Weird work hours and workouts

Question

I typically work 4am til NOON and live in a hot climate. I do hour-long PT sessions Monday/Tuesday/Thursday from 1230-130 to lose weight. I am struggling with a couple of things, I feel burnt out, at the moment I am not on any supplements, and I am considering that approach, because eating is quite difficult whilst I'm at work. (I also struggle with breakfast, as my brain and body do not want to eat at this time) Before I started training I would sleep 3pm-6pm and then again 10.30/11pm-3.30am (bizarre I know - but it's what works). Which brings me to my next challenge, my trainer has been doing Tabata sessions with me, and then I can't get to sleep for my 3-6pm one, leaving me with only about 5hs sleep before I have to get up for work.

I don't want to stop cause I love it, and after 4wks with diet and work out, I have lost 5cm around my stomach. But I need sleep and I need to stop feeling to tired ALL THE TIME.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

The key to your fitness and your well being is sleep. I started off working all kinds of odd hours including a 6AM-6PM shift, a 40 hour weekend starting Fridays at 4PM, a 4-12AM shift and a couple of others...

I can tell you unequivocally it almost near impossible to get good workout results while being tired all the time. It is also almost impossible not to gain wait while being under slept. Your body will naturally try to gain energy it needs (perceived from lack of sleep) through eating more. There is just no way around it.

To maximize your time you either need to get to bed around 8-9PM every night or you need to get home right away and sleep until 8-9PM. It probably makes more since trying for the first option since falling asleep in the middle of the day right after you worked is going to be hard.

Answer 2

Maybe consider 2:30am-3:30am before work. I lived in the tropics where the only possible way to workout out doors was before sunrise when the mosquitoes weren't so bad (still there, for sure), and the sun wasn't out. You'll need to learn to sleep in that 5pm-midnight area which can be tough for a human to adapt to.