I exercised before work every day for a week. It left me feeling both more exhausted and more productive.

Gabbi ShawJan 12, 2024, 14:22 IST

A post-boxing selfie and the route I took on my run.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Since my job became fully remote, I've become accustomed to getting out of bed at 8:55 a.m.
I used to exercise in the morning and was more productive, so I decided to try it again for a week.

As anyone who loves to sleep can tell you: It's hard work getting up early.

As a teenager, I was the kid who was woken up by their parents for school, before dragging my blanket into the bathroom, turning off the lights ... and napping a little more.

So when I challenged myself to exercise before work every day for a week, I was a little scared.

Instead, I found that, while yes, it was exhausting, it was also rewarding. I felt freer during the evenings, I wasn't sitting in bed until 2 a.m. scrolling through TikTok, and I was more productive in the morning.

Here's how I spent my week as an early riser and how it left me feeling.

Before I began working remotely, I tried to attend a 7 a.m. workout class at least once a week.

Joggers and cyclists in Central Park in Manhattan.Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/Getty Images

But the pandemic changed everything, including my gym habits.

A woman wears a protective face mask while exercising in 2020.Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

But I always missed how I felt after working out in the morning. Recently, I spoke to an expert about the benefits of exercising before work.

A yoga teacher.Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Tone It Up

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to exercise before 9 a.m. every day for an entire workweek.

Me gearing up for my run.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

On Monday, I decided to start simple: I went for a run. It was definitely difficult waking up earlier than usual.

The ramp leading up to the park.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

But the location couldn't have been nicer. I ran 3.5 miles total, up and down Manhattan's East River Esplanade.

The East River Esplanade.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Spoiler: This was my favorite workout of the week.

Sunflowers on my path.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

The next day, I was sore and it was even more difficult to wake up early. So, I did a YouTube workout in my living room.

My exercise-from-home setup.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

This brought me back to 2020 in a very unpleasant way. I think I'll be staying away from YouTube workouts, unless I'm feeling really unmotivated.

The set-up.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

The next day, I did an 8 a.m. Rumble Boxing workout class, which combines boxing with circuit training.

My Rumble gloves.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

This was the most intense workout of the week — it definitely woke me up the most.

The Rumble bathroom.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

On Thursday morning, I actually woke up before my alarm. I decided to take a rental bike to my 8:15 a.m. spin class.

A selfie at CycleBar.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

This was the hardest. Since the class ended at 9 a.m., it was pretty empty, which left me less motivated.

A selfie after spinning.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

When Friday rolled around, I had every intention of getting up and out for another run. But my week of early rising had tired me out. I had to drag myself out of bed, and instead I walked.

A view from my bed.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

When Friday rolled around, I had every intention of getting up and out for another run. But my week of early rising had tired me out. I had to drag myself out of bed, and instead I walked.

Now the week of workouts is over, I'm going to try working out in the morning at least twice a week — five days was a little too much for me, but this experiment did leave me feeling motivated to restart my fitness journey.

My view on Friday.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Now the week of workouts is over, I'm going to try working out in the morning at least twice a week — five days was a little too much for me, but this experiment did leave me feeling motivated to restart my fitness journey.

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I exercised before work every day for a week. It left me feeling both more exhausted and more productive.

Before I began working remotely, I tried to attend a 7 a.m. workout class at least once a week.

But the pandemic changed everything, including my gym habits.

But I always missed how I felt after working out in the morning. Recently, I spoke to an expert about the benefits of exercising before work.

Armed with this knowledge, I decided to exercise before 9 a.m. every day for an entire workweek.

On Monday, I decided to start simple: I went for a run. It was definitely difficult waking up earlier than usual.

But the location couldn't have been nicer. I ran 3.5 miles total, up and down Manhattan's East River Esplanade.

Spoiler: This was my favorite workout of the week.

The next day, I was sore and it was even more difficult to wake up early. So, I did a YouTube workout in my living room.

This brought me back to 2020 in a very unpleasant way. I think I'll be staying away from YouTube workouts, unless I'm feeling really unmotivated.

The next day, I did an 8 a.m. Rumble Boxing workout class, which combines boxing with circuit training.

This was the most intense workout of the week — it definitely woke me up the most.

On Thursday morning, I actually woke up before my alarm. I decided to take a rental bike to my 8:15 a.m. spin class.

This was the hardest. Since the class ended at 9 a.m., it was pretty empty, which left me less motivated.

When Friday rolled around, I had every intention of getting up and out for another run. But my week of early rising had tired me out. I had to drag myself out of bed, and instead I walked.

Now the week of workouts is over, I'm going to try working out in the morning at least twice a week — five days was a little too much for me, but this experiment did leave me feeling motivated to restart my fitness journey.