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!
My goal is 4:45-5:00 AM every day. I like to get to gym when it opens (5AM) because not only is it way less crowded, but I get to make my workout my first priority of the day!
I’m a super early 4:30am riser. That’s the only time I can force myself to workout, and that’s when I have to get up to get to work on time!
I get up a little before 6 AM so that I can exercise, shower and be at work by 730 AM. I like to get to work early and then get to leave at 430 PM…so that I can get back into my kitchen and cook away :)
I’m not in a good schedule right now (job searching), but ideally I would be up at 6am and in bed by 10 :)
Typically between 5 and 5:30 so that I can go to the gym before work! It’s especially difficult when it’s dark, as in the winter, but always worth it!
I get up at 6:50 for work now but I would love to get up at 6 and workout first thing.
I like to get up at 6 so I can get in a run before heading to class. It wakes me up and makes my oatmeal taste SO much better. I love eating something warm after a run in the cool winter weather. I’ve always bounced out of bed though, I love to see the sunrises!
I have been getting up at 7, but that is because I am unemployed. I really prefer to get up earlier!
I get up and out of bed at 8am on weekdays.
Why? Because I stay up too darned late!!
Ideally I’d be up around 6ish and getting a nice sweat session in before work!
I usually get up at 6AM since I have class most days of the week at 8AM…i like to have an hour at home to get ready, make breakfast and read blogs and them my commute is an hour
I’m up by 5:15 every day just to get ready for work, eat breakfast and be in my car commuting by 6:20!
Currently, as I am still on vacation, I am waking up approximately around 9:30am — however, starting next week it will probably be between 6 & 7 due to my semester starting. Undoubtedly, getting back into the routine of getting up early will not only make me feeeel more productive – but actually give me more time to be productive!
I wake up around 7 most mornings to get in a good workout before going to class.
As a college student, I would be missing out on A LOT of things if I went to bed when my body really wants me to, which is usually sometime between 10 and 11. For the sake of having a social life and somewhat maintaining a routine, i tend to go to bed around midnight and wake up at 9 (my body also seems to need a full 9 hours of sleep every night!!).
My dad can do that ‘internal clock’ thing too! So fascinating. As for me, I generally wake up 8-9ish, alarm-clock assisted! But I have to be honest, you have inspired me to try setting myself towards going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. Months ago I got myself on that kind of schedule and it’s true, I was so much more productive, and I loved having all/most of my work done before I went off to dance, so my evening-time was all mine! :)
-K
I’m loving the fact that you are feeling great waking up early.
I made a declaration today that I am going to start waking up early for my workouts. I just think getting it done in the morning will make me more consistent and hopefully (eventually) give me more energy.
I feel like the latest sleeper compared to everyone At the moment since I haven’t started my classes yet I am waking up between 8:30 and 9:30 am! 4:45-5am wake-up time for you? Yikes! Not sure what time I am striving for, I guess it depends on when my classes are, but probably somewhere beteen 6:30 and 7:30am.
Almost always a bit before 7am on weekdays. On weekends – with the sun and when my body feels it’s right. I have a short walk to work, so it makes for a pretty leisurely morning!
6AM – school :( haha
I wake up between 7:30-8:30am usually sans alarm clock! Usually because I want to since I don’t have class later in the day! Love the raw diet because it has made me need less sleep and the sleep I get is much higher quality!
Wow – getting up at 4:45-5 is ambitious of you! I usually try to get up anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30 AM depending on what workout I’m doing/how long my run is that day!