dsanchez

Hello,

I would like to know if those who are now going by bike to work changed their breakfast and sleeping hours. During the morning I feel more hungry than usual (I take breakfast before going to work).

Also, does your sleep hours changed? are you sleeping earlier, etc.?

Sorry for the newbie questions

ps. by the way, my way to work is just 3Km so about 15 minutes by bike. I enter at 09h00.

sam21fire

I usually don't eat breakfast right after getting up anyway, so taking food with me works out fine. As a caffienne addict I will take a few swallows of coffee before setting out, then finish the large travel mug when I get to work. My commute is only about 11 miles each way and I don't have massive hills to climb so I don't worrry about bonking.
I rarely sleep more than 6-7 hrs at a time. I have to start work at 0630 so I'm a up and on the road pretty early, then asleep by 10 each night.

Schwinnrider

Yes. I eat a big breakfast(scrambled egg whites and a bowl of steel cut oats) before I depart, and drink a protein shake when I arrive. I do go to sleep earlier than when I'm not riding to work, but my commute is long and the oppressive jungle heat takes a toll. I find I need 8 hours to be at my best, so it's off to bed at 9:30 at the latest.

Mithrandir

I only commute once a week so far, if it doesn't thunder tomorrow morning I'll be making my first 2-commute week however.

Before I started cycling I would typically wake up at 9am and roll into work around 10.

After I took up cycling I got more fit and found I could sleep better, so I started waking up around 7am and roll into work around 8.

For bicycle commuting, I decided to allow myself 2.5 hours of time, and plan to get to work around 9am, so I wake up at 5:30, get going by 6:30, and usually get into work right around 8am or slightly before. I do end up going to sleep earlier the night before to prepare my body for the commute. My very first day commuting I woke up at 5:30, got home at 8:00, and went right to sleep after getting home because I was so worn out. Luckily I seem to have acclimated to the commute since then and have a lot more "waking" hours during the evening.

As for eating, my morning diet pre-commuting consisted of 30g of cheerios, 2 slices of ham, and 8oz of orange juice. On days that I commute I get 40g of cheerios, 3 slices of ham, and 16oz of orange juice. Seems to be enough to keep me energized; along with 24oz of gatorade consumed during the ride. However on my latest commute I forgot the gatorade and seemed fine, so I may cut down on that to cut some calories from my day.

Additionally, during the day I eat 2 granola bars about an hour before I leave, to make sure I've got enough carbs ready for the commute.

CliftonGK1

My shift is 6:30am - 3:00pm, so I need to get to work at 6am to shower and prep for work. I leave my house around 5:00am for a 15 - 17 mile commute (depending on route). I wake up just before 4am so I have time to play with my dog and read my webcomics, make lunches and coffee, etc.
I go to sleep around 9:15 or 9:30pm

Supernose

I've never been a big breakfast person, but my appetite has skyrocketed in the morning. So if I'm extremely hungry I'll eat some kind of protein/breakfast bar. Otherwise just a little water and I'm on the way to work. Having to normally be at work at 6:30, I'm used to waking up at 5-5:30, however to bike, I'm up awake at 4:45, up at 5, out the door by 5:30 to be able to make the Ferry to Coronado. I've generally been going to bed an hour or two earlier though, because frankly my body needs the rest. Mind you, I just started commuting on Monday, so I'll probably be able to go with less sleep once I get used to all this, and my sleep can go back to normal.

yep202

I work from 8-? on weds and Thursday. I'm in bet around ten asleep by 10:30 OR 11. Wake up time is 6:30 I'll be at work around 7:20 I eat 1 yogurt a bowl of raisin brain One glass of orange juice and one banana. I take 2 water bottles with water or flavored water. On friday and saturday. I work at 3 in the afternoon till 11 at night. YaY!! I live to commute when its dark or dark plus snow is also fun. But it doesn't matter when I get in bed. I eat a breakfast at work to. Its all I can eat. So I tend to keep the morning feast to a min before I leave. Anyone else get free breakfast??? I could go on and on about how nice it is. Sorry don't mean to rub it in.

P.S I thought it was a good ?. I was wondering about some of this stuff to.

cehowardGS

I do a double up commute, all on two wheels.

At 5:15 AM, leave the house on the motorcycle for the 36 (18 miles one way/take 10 minutes) mile round trip to the gym. Get back home, shower, grab a bicycle, now I am on my 5 mile commute to the subway station. Off the subway, and into Panera Bread for Begals, coffee and a couple peices of fruit. Finish the breakfast, subway again, 1 mile commute to my job.(bicycle commute is 12 miles round trip) I do the double-up commute about 3 to 4 times a week. The non-gym days it is a toss up on the motorcycle vs the bicycle for the to-the-job-commute. Lately the bicycles have been winning. They seemed to be more fun, and I pick a different one each time..

After 70 years old, life is nothing but pure fun!!!

CptjohnC

My commute is generally between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 20 minutes in the morning (longer going home due to topography).

I do not eat before my commute; I do, however, drink some Gatorade near the 1 hour mark (in addition to water throughout). I eat when I arrive, not heavily, but a fair amount; usually yogurt, a bran cereal or granola bar(s) and an apple.

I find I sleep no more than when I drove, and in fact my tolerance for missing sleep is higher, I feel less tired on days I ride, etc...

I am not a particularly fast rider, with a moving average around 15 MPH, I think, and an overall average closer to 13 MPH.

CACycling

I have a 5 mile commute and start work at 7:30am. I get out of bed at 6am, shower, pack my bike, eat some toast w/ peanut butter, drink a couple of glasses of water and head out the door around 6:30am. I'm in my office by 7am for cool down, stretching and getting dressed.

When I have to drive, I get out of bed at 6:30 am so it isn't much of a difference.

neg

Since switching to the bike, wake routine starts 30 minutes earlier, go to sleep 2 hours earlier. It's much easier to fall asleep at bedtime.
I eat smaller meals but snack on fruit/nuts/veggies during the day when I'm hungry.
6 mile commute. By motor, 15~20 minutes, by bike 25~35 minutes.

Surrealdeal

I get up @ 4:30 - 4:45, eat a bowl of cheerios and get ready before leaving between 5:45 - 6:00. I cover a little over 20 miles in about an hour and twenty minutes which puts me in the office somewhere in the vicinity of 7:15 - 7:30, with plenty of time to clean up & get dressed. First thing I do is chug a little can of V8 & wash it down with some water (I hate the flavor of the stuff but I love the 570mg of potassium) Once I'm settled in I have a cup of coffee and some graham crackers. I have a second can of V8 that I drink shortly before I leave for the day.

I'm a caffeine addict also but I never drink coffee until I get to work because I don't enjoy needing to pee while I'm riding. I also stop with caffeine by 4:00 PM. I go to bed around 10-11PM each night and sleep like a baby.

bhop

My drive is only about 10 minutes faster than my bike ride (L.A. traffic sucks), so I don't really change my sleeping habits. I always eat breakfast at work.

harshbarj

I never eat breakfast so that was a non issue. Initially I did get up half an hour early but as I use to take the bus to work I soon discovered I was getting to work TOO early. In the end Going to work by bicycle ended up requiring no change in my daily routine (other than packing a change of clothes during the winter and on very hot days).

wphamilton

No change in sleeping, no breakfast, no coffee until I'm at work. I just get on the bike and go.

The Chemist

No change for me. My non-bike commute (electric scooter to Metro station, Metro ride including a transfer of lines, walk to work from Metro station) takes about the same amount of time as my bike commute, so my morning routine is just about the same whether I'm riding or not.

Bud Bent

I normally get up at 3:55 am and leave for work at 4:45. The past 3 weeks, I've been getting up and leaving an hour earlier than that. I have a bowl of oatmeal on mornings I ride, dry cereal on mornings I don't.

idc

I didn't really change my habits since I'm often at work by 7am and I always eat when I arrive - not before I leave.

Surrealdeal

I tried the 'just get up and ride' thing & found that I feel better if I eat some cereal about an hour before I go. When I hit the 15 mile mark I still feel like I got something left inside the tank & the last 5 aren't such a drag.

tarwheel 

I get up about 30 minutes earlier than I used to allow time for my bike commute. My morning commute time is about 45 minutes with stops, so I have to leave home by 6:30 am or so. I get up about 5:30-45 and eat breakfast soon after rising, usually almond milk and cereal with fruit. I have my coffee when I get to work. Since I started bike commuting, I go to bed probably about an hour earlier than I used to.

pallen

I may have a banana before I leave home, but generally don't eat until I get to work. I'm a lot hungrier when I ride my bike, but I eat about the same. I need to lose weight, so I just deal with it.

z90

You average over 100 mph on your way to the gym?

muu

breakfast habits havent changed, though I do munch on some stuff after I get to work.

My commute is 4mi, I'm trying to get up earlier so that I can make it longer and get a workout out of it but it's been a difficult habit to break thus far. I need one of those zapping dog collars that'll hit me if I'm not asleep by 11...

reshp1

I ran out today without eating due to running late. There was a pretty good headwind the whole way, and between trying to make up time and sprinting to catch all the lights where I would usually get a breather I was totally toast by time I got in. I had to sit in the grass by the parking lot and take down a gel shot before going in the building, got some "you alright?s" from my co-workers.
I don't have a long commute at all, but I guess I don't have much fuel stored in my system first thing in the morning, so I need at least a energy bar to get going.

BlankTim

I go to bed and wake up an hour earlier. Other than that, no real difference between commute days and non-commute days. I will sometimes eat something after I get to work, but I usually can't stand the thought of food until about 10 or 11 o'clock, so I wait until lunch to eat.