If you had told me I was EVER going to write a blog about being a morning person I would’ve literally laughed in your face SO although this may mean the end of the world is near - I AM OFFICIALLY A SELF-PROCLAIMED MORNING PERSON.
I have NEVER felt better and I want to share my tips on how I got there AND all the bonus benefits that were TOTAL surprises - but I’ll take em ;)
If you’ve been following me for awhile you know I’m a straight shooter so I write this with a little tough love because it’s what I personally needed to break YEARS of habits. And it won’t be an overnight thing BUT change one thing each day and I promise you - you will be feeling better in no time.
Now let’s get into it...
Stop Saying You Aren’t a Morning Person. Or anything for that matter. It’s a limiting belief and it’s causing you to stay in that little comfort zone of yours and SPOILER ALERT - NOTHING good comes from comfort zones and as Henry Ford said “whether you think you can, or you think you can't–you're right.”
The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. Buy It. Ya’ll know I’m a personal development junkie and I have listened to this one 5 times. The concept behind the book is that we can talk ourselves out of anything and in this case - “ugh it’s so dark out at 5am. How about we workout after work?” (FF to after work and no workout) Robbins writes that anytime you feel an instinct to ACT or feel like you should take action towards a goal you countdown 5,4,3,2,1 and then you physically start to move. The science behind it is that it takes about 5 seconds for your brain to start talking you out of the task BUT by focusing on the counting (and distracting our brain) you are actually focusing on the action and it becomes instinctual. I know. I doubted it first. I countdown every morning.
TREAT Yo Self: Now I am NOT all about rewarding yourself with food - you’re not a dog BUT for me my morning treat is my pre-workout. I ALSO said I would never use supplements. Now every day I religiously take a pre and post workout - and I have NEVER felt better - moral of the story - never say never and I knew nothing haha. So I swear in the dark, shaking that stuff up GIVES ME LIFE. I have tried preworkouts before and YES they made me feel like I was ready to workout BUT they also made me feel like my heart was going to explode and I wanted to scratch my skin off - so this stuff is an all-natural plant based workout with a SUPER low dose of caffeine.
DITCH the Alarm: I know what you’re thinking - NOT altogether. But that godawful beeping. I switched my alarm to one of my favorite Brandi Carlile songs and I wake up to those notes and it’s an INSTANT mood perkerupper (prov saved my marriage too - since I wasn’t always a #NoSnooze girl and all those beeps ain’t good for anybody)
PLAN: In this case, it ain’t pretty BUT it works for me. #ProgressNotPerfection am I right? I drop my workout clothes right in front of the bathroom door, place a water bottle for my #3 in the fridge and I know when I wake up it will take less than 1 minute before I press play.
Work Your Brain AND Your Body! This is a newer thing for me and it has made such a difference. I’ve been listening to Personal Development while I work out - sometimes personal stuff (Girl Wash Your Face, Present Over Perfect, The Happiness Project) or work related (National Wake Up Calls, Mentoring recordings etc)
All my morning needs…
Lastly, and IMO (wait isn’t everything IMO it’s my blog? #Tangent) the MOST IMPORTANT
Find a Support System: I realize HOW small this one sounds but this might have been my biggest driver. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I will excuse myself out of ANYTHING and I will give up on myself all the time but I will NEVER give up on my team and my challengers. So I started a text chain with a few friends. I would tell myself these ladies are using MY text to wake up so I can NOT let them down and I will NEVER be the reason someone misses their workout - it got me moving.
So there you have it! My top tips on HOW I set my alarm for 5am and get shit down now let’s chat what happened when I did.
I realized how UNHAPPY and BEHIND I felt throughout the ENTIRE day when I started my day waking up to Cullen on the monitor. The minute I heard Mama - I jumped up, peed, tried to get him before he woke Em up and from that exact minute I felt BEHIND in my day. Almost late to school, almost late to class, dragging A and just not happy.
Waking up early because I CHOSE to, connecting with other ladies prioritizing their happiness and health immediately put me in a good mood. After my workout I would grab a pen and a QUIET CUP OF COFFEE (I REPEAT, A QUIET CUP OF COFFEE) and write down the 3 most important things I needed to do today. Yes there are probably more than 3 but if you’re anything like me when I have a ton I usually do everything about 10% and complete nothing. Choosing 3 allows me to actually achieve them and continue with the GOOD feeling, accomplishing rampage I’m on.
Lastly - waking up earlier than I ever had on a consistent basis meant that I needed to go to bed earlier. Now this is HARD for me. The hubs and I we enjoy sitting on the couch after bed time and watching a show - probably with some wine. My problem - one glass and one show turns into 3 (FINE 5). So with the 5am alarm time, I make sure I am in bed at 930 the latest - meaning less wine. My sleep cycle AND my waistline win from this!
I think that’s it…
I genuinely had NO idea how this small action each day would have such an effect on my mindset. Instead of going through the motions, I was dictating how my day would play out, I was in control and I was the driving force in my health, accomplishments AND mindset. All this from setting the alarm a little over an hour earlier? Did I mention the quiet cup of coffee was HOT too and I didnt have to reheat it.
If that isnt reason enough I’m not sure what else I can say.
This small tweak has changed my life. I am able to address my business, my team, my family and MY needs all without feeling STRESSED or behind. And truthfully I still have my wine with my show but because it’s one - it’s a WELL deserved treat to a long, happy day.
What about YOU - what are your tips?