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.
[Source]
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 usually get up between 8-8:30, but I need to start getting my lazy butt up earlier so I can go to the gym before work!
i wake up either at 8 or 8:30 every morning for class!
I would love to win some chia seeds! I have been really wanting to try them!! I get up at all different times during the week, depending on if I have class or if I need to get an early morning run in. So basically my wake up call ranges from 5-7am!! I prefer 7 though!!
Depends on the day…Wednesdays are no workout days, so that’s usually 6. Workout days are usually 5:15. I am usually up, finished with my workout, showered, and ready to get the kids up by 7 for school!
Unfortunatly I am not capable right now to have a routine sleep schedule. Often I try to get to bed around 10 at night, because throughout the week due to school, sometimes I have to be up by 645am and 745 am. Once school is over (wont be for awhile =( ) I hope to adopt an early to rise attitude!
I usually get up between 0400 and 0430 because that is when my husband gets up to go to work! I usually use that time to go running before school or take care of the house. On a few occasions I do go back to bed though. . . :-)
I usually wake up around 6:30 during the week, and around 7 on the weekends. Even when I try to tell myself I’m going to sleep in one morning, my internal alarm clock wakes me up at my normal time! My husband and I go to bed pretty early for our age though, we are at least lying in bed by 9 every night. What can I say? I enjoy getting a good nights sleep! ;)
I wake up at 6:20 to be ready to catch the school bus at 7:21! My alarm clock is set 10 minutes fast, because I always forget that when I wake up, and it jolts me awake to see that I’m late.
I wake up at 5:30 because I have to get to the gym before my 4 year old wakes up!! And now even when I don’t have to get up early I can’t help it!
If I go to 6am hot yoga, my alarm goes off at 5:25am. If I don’t go, I don’t set my alarm and get up ~6:60-7am. I would love to take this challenge with you, but, as a grad student, sometimes my schedule just has to be erratic…well, someday…
Sorry…that should say ~6:30-7am! ;)
eep! I’ve been reading up on chia seeds and where to buy them. this would be awesome.
7AM to do two Gilad workouts on fitTV!! “your inner thighs will love you!” it’s really fun…and possibly from the 80’s
I get up at 5:50 every morning so I have time to get ready and eat breakfast, and still make it on time to homeroom :)
I wake up every morning at 6:45 so I can be at work for 8:30. Hate waking up so early in winter because it’s still dark out. And sooo cold.. :(
On the weekend, I usually sleep in at least until 9. It feels like such a treat! :)
I wake up by 9am because I am a graduate student taking night classes and I don’t get home from classes until after 10pm. By the time I get settled and take care of things I am usually not in bed until 12-1am!
5:45 every morning :(
My first class starts @ 8 (1/2 hour commute time), but I like to just sit for a bit and wake up before rushing out.
At my old job I got up at 4, ate breakfast, went to the gym, and was at work by 7:30
I DRAG myself out of bed at 6:05 so I can get my stepson to the bus stop by 6:30! Then I have to get two more off and then to work.
Except for Fridays when my husband is off and I make him take him to the bus stop so I can sleep in…until 6:30…then I get my son off to school by 6:45 or 7…but then usually I will crawl back into bed 9 or 10! Good thing I have kids or I would be getting a late start every day!
Now Hubs on the other hand BOUNDS out of bed every morning at 4:45! I don’t know what is the matter with that man!!!!
Of course I can’t let him read your post Angela! He has been begging me to switch to his schedule for years so I can get up with him and I have told him I just can’t, I am a night owl type. Now he will know it is possible!
At 6:30 to get myself ready for work and the kids ready for school. If I want to walk the dogs, I get up at 5:30.
I get up at 5:30 AM on weekdays so I can get a 20 – 30 minute workout in before I shower, get dressed, get my husband up, make breakfast and (if husband hasn’t already) get up my two-year old son. We need to all be out of the door by 7:15 AM!
I wish I had an internal alarm to get me up. I rely on my iPhone and ever since I started getting up at 5:30 AM I am always in the middle of a crazy dream when the alarm goes off.
Nowadays I get up at 5:30 to be at work at 7:30. I’m also a student so I go to class after then work out and then by the time I get home I’m pooped! I doubt this schedule will be pleasing when the school workload starts to kick in!
Wow, reading all these comments kinda makes me feel lazy, since getting pregnant I need my sleep. I drag my butt out of bed at 7:30 on weekdays, weekends I’m out until at least 9:00. And that’s with an 11:00 pm bedtime no matter what day!