HEY-LO!!!!
Wow two posts a day, two days in a row. It feels like the good old days. I told you that my blogging was much quicker now! Thank you Eric, techie genius. ;)
I feel literally ah-may–ZING since I have started NOT multitasking and the Early Rising Challenge. I have an extra kick to my step. I can’t wait to see what I feel like in a few weeks if this has only been a few days. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, so that is what I am shooting for.
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Some of you have been asking me how I am getting up early so I thought I would talk about it a bit tonight and tell you what has worked for me so far.
Here are some of my Early Rising Challenge tips:
- GET WARM: If your place is like mine, it is freezing when you wake up. The walk from the bedroom to the bathroom is the most painful thing I experience all day. COLD. I have found that it is much easier to get out of bed if my fluffy robe and slippers are beside the bed. As soon as I get up the robe and slippers go on and I instantly feel a bit (bit) better about getting up. I also have a small space heater in our bathroom that I immediately turn on when I get up. I look forward to the warmth and I stand beside it for a few minutes while I brush my teeth. These little rewards add up in the early morning!
- WAKE UP NATURALLY WHEN POSSIBLE: I don’t use an alarm clock. I have this strange internal clock that I can ‘set’ before bed and I magically awake for that time. I prefer not using an alarm clock because it means that I am more likely to wake up at the end of a sleep cycle– and not being jolted awake in the middle of one! This method is not for everyone of course (i.e., my hubby). If you can’t go without your alarm clock, I suggest putting it across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off.
- CAFFEINE: I will bulldoze anything in my path to get to the kettle in the morning to make my Japanese Sencha. It has just enough caffeine to wake me up and energize me. While I don’t suggest consuming massive quantities of caffeine, I think a little bit is nice!
- GET YOUR ENDORPHINS: If you are going to the trouble of getting up early you might as well cross off your workout while you are at it! I feel ‘ok’ after 15 mins. of rising, but I feel especially AMAZING after an early morning workout. I will be honest though, the first 10 minutes of my workout are often brutal and I feel like I have no energy, however after 10 minutes I magically wake-up and it goes pretty well. When I workout in the early morning I have half a Glo Bar or a Run bar to tide my hunger over until breakfast, which is usually 1-1.5 hours later (after workout and showering).
- REWARD YOUR SUCCESS- TWICE! I want a morning reward and a weekly reward for my hard work! My morning reward is having more time for a relaxing, delicious breakfast. I also spend a bit more time reading fun blogs or reading my book. For my weekly treat, I was thinking giving myself ‘permission’ to buy a special item at the grocery store that I typically don’t buy. Nothing motivates me more than good food! ha!!! ;)
- BE FLEXIBLE: A reader named Ariel gave me this great tip. She says to be flexible with the goal time that you set for your early morning. So for example, if Ariel’s goal time is 5am, she won’t be hard on herself if she gets up at 5:30 on some mornings. We have to take into account the fact that some days we will just need more sleep than others and that is OK! Be flexible with yourself and you will be less stressed and happier (this applies to all areas of life too!).
I was asked if I have a ‘goal time’ for the Early Rising Challenge.
The answer is YES.
You know me, I need goals to strive for in everything that I do. I find they are so motivating. My goal is 4:45-5am wake-up time, and a more realistic goal is probably 5:30am, given Eric’s sleep schedule and the fact that I do need to spend quality time with him in the evening! :) I can’t see myself going to bed much earlier than 10pm, but maybe that will change with the earlier mornings. Baby steps…
All in all it is only day two of the challenge and I am already feeling so much more productive and overall much happier. That is in part thanks to my NOT multitasking too! My life is feeling more simplified with each passing day and I am really excited to keep at it and see what benefits I get from it.
Would you like a chance to win a 2 pound bag of CHIA SEEDS from Chia Seeds Direct?
Just answer this simple question below:
- What time do you get up in the morning during the weekdays and WHY!
Contest open to Canadian and US residents only please. Runs until Friday Jan 15th at 8am.
BONNE CHANCE MES AMIES!
See you tomorrow AM for Pumpkin Pie Baked Breakfast Cake.
I’m off to do Whittle My Middle 2 with Eric, then make some din dins. Ta-ta!
I wake up around 8:30-9AM naturally. It bothers my roomies and friends think I’m abnormal even though it’s NOT early! :) I love waking up and getting things done in the morning and having a less-stressed day.
oh girl, I get up at 7 if I have to be at work by 8….and on the weekends, let’s just say it’s a whole lot later than that!
I wake up at 6:20 so I have time to enjoy some oats before I go to work :)
I wake up around 6 so that my roommate and I can get to the gym before class starts (we are law students). I much prefer to go to bed early so i can wake up early and get a workout in before starting my day!
I get up everyday around 7:45am. I have to be at work at 9, so as long as hair is washed the night before, it gives me just enough time to get to work. :)
Great tips for waking up!
I usually get up around 8 because that’s what time my body is ready to start the day
My internal clock has two settings lol, one goes off at 6:10 am to make sure hubby is up and out the door…sometimes I get up to exercise but lately its just to darned cold and dark for me (love my slippers too btw). Then I kind of dose/snooze til 7 when I have to rouse my kiddies to get them ready for school.
I try to be up everyday at 6am, but I’m a night-owl. It’s hard and leaves me drained by the end of the week. I might try some of your suggestions (and actually keep it up for the 21 days) to see if they’ll work for me too!!
The cold is definitely the hardest part about getting up for me too! I try to get up at 6:15 to squeeze a workout in before heading to work. Unfortunately, when I don’t get my beauty sleep, that ends up getting pushed back and I skip the workout, which is definitely lose-lose! Hopefully your challenge will motivate me to get my butt out of bed in the morning, even if it is 50 F in my bedroom!
Anytime between 6:30 and 7:30 depending on when class starts… I don’t have class tomorrow and am thrilled to get to sleep in a little!
I get up between 5 and 5:30 every day…my two boys usually get up between 6 and 6:30, so my “me” time before they wake up is sacred!!!
6 AM, because I stay up late doing work for school at night :). I go to school and work full time so I’m generally busy and am away from home 7:30 – 7:30.
I’m almost always awake at 5 am to go to the pool, come home and shower, then off to work!!!
xoxxoxo
I get up at 5:30am to run and LOVE the fact I often do more before 8am than some people do all day!
My heart seriously goes out to early morning risers… especially early morning runners!
I get up at 630. Just enough time to have steel cut oats & get to work.
Oh how I would love to have some chia seeds! I usually get out of bed at 6:45 – 7:30. I seem to always push it to the last minute to get ready. I so need to start my own early rising challenge.
Before 8 because…. there is nothing more beautiful than a morning sky.
Also because I work or have class and I am in the habit of waking up early, no matter if I need to or not.
In addition, my dad used to make me fee like a lazy bum for waking up at 10 am because I’ve …”wasted half the day.”
I get up at 6:30 because I like to spend a few minutes having coffee with my handsome fiance before we head off to work :)
I get up at 6:45 to be ready to leave for work by 7:50. I only take a few minutes to get ready but I like to take my time eating breakfast and checking email, blogs, etc. I like my morning time!
In a perfect world, I would get up around 5:30am, hit the gym first thing then come back to my apartment for a shower and a leisurely breakfast before heading to work.
Buuut I like to sleep and hate going outside when it’s dark and cold, so I usually sleep until 7-7:30, make breakfast at home (but eat it at work), and go the gym in the evenings!