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’m up at about 4am on weekdays because my 2-year thinks that’s play time! She goes back to sleep within an hour but I have a hard time nodding back off, so I’ll get a jump on an early morning workout. Surprisingly, she sleeps late on the weekends, which I LOVE.
I am usually up by 5, but 5:30 at the latest! I am not a chipper morning person, so I get up that early to have some me time before my son gets up!He’s usually up by 6:30, so I have 60-90 minutes to get myself going, put myself in a good mood, clean, exercise, etc.
I rise at 4:50 AM. I do this because I have to – my job downtown starts at 6:45 AM and I commute for about 40 minutes.
I’ve been programmed by the military to wake up at 5 am, it’s actually pretty fantastic when you get used to it. I can usually get a run or some yoga finished before breakfast and some personal emails / news catch-up before work.
I’m usually up between 6 and 7 am. I like to get up early and get my workout out of the way. It sets my day up nicely.
7am…although i try for 6am but that darn snooze button!!
I get up at 5:15am during the weekdays so that I can fit in a GOOD workout before work!
Sadly – I’m still not used to it and get made fun of for going to bed around 9:30pm. :-) Oh well – its the only way to guarantee that I workout!
I get up everyday at 6 a.m. so I always have some time to prepare myself for the day ahead of me!
I usually get up around 8:30 on weekdays. My classes don’t start until 10, but I like to have some time in the morning to squeeze in an early run or get some work done. Plus, my roommates all sleep late (until 11ish!), and I love having the apartment to myself in the morning.
8 AM, which seems pretty late. But, I need to get a solid 8 hours at night, and I usually work out in the PM. That’s when I have the most energy.
I’m like you and wake up without an alarm clock and rely solely on my internal clock. I find waking up to any abrupt noise (beeping, buzzing, ringing, etc.)is too startling. Might as well be a car horn blasting off (the same icky feeling) in the room. I normally wake somewhere between 5:30 and 6:45. I love waking naturally at six and enjoying a whole hour to myself, before my daughter gets up – ALONE TIME !!!! It’s a beautiful to begin a day – peace and coffee. hahah
I usually get up around 5:15 to go to do bikram yoga.
I’m up at 5:30 during the week. This gives me time to exercise and get ready for work without having to rush. On the weekends I seem to wake up at 7:30, like it or not!
Unfortunately, since starting evening shifts at my local Wal-Mart, I don’t wake up until around 12p most days… When you posted on your blog about tryng to wake up early, I decided to give it a shot.. like you said, “baby steps”. I try and go to bed before midnight now, and aim to wake up around 8am… I’m such a morning person, and missing the mornings + working the evenings means I’m not productive at all, and makes me feel like I wake up, work and go back to bed again. Here’s to seeing the sunrise some day soon :)
I wake up at 6:30 on the weekdays and around 8 on the weekends. I give myself PLENTY of time to get ready on weekday mornings because not only do I hate being late, I also late leaving dishes undone or things not put away. I’m a neat freak!
Between 6:30 and 7, depending on how many times I hit the snooze button. My problem is that my fiance has to get up earlier than me, but his wakeup time varies (oh the joys of being a 3rd year med student), so I get jolted out of my REM sleep at random times on most weekday mornings. Subsequently, I am DRAGGING until about noon on most days.
My hubby and I get up at 5:45 every morning… we have to be at work at 8, and like to take our time in the morning to get a DVD work out in on some mornings, make a good breakfast, and read/journal!
I’m not a morning person no matter how hard I try to be. So I get up at 8 so I can go to the office and then workout at night. But I wake up naturally most mornings a few minutes before my alarm.
Up at 6:50. Enough time for a quick glass of juice then settle onto my stationary bike with a book. Get in a quick, sweaty ride while enjoying the quiet of the morning. No tv, no music, no talking. Just me, my sweat and my book :)
5:45, gives me a little time to exercise and enjoy the quiet before the rest of the house gets moving for the day!