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 at 6am, get ready, make breakfast, and go to my internship.
I wake up between 6:00am – 6:30am every day during the week so that I can trudge to work. I hope to get that time earlier so that I can work out in the morning before heading into my J.O.B. :)
I wake up between 7:00 and 7:15 because that is when my dog needs to get out of his crate and cuddle his favorite person (ME) and it as long as I can wait to get that morning love!
i get up around 6:30 so i can have my coffee and me time before my 2 year gets up!
I wake up at 6am everyday because I work as a nanny in Manhattan and I have to be at work by 7am to get the kiddies ready for school.
WEEKENDS= MUCH needed sleeeep :)
My internal alarm likes to snooze until 10am. Since that’s not practical, the actual alarm clock is set for 7am. Enough time to make coffee, get the kids up and fed, eat breakfast, get everyone dressed, and head out the door.
I try to wake up at 6-6:30 but lately that hasnt been working for me. I need to follow your suggestion and put the alarm clock out of reach so i have to get up to turn it off!
Thanks for the opportunity!
I wake up between 5 and 5:30 during the week. I do this for a few reasons: 1. I’m a teacher. 2. I like to get to work early. There are less distractions and I can get more accomplished. 3. I like waking up early. I had to wake up early for a previous job, and I just became accustomed to it.
I try to get up at 6am to run on my treadmill…I try!
I try to get up every morning at 6. I have always been a morning person and that’s when I get the most done. Getting up at 6 gives me time to go to the gym, get a few things done around the house, make a green monster (with Chia seeds!!) and shower before starting my work day. I also find my weekends are the most enjoyable when I still get up early. Then I get everything productive off my list before noon and still have lots of time to relax and enjoy the day!
I used to be an early riser (4:30, 5:00), but since my one-year old began running things, schedules have changed. I do my workouts in the evening now, and then budget in time for showering and just some quality ‘me’ time. So I’m usually dressed and pressed in the mornings by 6:30 (night showers tend to help!)
My alarm goes off at 5:40 every morning, but I usually stay in bed until 6:00. I’m going to try putting my alarm clock on the other side of the room to see if it helps me get up earlier.
I wake up at 7:15. My fiance gets home from work at 10pm so by the time I talk to him and wind down it is usually midnight. I’d love to get to bed earlier but it is also the only time we see each other!
I wake up at 5am to workout and eat breakfast before work! It is much harder in the colder months!!
I try to get up by 5:30 every morning to squeeze in a workout before my 45 minute commute, but usually just hit the snooze alarm enough that it bugs my hubby until he finally pushes me out of the bed at 6am! Any later than that, and I’ll surely get a speeding ticket trying to get to work on time!
I’m naturally a morning person so I usually wake up early on my own. And usually I’m excited for breakfast!
I’m usually up and at ’em between 5:30 and 6…to run before work! I have way more energy in the morning than after work!
ps
I love those little chias!
4:45 is quite ambitious! I’ve never been a morning person… probably why I work evenings! I get home from work just before midnight and stay up late to unwind.. I usually sleep til 10:30 or 11.
I shoot for 6 a.m., but it is more often than not 6:30 a.m. The extra half hour of wake up time and cuddle time with the husband is priceless!
I don’t get up at a certain time on weekdays. I aim for 6:30 but usually get out after 7. I really need to commit to an early morning challenge but I really LOVE sleep.