Mornings are never fun. In fact, in my personal opinion, mornings are really rough and just a pain in my butt. Sleep is a wonderful thing, and when we are forced to open our eyes in the wee hours of the morning, and escape the comfy cozy cave of comforter and place feet on cold floors, with dreary sleepy eyes and pale sunlight, well, it's just plain difficult. I have never been a fan of mornings, but, I also hate wasting my entire day and feeling like I am losing a majority of my time because I didn't wake up until noon. If any of you are like me, then this blogpost is for you! Because with this post, I want to talk about how we can all become morning people. So, here are my 12 easy steps to becoming a morning person:
1. Pick out a great morning jam
- I personally think one of the best ways to start your morning off right, is to pick a great morning song. My favorite song to wake up to is Work of Art by Rachel Platten (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4m_xxjCoXw). It's such an upbeat song, and the perfect tune to wake up to and start the beginning of your day. So pick a song, no matter what it is or what genre it is; whatever you think can get you up and moving, go for it.
2. Wake up early - seriously!
- Yes, I know waking up early is difficult. Believe me, I will be the first person to say that getting out of bed before nine or having the phone ring before ten is a crime against nature. But, we are being positive here, and we are going to rise and shine and WAKE UP EARLY! I was on Pinterest the other day and found this awesome picture on how we can practice waking up earlier and earlier in the morning, so we have more time on our hands and aren't rushing out the door with only one shoe on and a make-up bag in tow. So, here's the wake up schedule idea I found:
3. Create a good nighttime routine
- Making a good nighttime routine can help set up your morning for success. The first thing you can do, is set an alarm. Yes, it may be a daunting task, but it just has to be done! Another thing you can do is set out your coffee/tea. Set out your mug, put your coffee pod in your Keurig, or set out your tea bag, that way you have an incentive to get up in the morning. And I know we've all heard it about a dozen times, and I hate to say it too because I know I'm guilty of this crime, but we aren't supposed to be on technology an hour before bed. It's so hard to ignore the constant Twitter posts, and to not just hop on Instagram or Pinterest for a few minutes before bed, but that often disturbs our sleep cycle. Instead, try picking up a good book to read, or spend time meditating. Another fun idea is laying out your clothes the night before, that way you aren't throwing clothes around your room and wasting unnecessary time in the morning.
4. Drink more water!
- I know we've all heard it time and time again, but drinking more water really does help wake up your body and put you to sleep better. I personally try to drink a tall glass of water before bed, and then wake up and drink a big glass of ice water as well.
5. Go on a walk/run/do a morning workout
- Since we are becoming pro morning people and getting up earlier, then that means we have more time to do other activities that help start our morning off right. One of my favorite morning activities is to get up and go on a walk either outside, or on the treadmill. I also like doing some morning workouts - there are tons of great videos we can find on YouTube nowadays, so feel free to check those out as well. I find that a brisk walk/run in the morning just helps to wake me up and get my blood pumping. Plus, taking a shower after that helps to wake me up even more.
6. Open your curtains and let the light in
- As weird as it sounds, before you go to bed, open your curtains so that you will wake when the sun rises. I'm sure we've all heard the Frozen quote: "The sky's awake, so I'm awake." about a dozen times, and I hate to say that, well, naturally, when the sky is awake is when we are supposed to be awake too! Now if you live in the PNW like I do, that can be a little tricky. But all the same, a burst of light, whether it be sunshine or cloudy, is always a good motivator to get you up.
7. Wake up slowly
- I don't know about you, but there's just some mornings where it's harder to get out of bed than others, so I suggest waking up slowly. Still wake up at your desired early rising time, but instead of quickly jumping in the shower or going about with the beginning of your day, take some time for yourself. I personally enjoy waking up and reading in my snuggly bed for a few minutes, or checking my social media. It helps to ease me awake, rather than throwing me into my day.
8. Eat breakfast - I know we've all heard this one before
- We hear it all the time: the best way to start your day is a good breakfast! Now, I don't know about you, but breakfast can sometimes be difficult for me. I either don't have the energy to make myself something, or I don't have good breakfast options. That's why I'm saying, for us to be successful early morning risers, let's get some fun breakfast foods to coax us into getting out of bed and enjoying a hearty meal. I love to eat bacon, hashbrowns, and, well, for my sweet tooth, cinnamon raisin gluten free bread with some cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top. Instead of just making a mad dash out the door and grabbing whatever we can find (*cough* a donut, a granola bar, a cup of coffee, a piece of gum, or leftover Halloween candy...from last year), take the time to invest into food that is actually good for you and that you enjoy. A great suggestion could be a bagel that you can just throw in the toaster and grab when you leave the house - simple, but totally scrumptious.
9. Make your bed
- Ugh, I know, I know...make your bed? Could I sound like any more of a mom?! But seriously, making your bed is a great way to help your morning go smoothly. It helps tidy your room up, and after a long day, it's just the best to climb into a pretty-looking bed, isn't it?
10. Don't hit the snooze button!!
- We are all guilty, and anyone who says otherwise is lying! We all have hit the snooze button at some point in our lives, maybe even, well, most of the days of our lives. So, instead of hitting the snooze button and having a wild hectic morning of trying to get out the door and to work on time, wake up early and please, do not hit the snooze button! And don't worry, I'll be suffering along right with you. Science has proven that when we hit the snooze button and try to reenter into our sleep cycle, only to be rudely awoken by our alarm once again, it releases adrenaline and cortisol into our systems. This is what therefore causes us to instantly become stressed and gives us a foggy, groggy brain for the rest of the day. Hitting the snooze button seems like a good idea at the time, but maybe it isn't.
11. Write down your goals and to-do list
- There are some times when I wake up in the morning and all I feel is stressed and overwhelmed when it comes to all the tasks I have to accomplish during the day. But, I've noticed that if I sit down and make a to-do list for myself or a goals list, I feel so much better. I can clearly see what I need to do, and I won't have to worry about forgetting anything, something that I do on a highly regular basis. If we write down our goals, it gives us a great sense of pride and happiness to know that today, we succeeded and we really are awesome.
12. Go to bed at a decent time
- Going to bed has always been rough for me, because there really feels like there are about a million other things to do instead. Especially as a college student, where life doesn't really start till after 10 PM, getting to bed at a good time is hard and sometimes just plain unreasonable. But our brains and bodies need at least eight hours of sleep a night! So let's make it a personal goal that we will try to get eight hours of sleep. Maybe eight seems a little unreasonable (though that is what scientists tell us we need for a good night's rest), then try slowly working your way up to eight hours of sleep. Maybe try six hours, or seven, and so on. And if you're able to get more than eight hours of sleep, even better!
So there you have it, twelve ways that you can become a morning person. It may seem impossible, it may seem improbable, but what was that saying? The early bird gets the worm? I'm all for being a night owl, but I think it's time to try being an early bird for once.
No comments:
Post a Comment