Becoming a morning person
Why hello there, cup o’green:
Remember when I mentioned those blended salads I used to have alllll the time? Well, I had to make one after that! I used to do this in the Valdosta days, and figured that it would be a fun way to get in some extra veggies. In the blender, I added handfuls of spinach, a few tomatoes, 1/2 bell pepper, 1/2 cucumber, salt, pepper, garlic, a little Dijon, lots of lemon juice, 1/2 avocado, some flax oil, water,
and pureed it on high. To be real, I didn’t love it quite as much as I used to. I think next time I’ll make a regular salad, but this was a great portable option for our afternoon adventures. Liv, on the other hand, went crazy for it. She kept saying, “More? YUM!” after each sip. It was kind of like a green gazpacho.
I’m writing this post in advance, because when it publishes, I’m hoping I’ll be driving home from a very early yoga class.
I say “hoping” because I have no idea if I’ll actually wake up and go.
Waking up early has been a little rough for me, especially since Liv starting sleeping through the night (umm.. a year ago….). I realized I could get glorious sleep as long as possible and actually feel rested. Rested! It seemed like a unicorn of a concept -you hear about it but never see it- but it did happen eventually.
Currently, Liv’s nap time and at night are when I get work done, but if I could wake up early and take care of work/emails, a workout, or study, I would have more time to relax at night after she’s asleep. I love working out early in the morning -those endorphins last all day!- and was on a good run for a while, then we started going to bed later, and later, and later (that darn “Sing!” app haha). The snooze button is once again BFF status.
I haven’t been crazy about our usual yoga class since our favorite instructor moved, so I figured I’d try something different with a new-to-me studio and instructor. Usually with the drive time and class on Wednesday nights, I don’t see much of the Pilot, so this way, I’ll start my day relaxed and get to hang out with him tonight.
If I go.
I’ve never been a “morning person,” (and later found out that the reason for that was hormonal) but made it happen when it needed to happen. Work and school often had me waking up very early -4:30am. What?!- and since they were commitments, I just did it. Snooze button wasn’t an option. Since I have the option to sleep later on the days I’m home with Liv, I’ve been enjoying it. Maybe I need to make it non-negotiable…and just get to bed earlier!
So, all you early birds out there, please share your secrets with me! What time do you wake up? When do you go to bed? Is there anything that helps to prevent the snooze button? “Becoming a morning person” was on my before 30 bucket list. I was half-joking, but it would be awesome if I could change my ways.
Hope you have a fantastic Wednesday! Livi said to tell you thank you for the half birthday wishes <3
xoxo
Gina
Edited: I woke up and did it. And now, I’ll feel energized all day 🙂
148 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hurray for making it to yoga! Did you like the new place and instructor?
I am definitely NOT a morning person but I get up at 5:30 every morning to be at work by 6:30. My trick, keeping the same schedule as much as possible. I start winding down around 9pm and am in bed by 9:45/10pm. If I am consistent with that schedule then I’ll often wake up just a little before my alarm – and I love it when that happens. Nothing beats turning over and seeing that you still have 15 or 20 delicious minutes of sleep left!!! 🙂
Im generally up at 630am with no alarm, just in the habit of getting up at that time regardless of when I go to bed.
Most of the time I like it except on days when I am super tired!
I’d ask for more of that green smoothie, too 😉 looks delish! As for waking up early, my strategy: put on two alarms (get up for the second), let natural light in, place clothes nearby, use mint-scented body wash in the shower, have a breakfast to look forward to already planned, and never forget how accomplished I feel when I successfully get up.
Woo hoo! Great job on getting up early! 😉
I LOVE early mornings. I haven’t always been that way, but within the last few years I’ve started loving my early mornings more and more. I find that I’m way more productive in the mornings, and I love the peace and quiet I get to myself when no one else is awake. It’s great when 10 AM hits, and I already have SO much done for the day. I usually go to bed around 10 or 10:30 PM, and wake up around 6 or 6:30 AM. I suppose that’s not considered “early” for some, but it’s a good time for me!
I told my boyfriend recently that I have never in my life hit the snooze button and he was floored! But it’s true. I just don’t understand the concept of 5-10 more minutes of crappy sleep when you could just get up and get started.
I’m a huge morning person and I guess the way I approach it is just not to overanalyze it. Don’t think about having to get up early the night before because it can make you anxious, and in the morning just get out of bed. I guess what I mean is more doing and less overanalyzing. If that makes sense!
I love waking up when the sun rises so in the summers I wake up much earlier than in the winter. To me, there’s nothing worse than having to get up in the morning when it’s still pitch black outside – it feels so wrong!! One thing that helps me is making sure I get enough sleep (for me, that’s 7 hours). I also look forward to having a cup of green tea every morning and taking a few minutes to look at the sun and think about the things I’m grateful for. It’s a nice peaceful way to start my day!
I am so a morning person. I love waking with the sun when the world is still quiet and asleep. I always get up at 5 or a little before that and right out of bed I do a morning warm-up to get my body going which I think helps with making my body and mind fully active. However I never go to bed later then 10, but that’s fine with me.
Good for you, congrats on getting up!!!!!
I get up at 5:30am Mon thru Thu to work out because it is literally the ONLY time i am able to (i work full time and have a toddler), SO if i don’t do it at 5:30am, then i get NO exercise and feel like crap. Back in the day, if i didn’t get up i could just go in the evening, so now it is non-negotiable for me. Also, every morning i think how AWESOME it will be at 6:45am to be DONE with exercise for the day:)
Also, i highly recommend getting to be by 10:00pm, yes 10pm in order to feel rested – or at least, that is when i need to hit the sheets.
You can do it!!!!!!
I’m up at 5 am fixing the hubby’s lunch.I go to bed at 10 or 10:30 pm.It’s just routine.You get use to it like exercise when you do it long enough.I see him off at about 5:45 then I have the rest of the day to do what needs to be done.Pratice Practice,or devote yourself to a class or something like that.What I’m trying to say is when you feel obligated to something you will just do it! I feel obligated to make my hubby’s lunch fresh daily so that he will have good clean fresh food to eat.Obligation works!
I am very much a morning person! I normally get up at 6 and go to bed at 10, but if It didn’t mean missing out I spending time with friends and my boy, I’d totally push that an hour early. I find I’m so productive in the mornings. I catch up on blogs with a mug of green tea, shower, spend some time getting cute, and then it’s only 730 and I still have a whole morning to get stuff done! I love having less to do in the afternoons, working 8 to 4 instead of nine to five to miss traffic, and getting into bed with a good book at 9 , knowing I can reply to emails and make deadlines the next morning before anyone’s even awake!
Looking forward to early morning tips too! I’d love to become a “wake up early” person but it never quite works. I just love my sleep too much and find that I’ll stay up until midnight frequently making 6 or even 7am look pretty darn crummy. Congrats on your early morning yoga class!!
Keeping a consistant schedule has made it easier to get up early. Going to bed early is really the only thing that makes it work. Little man wakes up at 5:47 on the dot every day, so I am in bed by 9, though I SHOULD be in bed by 8:30! Hashtag Old Lady…..
I am definitely not a morning person. But while at yoga teacher training, we have yoga every morning that starts at 6 am. I’m finding for me, it’s all about making sure I go to bed, and then when the alarm goes off- just get up. Seems overly simple, but the longer I spend in bed, the more time I have to talk myself into getting more sleep and convincing myself how tired I am. The sooner I’m out of bed, the sooner I’m awake- and then it’s all easy from there 🙂
Good luck! Hope you did make it to the class and enjoyed it more than your prior class.
I’ve never been an amazing morning person. when I used to work in the hospital, 5:30AM came way too soon! And then subsequently lead to loves of coffee. I keep telling myself I will someday be a morning person…
That liquid salad looks nice and green! I don’t know how I’d feel about a “salad smoothie” but I’d try it in a pinch!
I can’t believe Liv like that drink! That’s so awesome!!
Nope, I’m NOT a morning person! I really, really, really want to be though. If I could got up early before work, I could get so much stuff done. This has been something I’ve wanted to work on for quite a while now.
I love green smoothies but I’ve never tried to take it to the next level w/ a blended salad – Sounds like a must try this weekend! <3
I am absolutely a morning person. I work some rotating shifts, but on the days I work at 6am I am up at 5 by alarm. On all other days I don’t use an alarm and I’m up between 5:30- 6:30 naturally. I wasn’t a morning person until I became consistent with getting to bed at a decent time (9:30-10:15) and now I never sleep in past 7.
I think this is so interesting. It basically says that some people are predisposed to being “early birds” and others are “night owls” because it was once biologically beneficial.
http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/early-bird-or-late-riser-blame-it-on-your-chronotype
I am a morning person but I am also a night owl. Go figure. On the rare occasion I’ll get my workout in first thing but usually I would do it during my youngest’s nap, however she is resisting nap time and by the time she does go to sleep my get up and go is GONE! I’m trying to work up to morning workouts gradually by either doing my morning jog with my 7 yo, or by doing shorter HIIT style workouts so I don’t have to get up as early.
YAY for getting up early!! I also started early morning workouts. Here is what I have found helps me.
I put my phone across the room & set the tone on the alarm sound. It sounds like a fire alarm & I have to physically get up to turn it off. I’ll often put all my workout stuff near the alarm with a bottle or glass of water. Usually if I see all of this, it sparks me to just get to it! – Sometimes I will even put a big note next to my phone that says WORK OUT!! This also helps to remind me 😛
This morning I woke up at 5am to do an 90 minute HIIT, Strength & Ab workout. I am so energized now!
I try to lay my workout clothes out the night before with all my workout gadgets. I have also worn them to bed so I felt that I HAD to go
Oh man, I’m not so sure about that salad drink, haha!
I’ve just always been a morning person. Even on Sundays, when I don’t have to wake up early, I’m up by 6:30, 7:00 at the latest. I think it’s partly ingrained in me and partly habit.
Honestly, it’s just something that you are or aren’t. I’m a morning person and I never hit the snooze button. What helps is having a cold brew ice coffee ready in the morning to perk me up. Sometimes, to motivate myself to work out in the morning, I’ll sleep in my workout gear. 🙂
I think I’m a morning person, but I’m more of a 5:30 or 6 am morning person. Earlier than that and I really struggle to get up. Then again, once I’m up, I’m up, and it’s never as bad as those first minutes.
My biggest advice is repeating to yourself the benefits of getting up–more time with the Pilot, more time to relax later, all day endorphins, etc. etc. Then after a few days it’s not so bad!
Can’t wait to hear if you made it to the class!
I have always been a morning person. Even when I was little I was up by 6:00 almost every morning. Yay for my parents! Haha
I enjoy time to myself before the rest of the house is stirring. A few things that help:
• Have the coffee pot ready to go the night before. Then just press start in the morning or set the timer on it the night before if you have one.
• Wash your face with a cool wash cloth.
• Have a cute robe and comfy house shoes to step into 🙂
• Go to bed at a reasonable hour.
• Be consistent. Who knows? A few months from now you might actually be a morning person!
I spent years like you – not being a morning person. College, teaching years, early baby & toddler years – I hated getting up in the mornings. Then I went back to work and the only sure way to get in my workout every day was to get up early. 4:30 for 5 years!!! Now I get up about 5:15 most days (still for the workout) because it is habit.
I still don’t consider myself a morning person and need at least 30 minutes before I’m required to talk to anyone!!!
Good for you for getting up and going to yoga! Hopefully the class was worth the waking up!
I get up at 5am every work day so I can workout before work and usually get to bed around 10pm. I do a lot of prepping at night. I get my gym bag ready, clothes (since I shower at the gym), any pre-workout meal and my lunch to just grab. I thik once you get into the routine it becomes second nature. I cannot think of life without my morning workouts….I guess until children come into the picture 😉
So, did you make it? I bet you did – somehow writing it on the blog commits us to stuff, doesn’t it? I feel bad if I share something I’d like to stay accountable to on my blog and am not able to hold it.
Anyways, thoughts on being an early bird: I have to get up pretty early at the moment, 5:30 – 6:00 am, since I am writing exams and have to fit workout, studying and other appointments into one day. But since I started getting up that early (which I think isn’t that hard during summer time, when it is already bright as day this early) I am also pretty tired in the evening and fall asleep around 10:00-11:00 pm easily. I’d like to keep the routine going after my last exam on Friday, since I have the feeling that it gives me so much time to be productive while everyone else is asleep. I like to see those early hours as “me-time” and enjoy my routine: working out, shower, breakfast, reading through blogs/blogging; not having to rush somewhere or talk to someone. I guess if you make your mornings as enjoyable as you can it is kind of a reward for leaving your comfy bed.
I have had to train myself to become a morning person, but now I honestly love it! I echo a lot of the comments above, especially about getting enough sleep and getting to bed early (hello old lady 9:30PM bed time!)
It also helped me to “schedule” my morning workouts- I started out going two or three mornings a week to my now favorite gym class. I now wake up pretty much every day around 5:30 to go to the gym, go for a run, or just go for a long walk with the doggies. I also just think about how nice and cool desert morning are at this time of year! <3 That alone makes me want to get out and enjoy the day while I can.
Can't wait to hear about your new yoga class, I hope it was wonderful!
I would love to be able to get up early and hit the gym in the morning but I am definitely NOT a morning person. I set two different alarms and snooze them both for an hour before I even realize I’m alive, I keep thinking one of these days I’ll be able to get up and go, but it’s not looking like its in the cards for me!
I was at a good routine of starting my day at 6am and then winding down at 10.30pm everyday… until I moved out from my previous place and had a busy working month. Now, I’m trying hard to put things back on track, including my workout schedule. Let’s hope I would be able to wake up at 6 tomorrow for a workout! Night girls!
I am generally a morning person but I do go through phases where it’s tougher to get myself out of bed. I think it’s all about getting in a groove and going to bed early is a necessity! I just remind myself of all of the reasons I love being up early – early workout, better productivity, more time to myself. It also doesn’t hurt that I have a 14 year old diabetic jack russell terrier who wakes me up at 4:45 am every morning for breakfast! 🙂
Hi Gina!
I am so glad you added your “edited” comment because that was one of the things I was going to say 🙂 Since graduating college and working full time, my schedule is far more, well, scheduled. Now that I workout in the am I feel so much more energized throughout the day and know that after work I can make other plans or just relax. It also has revved my metabolism, so while I am eating more throughout the day I find I am burning lots and having speedy digestion!
Well you know what they say about forming new habits…they take 4-6 weeks to stick, right? It’s okay if you don’t become a morning person overnight 🙂
It took going back to school a few years ago and having to get up early to study or get to a 7 am class to become a morning person. Now that I’m no longer in school, have finished my internship, and am back to ‘real’ life, I truly enjoy getting up early. There is something about the peacefulness and the fact that the day is untouched by anything at that point. I set my alarm for 5am (except rest days, then it’s 6am), get dressed in my choice of gym clothes, have 1/2 cup of coffee, then workout at home or gym for 45 min-1 hour (depending on day). Then I shower, eat breakfast or drink a protein smoothie, and either head to work or work from home.
I find that even on the weekends I am usually up early (maybe not 5am) but my body naturally wakes up at 6 unless I had a late night. In regards to night time, I would rather go to bed early. I usually aim to get ready for bed at 9:30 and hit the pillow by 10. If I don’t, I’m cranky and drag the next day. I noticed over the past month since I have had a super busy schedule and haven’t been making it to bed early, that I find myself snacking to stay awake while finishing up my ‘to-do’s’. Definitely not a fan of eating to stay awake.
Good luck with finding your rhythm. I can only imagine how challenging it is with a little one.
Exactly like making workouts a (healthy) habit, getting up early takes practice.
I work late so the only option for me to get a good workout in is waking up at 5am. I always try to remember how good it will feel. And, honestly, sleeping in feels like crap to me. I feel lazy and unproductive and like I’m wasting precious time!
I just try to remember all of that when the alarm goes of and its still dark outside in winter.
Definitely not a morning person. My boyfriend gets up at 5:30 am every day, and I like to revel in the fact that I can go back to sleep for a couple more hours.. hehe. I try to get up a little earlier each day, say 10 minutes earlier each week maybe and try and get used to it gradually. Then, I’m up about 20-30 minutes earlier which helps.
I am a morning person, but I had to train myself to become one. I attribute it to 3 things: 1. I started becoming one about 2 years ago when I first started running, but when I started training for my first half, it really became true. I just hate working out after work. When I’m done with work, I want to be able to relax by cooking dinner, reading a book, sitting on the back porch, etc. 2. I avoid caffeine and have for the last 5 1/2 years. The only caffeine I take in is from dark chocolate which only happens on weekends (my July goal-I’m an all or nothing kind of girl, so I needed to set strict limits on myself!). When I drank caffeine, I’d lie awake for ages and wake up feeling exhausted. Not true anymore. 3. I go to bed super early. I mean, I probably beat my 83 year old grandma to bed. I start winding down by 9 and get in bed to read for about 30 minutes. Most weeknights I’m asleep by 10.
Granted, I don’t have a child, so I can be a bit selfish with my schedule. I’m really glad to have turned myself into a morning person!
Also, my alarm (music from my iPod) goes off across the room. I can either lie in bed as it gradually gets louder and louder (and I always choose an upbeat song to help me get up) which would prevent sleep anyway, or I can get up and go work out.
I am up at 4am for work. So as not to hit the snooze button my alarm is across the room, so once on my feet I don’t have the urge to crawl back into bed .
I think it’s all habit. I’m that person who can sleep anytime, anywhere, and as more than you could believe. I was NEVER, EVER, EVER a morning person (I would push snooze for 2 hours, I wish I was joking) until I realized that I will NOT workout after work because I’m too tired and lazy. It forced me up at 4:45am to get some type of workout in and then I feel better all day and am much more productive at work (I also have energy to sneak in a walk at night as well most days). Doing this every single day for a month or so formed a habit and now it’s MUCH easier to get up. Also, I know I’ve heard that if you get up early during the week you are supposed to still get up early on the weekends so you don’t mess up your sleep pattern (you can take a nap later if needed). This has helped me so much. I don’t even use an alarm on the weekends and am always up by 6:30am. I have more quality sleep, which is really important as I have fibromyalgia. I typically start getting ready for bed at 9pm and read for awhile. If I’m really tired, I’ll be out by 9:15, if not, it’ll be more like 10:30pm. Regardless, I still love sleeping late with my cat, I just feel crappier and exhausted all day because of it! :/
Oh, also, when I moved from Tennessee back to Wisconsin, I found the lack of light in the morning to really fuel my issues with getting up in the morning. I bought a light therapy alarm clock that starts lighting up 30 minutes before my alarm goes off and gradually gets brighter. It has saved my sanity!
I wish I was a better morning person! I have tried many many times and some days it works but it is so hard. 6:00 am is my magic time anything before that is almost impossible!
This has been one of my great struggles too – if I want to get certain things done (like running long runs), I am going to have to get up early! But if it were only that easy!
I normally get up at 6am to get ready for work. I tried to get up at 5am this morning so I can do my workout, but I failed. Try again tomorrow morning.
Have you ever done a post where you discuss the role of hormones on… any/everything, like sleep/weight/mood/etc? I know you’re not a doctor, but I definitely trust that you’re always transparent when you’re “reporting” information from experts as opposed to being one, and that you seek out those experts when needed. I ask mostly because I have serious sensitivity to hormones + have some pretty intense reactions during certain times of the month, on things like birth control (that was Bad News Bears for me, I’m never ever doing that again), and even when I eat food that has clearly been dosed. I’ve done digging personally, but I never came across a correlation between being able to wake up in the early hours and hormone fluctuation. It’s something I’m planning on looking into myself, but I’d love to hear your thoughts/experiences!
Ok, hope that wasn’t too long winded. I have a ton of respect for you + love the blog- if you haven’t done a hormone/crazy-brain post, I’d love to read one eventually 🙂
Same here! When I started personal training clients needed me up at 4:30 AM but not I have a few stay at home wives I train during the day so I am spoiled rotten! When I move I am sure I will be back on the 4:30 AM train and I PRAY I am able to do it! Sending you lots of endorphins after YOGA! love + shine CourtStar
I am not a morning person at all! If I know I have to get up super early for something, I try to get up a little bit earlier each day. It helps me slowly to get into a routine instead of one shockingly early wake up call.
I’m definitely a morning person! I always have been but especially since moving to Tucson 2.5 years ago 🙂 I think it has to do with those endorphins you mentioned lasting all day, and the fact that it’s always so nice and sunny here it’s hard to just lay in bed! A beautiful day is always waiting.
I need to get back in the habit of morning workouts too. My doggies get me up at 6:00 anyway. We need a morning workout pact!
I posted about this and there are some good tips in the comments too. 🙂
http://www.sistasofstrength.com/2013/01/how-to-work-out-in-the-morning.html
I posted about this and there are some good tips in the comments too. 🙂
http://www.sistasofstrength.com/2013/01/how-to-work-out-in-the-morning.html
I am definitely a morning person, but how early that is kind of depends on life circumstances… When I was working I had to go to the gym at 6 every day to get it in, so I just got up at 5:30 – it wasn’t negotiable. It did help to schedule classes that I couldn’t cancel. Now I am pregnant so trying to allow myself to sleep a bit later until baby comes, since I know I won’t be able to for a while.
Snooze is not worth the extra bad sleep minutes, but if you hit it, make sure you have a rule to only do it once. What snooze really means is that you are getting up even earlier than necessary to hit snooze, when you could have slept well that much longer. Placing the alarm away from the bed as mentioned above also really helps, as does having a sleeping SO next to you when the alarm is constantly going off.
Anyway, another key point for me at least is to not work at night (anytime after 5 really is my limit). I find that it is too stimulating mentally to get to bed on time.