Wake Up Early: How You Can Do It

*Courtesy of RunHaven

Thinking of getting up earlier?

Often that thought never becomes action, because ripping yourself from your bed of bliss is like pulling teeth for those of us who are not natural early birds.

But apparently morning people are on to something. Early risers tend to be more proactive, have greater career success and get more done during the day. Add in the many benefits of a morning run and you’re much more likely to have an awesome day overall!

It’s not easy, but you can learn to adjust. Try these tips to get it done!

1. Go gradually. Ease your system into it by setting your alarm for 15 minutes earlier each day or even every other day. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier as well to make sure you’re allowing for the same amount of sleep. (You may not fall asleep easily at first, but you’re establishing the process.) You’ll be getting up an hour earlier in four to eight days. What you do with this extra hour is up to you!
2. Sleep in your workout clothes if you’re planning early morning exercise. This way, you won’t have to go through the laborious task of re-dressing in the morning. That’s a lot harder than usual when you’re half asleep — especially if you have to struggle with a tight sports bra!
3. Minimize distractions at night. Put down the phone! Ignore all social media. Turn off the TV. Turn out the lights. Stop sabotaging yourself with all the crazy brightness to your brain! No wonder you can’t sleep! (Ahem…talking to myself here.)
4. Act like the snooze button doesn’t exist. It’s evil anyway, leading you to believe you can sleep just five more minutes…then five more…and before you know it, you’ve really slept in. You snooze, you lose! Immediately after turning your alarm off, do the opposite of the previous point — turn on the lights, the TV, some music — maybe even stare at your phone screen and catch up on Facebook for a couple minutes to get that bright light glowing in your face.
5. Drink water ASAP. Better yet, make it lemon water. Starting with some refreshing gulps will awaken your senses and restore hydration balance that you’ve missed out on for likely the last eight hours or so.
6. Be active before you even get out of bed. You’ll be more alert and less likely to fall on your face when you take that first step! Lift that grogginess with some in-bed wake-up exercises to jumpstart your day.
7. Reward yourself. Have something worth getting up for. Personally, I’m a lot more motivated to make it all the way to the kitchen when there’s a heavenly homemade coffee beverage waiting for me in the fridge! Then watching the sun rise is a pretty awesome reward itself.
8. Stick to it. It takes about 21 days to develop a habit. It may be hard now, but in a few weeks it will be second nature. Who knows — you may even like this morning person business or become one yourself. Gasp!

See more from Lindsay at Fit Mix Mom and on Facebook and Instagram – fitness motivation, workouts, healthy recipes and more!

How do you manage in the morning? Share your secrets below!

Resource: Harvard Business Review – Defend Your Research: The Early Bird Really Does Get the Worm

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