Rise N' Grind
Updated: Oct 9, 2020
Isn't that what everyone always says?
Make your workout the first thing in your day and all your troubles go away?
But what if you're not a morning person? I feel you on that one.
My husband on the other hand? He springs up out of bed before the alarm clock and practically whistles his way to work every morning. Grumble grumble....why can't I be like that? I asked him what his secret was and his response was "I just do it because it needs to be done.". Sha. Soooooo easy.
I'll do good for a while and then something will happen in our plans that will throw off my schedule and then all of a sudden, I'm back on nights and getting ready to start my day at 8pm (more like trying to fall asleep by 10pm). This of course is not practical for anyone that has a day job because well, you know, most people aren't functioning at their highest level between the hours of 8pm and 4am. Am I right? But I could. Hands down I swear I could.
So if you've been questioning what your problem is lately, then here are some tips from an article I read that might make it a lil' easier to get that productivity going earlier in the day. It's based on trial and error over the course of 30 days - what worked and what didn't.
Make a Schedule - a schedule promotes habit and habits take little to no thought once they are fully integrated into your being. There are several apps and activity trackers out there that come with a "wind down" for the day function where it will have you set your daily sleep and wake times so it can prompt you to get ready for each when the time is right. You can also set up reminders in your phone or computer as well.
Wake up to Sunlight - ehhhh not sure how practical this really is if your plan is to get up at 4am to hit the gym by 5am but....as they say where there's the will, there's the way. Consider purchasing a happy light to help getcha up in the morning but also help you relax before bed with neat sounds from the ocean, forest, you name it. This is the one I bought off of Amazon and it's pretty perfect. The price is high but the way the light adjusts is so gradual which really helps you drift away even faster into the night. The sounds that come with it are of good quality also.
Stop Hitting Snooze - sha. My alarms are set every 9 minutes for a reason right? Just kidding. I'll take this straight from the article though - “When you begin the day reacting to your environment instead of proactively shaping it, you find yourself on the defensive.” A valid point indeed I must say!
Work Out First Thing - Easy for them to say! Isn't that why we're reading all of this in the first place? Point is, get up. Don't go back to bed. Any kind of activity will increase your chances of working towards that fabulous "morning person" status.
Do Something Positive and Productive - starting your mornings with something other than not looking at your cell phone would be a fantastic way to kick this new morning routine off. Could also incorporate a gratitude journal, some meditation or listening to a bad-ass podcast.
In closing, there's a pretty good chance you may never be that "morning person" because that's just 18% of the population with us night owls representing 27%. The other 55%? That's errrrrbody else and that's okay!