i wasn’t always a morning person. i talked more about that here, but i was the girl in college that didn’t have a class before 10:30am and i was basically questioning my business major because there was NO WAY i could work in an office setting where i would have to be there before 9am. no freaking way.
fast forward a few years [“a few” … nearly ten] and here i am, waking up at 5am, by choice.. if you would have told me this, i would have laughed and told you you were crazy. how things change.
anyways, there are a few things i’ve done to help learn to love mornings. notice how i said “learn”? i did not just all of a sudden start waking up at 5am loving rising before everyone else. no, but i’ve almost ‘tricked’ myself into it, and i can honestly say the first two hours of the day are now my favorite, weekend or weekday. here’s how i did it:
- i learned to love morning workouts. now, i’m not saying that you have to work out to be a morning person, but endorphins, people! “exercise gives you endorphins. endorphins make you happy. happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.” — NAME THAT MOVIE. no but really, once i started incorporating moving my body everyday into my routine, my body began to crave it. as my life got busier, i knew that i had to fit it into my morning or there was a low chance it actually got done. i look at my morning walking/strength routines like a “need to do” and anything after work [workout classes/walks with my fam] is just extra. call me crazy, but working out in the morning also helps wake me up, plus i feel like it helps negate the fact that i drive an hour every morning.
- i incorporated instant gratification. you know what that is? caffeine. i allowed myself some caffeine [after i had some water] right when i woke up, and turns out i’m easily pleased. a little caffeine right away was enough to drag myself out of bed while it’s still dark. also, new workout clothes, amiright?
- i went to bed earlier. no-brainer, but not having enough sleep sucks. it took a few nights to get into it, and yes i was tired, but i can tell you now that i fall asleep at 8pm at the drop of a hat #oldladystatus.
- i looked at the long game. i knew that i would feel so much better all day long if i got up early, so i did. i did something now that my future self would thank me for.
- i sucked it up. not super exciting advice, but part of being an adult is doing what you don’t want to do when you don’t want to do it. sometimes you just have to do the hard things and lean into feeling uncomfortable. and you know what? i didn’t die; in fact, my life improved! turns out, i CAN be a morning person, and i thrive!
it seems super simple; but i totally get that it’s not. if you want to become a morning person, though, it’s SO WORTH IT. so many successful people get up early, not to mention the health benefits.
are you a morning person? what does your morning routine look like? i LOVE to hear about people’s morning routines. let me know!
some of my favorite workout bottoms from onzie
some of my favorite workout bottoms from lululemon
some of my favorite workout bottoms from athleta