Yesterday I wrote a blog post on why I enjoy waking up at 5am, and what I do when I wake up early.
Today I am going to write about HOW to make it happen – it’s easy to say that you want to wake up early – but how do you actually force yourself to get out of a warm cozy bed…especially in the fall/winter when it is cold and dark?
Here’s what I do:
Just do it!
I cannot force myself to go to bed early. I really just cannot. I can’t make myself go to bed early just so I can wake up the next morning at 5. When I did my five day 5 am challenge, before the first day I just went to bed at my usual time (around midnight). And I set up alarm for 5am and just got up. I knew I would be tired by the end of the day, but that was good thing! I literally could not keep my eyes open past 10pm the first day. And that made getting up the next day that much easier! The second day I was asleep by 9pm – which to me is perfect as it gives me 8 hours of sleep. So – don’t force yourself to go to sleep early. Instead – force yourself to wake up early for the first few days, and you will then automatically start going to bed early.
Find accountability partners!
For me – this is KEY! I posted on Facebook that I was doing a 5 day 5am challenge and was looking for some friends to support me. A few responded, I got their cell phone numbers, and now I send out a text to them at 5:30am every morning and we tell each other what workout we will be doing. I feel accountable to them – and I will not let them down! It is much easier to talk myself out of an early wakeup if no one is counting on me. But when my friends are counting on me – I get up and I get to it! If you need an accoutability partner – that is what I am here for! Add me as a friend on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sheryjesin and we can exchange numbers – I would love to add you to our accountability group.
Get ready the night before!
I know I will be working out first thing when I wake up, so I get ready for that. For me that means laying out my workout clothes and planning which workout I will be doing. Picking out my outfit only takes a few minutes, but I would rather do it the night before to save time. Also – I find when I wear a cute workout outfit, it motivated me to push a bit harder. Does that happen to you too? LOL. I will also spend 10-20 mins before bed tidying up, emptying the dishwasher, picking out the kids’ clothes and making at least part of their lunches. It feels good knowing these things are done and it means I have more time for ME first thing in the morning.
Do you wake up early? Do you have any tips to add on how you make it happen?
