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 wake up naturally at 7:30 sometimes 8 no matter what time I go to sleep. I have been that way since I was a toddler. I have always been an early bird. I love mornings :)
I’m up between 5:45 and 6:00 so I can have a somewhat relaxed morning ( I hate when I feel rushed)- I’m a teacher and literally hit the ground running as soon as I get to school at 7:30.
I wake up between 5:15 and 5:45 because I have to be to work by 7 and I have a half hour commute! Usually shower the night before to save time.
I usually get up around 9 because my schedule is flexible and I’m a late night person. :)
I’m a pretty good morning person, but I get to sleep in to about 7:30 most days. I (finally) don’t have 8am classes any more and clinicals at 9am makes a huge difference. I actually really enjoy evening workouts, so I’m not striving to get up earlier. I keep the same schedule on the weekends too, even if I go out. That can be rough sometimes!
6:15 – It used to be 6:30, but I recently started getting up 15 minutes earlier so I could have a more relaxed morning before going to work. I need to time to get ready, prepare breakfast and lunch, and take care of our pets. I would like to get up earlier but I need time in the evening too – and I insist on 7-8 hours of sleep whenever possible.
holy chia seeds!!!!
i would LOVE to win those and make some chia pudding :)
i wake up between 6 and 6:30 right now so i have time to do yoga, get ready, and eat breakfast – at my own pace!
Depending on my work schedule. Some of my shifts start at 6, so I’m up at 4:30 to get ready and leave. Other shifts start at 7, 8 and 9. It ALL depends on work. On my days off I usually wake up between 9 and 10!
I wake up at 6:00 am because I needs lots of time to S L O W L Y wake up! I can’t just wake up and get ready and leave, it just doesn’t work for me.
Great tips!
I wake up between 6:15-6:30 a.m. depending on if I need to shower or not for work. It’s too early for my taste…wish I could wake up at 8 am everyday!
What a great give-away!
I wake up at 6am. I don’t workout in the am, I prefer to do it after work! But I do enjoy my quiet coffee/blogging time early in the morning before work! I don’t have to be to work until 8am but I just don’t like to rush around in the am so I wake up early and enjoy the morning:)
I get up at 7:00, because that’s what time my daughters wake up. I am NOT a morning person, so I sleep until I HAVE to get up.
On the weekends, I wake up too late! Usually after 10pm! Lately it’s been around 9pm, so It’s getting better. Why? Because I choose to stay on my laptop until 2am. Oops!
I was getting up at 4:45 for a water aerobics class, when that ended I joined a gym and was getting up at 5:15 to be there by 5:30. My gym friend moved! But the last few months I haven’t been getting up early to go to the gym because it’s just been too darn cold and blizzardy and…let’s see what other excuse can I come up wtih! :)
I still try to do some type of exercise at home, but it’s not as good as my hour at the gym. I may have to wait for some of winter to wear off, but I’ll get back there!
I need chia seeds to help me! ;)
I try my hardest to be up by 6:30-7, classes normally start at 9am for me. That gives me time to make breakfast, do some gentle AM yoga, shower, and check emails a bit before my 10 min walk to class. However, since the winter break I’ve been doing my workout in the morning and it is SO GOOD! I’ll have to get up earlier to keep this up!
I wake up around 7/7:30 so I have time to get a run in before class begins
I wake up at 5:40 AM. I have to start working by 7:00 AM, but I usually begin working around 6:30. But at least waking up then gives me a little bit of time to meditate and gather myself before jumping into the daily grind. (I telecommute, so at least I don’t have to travel far to get to the daily grind!)
I get up between 7 and 7:15 every morning, whether I have to work or not. I know it’s not as early as some people but since I work from home, it’s early enough. ;) I like having time in the morning to eat a leisurely breakfast and read the newspaper.
I wake up around 8:00, but that’s just since I have been semi unemployed. :)
I would like to get up (and feel refreshed around 6-7ish)
Great giveaway!! Going for 2 in a row!!
During the winter, because of the cold and dark, I get up at 6:30 a.m each day and 7:00 a.m on weekends but during the summer, I wake up at 5:30 a.m each day to enjoy as much daylight as possible!