I'm talkin very early. At least for me.
And yes, I have been MIA on this blog for a little too long. It's called the holidays, a busy season for anyone that is a part of a family or has a job. Which includes practically everyone. So gimme a break.
It's no secret that I like to sleep in. The snooze button is definitely my frenemy, which means I have a love/hate relationship with it. Love it at 6:15 when it first tells me to get up and I know I can hit it at least once, or maybe twice. And I absolutely despise it when it's ringing and vibrating somewhere under my pillow where I shoved it ten minutes ago. And now, 10 minutes later, and 30 minutes late, I am about ready to chuck it across the room as I shoot out of bed. By the way, this alarm clock is my iPhone, which I would never throw anywhere or at anything. Because we all know us iPhoners are addicted to our iPhones.
I'm a night owl and a childhood spent suffering from insomnia only secured my habit of staying up late. No longer a slave to staring blankly at a dark ceiling and praying for sleep to come, I stay up late because I like to. Going to bed at 8 or even 9pm seems so boring! I have TV shows, a Netflix movie, or both to watch before the next day. I have facebook that I must check regularly. A bottle, I mean a glass, of wine to drink. Dishes to do and clothes to put away while listening to Pandora. Or maybe even a blog to write. Online shopping. A night out with friends. A book I can't put down. I can think of plenty of reasons to stay up. Especially when I just have to get up and go to my job the next day. Because my days are committed to work, from 8am to 5pm, after I get home I want to do what I want to do, and take my time doing it.
Another thing I love to do on my own time is work out. I love to run. After joining a gym last year I started running again regularly for the first time in a long time. Getting up to six miles a day was my peak this summer. And then, after the carefree days of summer and long daylight hours had passed, I started to slip. A little each week until, to my unliking, I wasn't running or going to the gym at all. When I started at the gym I was going at 5:30 in the morning. But that barely gave me enough time to do a full workout without having to hurry back home to get ready for work. Then I started going right after work. Then I got so busy neither one of these seemed to satisfy my overpowering need to sleep in and take a nap the minute I got home from a long day.
What I have come to realize is that no matter how busy, tired, stressed, or crazed you are, the best thing you can do for yourself is keep up your regular, healthy habits. With my mind firmly set on breaking my non active cycle, I decided to make the gym my bff. Again. This time, I told myself the morning was my best bet. Leaving my evening to be taken up by whatever activity I desired. Whether it be cleaning, socializing, or curled up on my couch. But instead of the old 5:30am routine I knew that an earlier gym entrance was best. So now, my alarm wakes me up at 4:30am, ready or not.
As a self-proclaimed night owl and sleep-in-aholic, I have had to think of ways to trick myself into getting up this early. Here are some tips.
Go to bed early. Duh. This no-brainer becomes my biggest obstacle in getting up on time for an early morning. But I'm usually tired at about 7 or 8 pm. But too many times I just sit up until I get my second wind. A second wind is great on a Friday or Saturday night, but not when the amount of hours you can sleep is limited. Although I'm still working on this, I try and do something less active or requiring less thought when I start to get tired. Cleaning energizes me, so does a movie, and sometimes even a book. But if I have mellow music on and read a magazine, with shorter stories and articles, I get bored and give in to being tired more easily. Or, when you are tired and ready for bed, just go to bed. Turn off the lights, turn off your brain, and give in to sleep.
Set your alarm clock for the time you need to get up. Even though I am the snooze-button Queen, I have realized that if I hit snooze once I'll more than likely do it again. And again. All the while I'm not really even sleeping, just thinking of reasons why I should just stay in bed. So set the alarm for the time you need to get up and do it.
Turn on a light. If I turn on the light next to bed as soon as I turn off my alarm I wake up much faster. Even though it's nearly painful at first, turning on my light right away helps tremendously if I have any ideas about getting "just five more minutes".
Personalize your alarm. If possible. I have my iPhone alarm set as a ringtone. My alarm also has a name, which I have set as something that encourages me to get up. So when 4:30 hits and I reach for the alarm, it is not only a song that I associate with being motivated, but I am staring at the words "Be Your Best" and I'd feel way too guilty about shutting that off. If you don't have this capability, get a radio alarm clock or something similar. Switch it to a station that plays music that will help you wake up. And don't shut it off right away. Let it go on until your brain has registered the music and it starts to wake you up.
Stretch. Even if you plan on stretching at the gym, rejuvenate those tired limbs and get the blood flowing.
Start your car early. Especially this winter. Once your outside in the cold air you are sure to be wide awake. Go start your car then head back in to let it warm up and you can get ready.
Have your workout gear ready to go. Set out everything you need the night before. The pre-planning will give you the extra minutes to have a snack.
Eat something. Unless you are a robot and don't need fuel to keep you going. If I skip a pre-workout snack I lose steam quite quickly, feel hungry, and want to go home sooner. My morning pre-workout faves are a banana or a Fiber One bar. They are easy to eat on the go and don't fill me up too much to weigh me down while I'm logging miles on the treadmill.
Go to the gym. Obviously, this is a main point, but sometimes I wake up and can't shake the "I wanna go back to bed" blues. Even while feeling this way I make myself go to the gym. Once I'm there that feeling is usually gone. And I end up having a great workout. There was one time that I got to the gym and couldn't find the energy to get through my work out, so I cut it short and headed home for a quick 20 minute power nap before getting ready for work. In that situation, I really just needed the sleep. But that was just one time in the many, many times I just made myself at least get there. And isn't that half the battle?
I love my morning workouts. I loved my after work workouts too. But hitting the gym at the start of my day always makes it so much better. I feel more energized and find that's it's easier to continue making healthy choices throughout the day. It also helps to have a workout partner. My workout partner, Heather, is great at texting me in the morning, making sure I am up and ready. Even though I've come up with my own get-the-hell-outta-bed plan, it's encouraging to know I'm not the only one crazy enough to go running at 5am.
Happy Holidays everyone and may you make good, healthy choices...or deliciously naughty ones in the form of too many Christmas cookies, peanut brittle, and egg nog. I certainly will indulge a little...'tis the season!
Either way, enjoy yourself, your family, and all of your loved ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment