish. I've also found that a banana about 15 minutes before I workout can have an amazing impact. Often it's the difference between dying and calling it a day after 2 sets and three sets with enough left over for a post workout jog/walk to cool down before stretching. I also find that if I don't drink enough water throughout the day I begin to feel hungry, so hungry in fact that I completely lose the abiliry to say 'no' to ANY sort of food, usually the kind that makes me feel like I've got a piano tied to my butt, and my feet, and my arms.....

Good luck with your goals, and I hope you find a solution you can live with.

[WarriorAmy]

I workout in the evenings and I don't eat beforehand. I find once I eat I get all cozy and sleepy and I don't want to workout at all- so 'rewarding' my workout with a large dinner is a reward.

You say that you workout right after work, could it be that you don't get enough of a real break between working and then doing fitness stuff? It's a difficult balance because you want your brain to switch over and be excited about the new activity, but you don't want to get distracted so that you don't end up working out at all. Is there something you can fit into your routine that cues your mind to go from 'it's the end of a long work day, yawn' to 'yay, it's time to get pumped for a workout!'.

It's not the same situation, but I am home with my kids all day and I'm exhausted by 5-ish, and then start thinking about my workout and get pumped up. On the drive to class (I do an outdoor fitness class twice a week), I play some really awesome music and spend time thinking about my fitness goals. Do you and your husband work out alone or with other people? Sometimes when you are both tired you need another few people there to 'catch enthusiasm' from...maybe time to change up your workout with some group classes or pair up with another couple in your neighborhood?

[aj_rock]

Sleep is definitely key to getting energy levels up. At the same time, you simply cannot fuel high-intensity exercise without carbs in your body.

Trying to lift weights on a ketogenic diet is an absolutely miserable and unnecessary experience. If you must insist on going keto, look up the targeted ketogenic diet. It consists of purposefully fueling your body with only enough carbs to get your work done before returning to a ketogenic state.

[Waldo]

For most people a low carb/keto diet is about the last type of diet you want if you do high intensity exercise, which weight lifting is classified as. I think you will find if you look around that the higher performance Paleo folk do have at least moderate levels of carbs in their diet.

A good read on the subject of diet types that doesn't really push any single approach, just comparison and who each type is appropriate for:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-fundamentals-of-fat-loss-diets-part-1.html

[VorJoshigan]

I am an evening worker outer, but I'm also a night owl. I think you just have to find the time that is right for you. If you're generally a morning person, you might never have an energized evening workout.

Regarding diet, if you want to do paleo, go tuber for a pre-workout meal. Maybe half a sweet potato (with butter as applicable) an hour before your work out.

If you are committed to evening workouts, try changing it up - I usually work out at 9pm. See what works for you. Some people crave order, but I find that if I try to do anything consistently, my mind rebels. If I don't switch things up all the time, I get burned out really quickly.