Graveyard shift & metabolism

[toga22]

I recently started working an overnight shift, 5:30 pm to 6:00 am in addition to teaching aerobics classes 3 times on most days and 4 hours of classes to attended during the day. So most of my "working days" I get about 2-3 hours of sleep average.

My question is this, when is it a good time to workout? I don't consider the aerobics classes I teach as a workout. Is it beneficial to work-out before bed?

Also now that I started this night shift my metabolism is really out of wack. Example: 1st two days of the week, I am totally not hungry, but by day 3 I could eat a house! I also heard when you are tired your body temperature is lower and thus your metabolism slows down. Is there anything I can do or supplement to counteract this?

I will probably have to work this night job for about a year, to pay off student loans and I have one year until graduation. Thanks for any ideas and suggestions!

 

[diamonddiceclay]

I recently started working an overnight shift, 5:30 pm to 6:00 am in addition to teaching aerobics classes 3 times on most days and 4 hours of classes to attended during the day. So most of my "working days" I get about 2-3 hours of sleep average.

My question is this, when is it a good time to workout? I don't consider the aerobics classes I teach as a workout. Is it beneficial to work-out before bed?

Also now that I started this night shift my metabolism is really out of wack. Example: 1st two days of the week, I am totally not hungry, but by day 3 I could eat a house! I also heard when you are tired your body temperature is lower and thus your metabolism slows down. Is there anything I can do or supplement to counteract this?

I will probably have to work this night job for about a year, to pay off student loans and I have one year until graduation. Thanks for any ideas and suggestions!

I don't see how you can get a good workout on 2-4 hours sleep-I'd rest as much as possible if I were you

 

[toga22]

At the most on my work days I could get 4 1/2 hours of sleep. It just takes me awhile to "wind down" from the day. Is it beneficial to split my workout out, part before I go to bed and part when I wake up? Or even in thirds?

 

[MarkFlC5]

Is it beneficial to work-out before bed?

[/B]

I always workout about 3-4 hours before I go to sleep and have that large post workout meal which winds up being 2 hours before I go to sleep. This is the reason.

Normally, when you are sleeping, that is when your calorie burn is normally at its lowest, we'll say 1 on a scale from 1-10. I dont' think anyone would dispute this.


After A HIT workout (or any workout but more so with HIT), calories continue to burn at a much faster rate than normal. In addition, eating a high protein meal (which I obviously do at that last meal) will carry a thermo effect which burns even more calories. It seems to me that the overall effect of the two would potenially raise that calerie burning water-mark low to a 2 maybe even a 3 on that scale. Now this is all speculation of course but I don't think anyone could argue the logic on this. (Gee, Maybe I ought to sell a book on this and make millions, huh? OK, no one steal my idea now!)

Finally, another reason for this is your body has a chance of getting off to an uninterupted anabolc phase when you go to sleep a short time after a workout.

Now I'm sure someone can find a raeson why you shouldnt' do this but its just my .02.

 

[toga22]

Thanks for the great information MarkFlC5. It makes a lot of sense.

 

[MS]

Mark's advice is good, but ultimately it would be good to know what your goals are. Your current lifestyle sucks, and you would do well to make very much progress until you change your priorities.

Food, sleep, training (in that order) should be your priorities if you want to gain muscle. On the other hand if you are cutting then food, training sleep should be your priorities.

 

[toga22]

Graveyard shift and metabolism

Thanks for the question. Right now I am trying to lower my body fat and to further define my muscles.

As far as my lifestyle sucking...yes, I agree. But I am trying the make the most out of the situation. After thinking awhile about what you said about setting priorities. "Food, training, sleep." I was wondering if it is possible to set my body on a 36-48 hour cycle as far as metabolism. What I mean is on one day I work or go to school 18 hours; after workouts, eating, homework this leaves me with the current 2 1/2 -3 hours sleep. But the next day it is only 15 hours, which is going to give me an extra 3 hours to sleep. The first sleep I could treat as more as an afternoon nap, and the second as my night time sleep. Also, If I shifted my workouts and other misc to the first day, I could ultimately get 8 hours of sleep on the second day

As far as eating I am having trouble figuring out what types of foods to eat when.

I really think that it is going to be best for my body, and my metabolism to get in some sort of routine. And that is truly what I am trying to figure out now.