How I added an hour to my day

Ok, I have to confess… there’s a wide-spread belief in the health and wellness community that I’ve REALLY been resisting for a long time…

Whether it’s ancient Ayurvedic theory or the latest blogger on the internet, it seems like everywhere I look, people are touting the benefits of getting up early in the morning. And when I say early, I don’t mean 8am, which used to be very early for me before I had kids…. I mean 5am. Or earlier.

Let me just start by saying that this was absolutely unfathomable for me at first. While I could understand that it might be something that could work for other people, I’m a night owl and always have been. Early mornings were strictly for emergencies and international travel only — certainly not on purpose.

BUT, as a health coach, I also have this other nagging desire to try out as many theories and methodologies as I can. I feel like it’s part of my job description to know as much about these things as possible. Especially the ones that so many people are swearing by…

So… I’ve been getting up at 5am every weekday for the last month.

And I have to admit, I actually kind of like it.

I know, it sounds totally crazy. But let me tell you some of the reasons why:

I’m getting more done. It doesn’t seem like it would be true, but the reorganization of my day has made me way more productive. And I think it boils down to this: at the end of the day, I’m tired and, maybe more significantly, I’m just done. As soon as the kids are in bed, I’m off the clock, mentally and physically. But before I started getting up early, I would spend two to three hours of that “done” time doing useless things like watching TV or aimlessly surfing the internet. Now, by going to bed an hour or so earlier and waking up earlier instead — at a time when I’m actually productive! — I feel like I’ve added a whole extra hour to my day that I didn’t have before.

I’m also more focused. Your body’s cortisol level naturally starts to rise within less than half an hour of waking, bringing with it increased energy and momentum for the day (the opposite happens at night, which is part of the reason I was feeling so “done” in the evenings). By capitalizing on the body’s natural rhythms, morning becomes the perfect time of day to get some serious stuff done (especially when there are no distractions to keep you from doing things because everyone else is still in bed!). Specifically, I’ve started saving all the things I LEAST want to do for right around 6am and I’m finding I have more motivation to actually do them. And, since I’m full of morning energy and focus, I’m doing it all in record time.

And I have guaranteed “me” time. Let’s face it — any “me” time whatsoever is a pretty precious commodity. And some days you can have all the best intentions in the world, but when life gets in the way, those “me” time plans are the first to fly out the window. By getting up an hour and a half before everyone else to do the things that I really want to do for my body, mind, and spirit, I’m guaranteeing that that precious time is truly mine, and mine alone. And as a little bonus, by the time my family does get out of bed, I’m able to greet them from a place of calm contentment (rather than jumping out of bed on someone else’s terms and trying to keep up with the day from the onset!).

So, if you’re up for a little experimentation with your morning routine, I’ve come to the conclusion that this whole get-out-bed-early nonsense is certainly worth a shot. Here are some tips that helped me to actually make it happen:

Go to bed early. Pretty obvious, but it takes a little planning at first. Make sure you’re counting backwards from the time your alarm will go off so that you’re not only leaving yourself enough time for actual sleep, but also taking into account when you need to start winding down, stop drinking water, etc…
Get out of bed as soon as your alarm goes off — no snoozing. Again, this isn’t new, but it’s so important! The only way this will work is if you don’t allow yourself to question it. Hop out of bed and turn a light on as soon as you can.
Have a plan for your first hour. This was a big key for me because it helped to make it feel like I had a purpose for actually getting up. In my plan, I spend the first 30 minutes exercising, the next 10 checking email, and the next 20 reading (something educational ;)). That way by 6am, I’ve already worked out, cleared out my inbox, and learned something new — talk about a great start to the day!
Don’t give up. If you really want to make something a habit, the conventional wisdom is that you have to keep doing it for 66 days! When you run into those days where you feel tired or unenthused, try to push through it a little bit. It definitely gets easier as you go.

If you do decide to give this a go, I’d love to hear from you! Write a response and tell me how it went, what your morning routine is like, and whether you think you’ll keep it up for the long term.

And if you’re not ready to give it a shot yet, no worries.

I completely understand! ☺

— Tami
xoxo