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!
We’ve recently bought a house in a small town outside the big city, so it tacks on an extra half an hour to the normal commute. If I have to be at work for 8 downtown, I’m up at 5:45 usually to leave for 7am. It’s totally worth it though, going to sleep without hearing sirens, people coming home from the clubs, etc. Just simple, peace and quiet, which makes for a much higher quality sleep :)
We homeschool and my kids like to sleep in. So, I get up around 7:30 AM so I can have some time to myself before they get up.
I get up at 7am. No choice, work is calling my name!
I get up between 5:00 and 5:30am so I can get myself ready before getting my daughter up and ready since I have to drop her off at daycare and get myself to work by 8:00 am.
I usually wake up between 6 and 6:30 and then I’m out the door by 7:30 or so and at work by 8. Most of my co-workers don’t get to work until 8:30 or 9, but I like having some quiet time to catch up on emails, etc.
I usually wake up between 5 and 5:30 every morning. I go make a pot of coffee, get dressed for the gym, wake up the hubs and tell him to go get his coffee, workout for at least a half hour, and then back upstairs to get ready for the day!
I wake up at 7:00 a.m. and that gives me enough time to have a good breakfast smoothie:) and have a quick 15 – 20 minute workout.
I get up at 6 and am out the door by 6:30. If I leave any later traffic is a nightmare. The good news is I get done with work at 3:30 and I am home by 4.
I get up at 6:50 and start working at 7. I am so lucky to be able to work from home.
I have been taking on the Early Rising Challenge and today is day two for me. I have to say it gives me so much more PEACE to rise early and know that I don’t have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off in order to be ready on time. This morning my husband and I even got to enjoy breakfast together, which was really nice. These days we are so busy in the evenings that we are lucky to sit down and have dinner together ONCE a week! So having breakfast together was very special. Waking up early is hard, but for me its just the getting out of bed part! Once I am up I am usually fine. =)
I have been trying to be an early bird for years and failing at it. It seems my body wants to wake at 8am, or sometimes 9am just to spite me! I will set alarms, etc, and I will turn them off and going right back to sleep. Drives me nuts, because my brain wants to get up, and my body doesn’t…I think I need to get one of those alarm clocks you go running after. I have seen ones with wheels, and ones that let a spinner go forcing you to retrieve it. I would love to get up at 6 am naturally so I can get a workout in, AND enjoy a little “me” time! :-)
I get up at 5:00 am for work. I leave the house at 6:10, so I like to have enough time to shower, enjoy my breakfast, and not be rushing around! (Who likes to rush around 2 hours before the sun even comes up?)
I get up at 4am to meet my running partner! We get in anywhere from 5-10 miles depending on our goals at the time. I have to be at work at 7am, so this is the only way for me to get my run in before I lose control of the rest of the day! :) I LOVE IT!!! It’s so peaceful and quiet that time of morning! :)
During the week I get up at 5 to take the dogs out (the puppy needs a schedule!) and have time to shower/eat/play with puppy and not feel rushed to leave the house by 6:40. I’m constantly moving but not in a rush… but after a week or so after starting with a new wake up time I tend to gradually slow down, so we’ll see how long the un-rush lasts.
I get up at 6:30 every week day morning and about 7 on Saturday mornings. Sunday mornings are my favorite. My fiance’ and daughter let me sleep in until about 8:30!! It feels so good to just sleep until I naturally wake one morning a week :)
I would LOVE to try Chia seeds! I have been hearing about them for a while and think I could sneak some in my daughters smoothies. She LOVES green monsters! She is 3.5 and a good little vegetarian :)
I get up at 5:30am to either teach a fitness class, go to a fitness class, or just workout at the YMCA. I like to get my workout over with right away so I don’t skip it. Plus early mornings are one of the only times I am able to teach a class.
6:15 – gives me enough time to shower, eat, get ready and take my dog for a walk!
I wake up at 7:50am (note: not 7:45, 7:46…) I sleep every minute possible before getting up to get to work. I too would eventually like to get up earlier in the morning – and head to the gym before going to work. One day… but I just love my sleep!
I used to get up at 5:30 but now that we moved and I quit my job I usually rise about 7 am, to the sound of my lovely husband playing mandolin! It is great to wake to the sound of music!
I am up at 6:45, which isn’t too bad. I take a few minutes by myself before waking my two children and starting the morning rush!