First thing in the morning - PaleoHacks.com

First thing in the morning

2011-10-12T20:41:58Z

There are a variety of prescriptions for what to do first thing in the morning, which of course correspond to various states of health.

What types of people would you into each of these...

fasted weight training workout (a la leangains, probably for more serious weightlifters)
fasted long slow distance walking (travis has mentioned this on here as a way to lower plasma triglycerides and I would agree it's beneficial to many for promoting efficient fat burning.
fasted high intensity interval training
eating a large portion of protein within 30 mins of waking ( a la Quilt's leptin reset)

edit: I didn't phrase my question very well, I'm wondering what factors/health status, etc. would be present to make people best served by one of these 4 different approaches.

Answer by Eric for First thing in the morning

2011-10-12T21:46:12Z

I eat 4 eggs and 2 tbs butter..

Answer by staceychev for First thing in the morning

2011-10-12T22:00:57Z

I wake up at 5:30 so that I can get to my teaching job on time. Eggs and bacon or eggs and some other sort of meat. No time for exercising then, and I'm not the best about it in general. (I try to remain "active" but there's nothing prescriptive.) Still, I've lost 20 lbs this way...

Answer by Edward J. Edmonds for First thing in the morning

2011-10-12T22:24:28Z

I wake up at 5am and do some atherosclerosis running for about 40-60 minutes and then 20-30 minutes of dynamic drills and general conditioning. After, I start working on a liter of milk, bits of cheese, a few eggs, coffee with cream, and squeezed then filtered orange juice.

Answer by CS for First thing in the morning

2011-10-12T22:27:10Z

Up at 7AM, two cups of coffee with heavy cream. Don't eat my first meal until around 10AM.

Answer by Jenn for First thing in the morning

2011-10-12T23:17:51Z

I drink coffee with coconut milk, and sometimes coconut sugar. I try to work out in the morning so I can fast. Drink water on the way to the gym. I try to eat an hour after working out. If I work out later I try not to eat for at least 3 hours before. If I do eat before I figure it's better than nothing.

Answer by Phoenix for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T01:57:07Z

First thing I try to do every morning is get some sunlight in my eyes to tell my pineal gland the nightman is gone and the dayman cometh.

Answer by JayJay for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T02:03:11Z

Breakfast? Whats that? .......S.S.S. Coffee and off to work for me :)

Answer by gilliebean for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T02:12:59Z

I think a brisk 20 minute walk and then a chunk of protein (et al) after that is best.

Then, weight training mid-morning before lunch and several hours after breakfast is good. Then another walk right before dinner.

Answer by Tom R. for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T02:53:35Z

Up at 0500. Cup of black coffee and some stretching before an 0600 CrossFit and/or strength based workout. Been tinkering with PWO protein but usually do better if I wait until I get to work and have breakfast (usually leftovers or chicken sausage and eggs with a starchy carb) at work. I've gained some strength and am less sore with the protein PWO (at about 0700) but I don't digest it well.

Answer by Josh M for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T04:26:18Z

4:30AM I stand up (I sleep on the floor), stretch, do some ashtanga yoga, do about 30 minutes of kettlebell work, don't eat breakfast, drink a quart of water, then I face the World. First meal approx 11 am.

Answer by Travis Culp for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T04:35:08Z

I walk the dog 2 miles and then we both eat breakfast. It's 1/4 of the outside miles we walk per day and I feel that it's evolutionarily consistent and likely advantageous to health as a result.

Regarding TGs, on my last test a few months ago mine were 37, and this was before I started walking so much in the fasted state, but I'm not sure how much lower they could go. I'll retest in a couple months and put together a post that shows the change from my halcyon butter days up to what will be the present.

Answer by runner_79 for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T06:28:04Z

if one was to use a fasted method to help increase lipolysis and fat oxidation by doing sprints or a tempo run for 30 minutes, would it be best done fasted? i am lean but would like to take my leaness to a better level. Performance is still of importance but also looking good naked. Thoughts on doing fasted or fed HIIT or tempo run? (goals: lower ab leaning out and improve my 5 and 10km time). Would really like to get some info on this. Layne Norton a BB'er is propelled towards having carbs pre HIIT to increase performance but this blunts lipolysis. Paleo advocates such as Robb Wolf and John Welbounre as well as Mark Scisson are happy with fasted training. Thoughts would be appreciated bearing in mind i am mildly lean (77.5kg at almost 6ft)

Answer by Primal Toad for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T07:45:12Z

I have recently been engaging in fasted sprints. 3 times in the past 4 days an I am freaking loving it. Its a perfect start to each day. The day I did not do it was a lousy, tiring day... I almost crashed on the couch while watching the Tigers in the mlb playoffs.

When I sprint in the morning I feel alive. It's truly amazing. I then come how and shower, then drink a smoothie :)

Answer by Ali for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T16:18:53Z

I don't really understand the question, but I'll tell you what I do in the mornings:

Wake up at 5:30 am, walk (or jog with) the dog. Get back home around 6:15, feed the dog, and then get ready for work. Cook bacon and eggs around 7 and take it to work...eat it between 8 and 8:30 that morning with a large peppermint tea to drink.

Answer by trjones for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T17:49:03Z

Three times a week I lift weights first thing in the morning. I wake up around 5:30, walk a mile to the gym, lift for 30-45 minutes, walk back home, have a bacon and eggs breakfast, then walk 2 miles to work. It's a good routine, but I'm thinking of starting Leangains IFing. If I do, I wouldn't want my first meal to be at 7 am, so I'd probably get some BCAAs and follow Martin Berkhan's 10gs pre workout, 10gs post, and 10gs 2 hours later recommendation, then have a big lunch at 12 starting the 8 hour feeding period.

I'm not an experienced weight lifter. This is actually the first time I've done serious lifting, but I'm loving it and seeing great weight loss and muscle gain results (when I can maintain a clean primal diet).

Answer by JoeBranca at paleoplusone.com for First thing in the morning

2011-10-13T18:06:16Z

Lately up by 6:45 or so. Maybe some yoga outside on the grass. Cook up big breakfast to share with wife. Some combo of bacon, veggies, eggs and some other meat, cup of coffee.

After some digestion time and playing with babby, as I wait for the truck to warm I'll be in the garage hanging or doing a few slow pullups from a hang bar, other things like squatting / stretching, not really a workout just enough to get mobility and flexibility going before the commute. No lunch. Real workouts or BJJ in the late afternoon or evening.

I'm going to try waking earlier and getting a good walk in with the dogs up in the hill trails.