Getting up early not only changed my life but convinced me to become a believer in early rising!
Workout? Check.
Before I had my daughter, I would work out 3-5 times a week. I was a hot yoga junkie and kickboxing nut, so I liked all types of classes. While I was pregnant, the fear of lengthy labor pushed me to work out every single day.
Once I had my daughter, everything went downhill. I was breastfeeding, not sleeping, and feeling like the Stay-Puft marshmallow man. Over the past two years, I have attempted to “make time” to work out but have found that getting a workout in was next to impossible once the day started.
With my new wake-up time, I have my gym clothes ready right next to the bed, head down to my basement, and take 30 minutes to kick some butt. I never had the time mid-day or the energy after my daughter went to bed, so this got my workouts back on the schedule. Best part? By 7 a.m., I can say that my workout is done for the day—no more guilt when I choose something else over a workout.
Showering alone is heavenly.
Instead of half-freezing as my toddler plays peek-a-boo with the shower curtain, I enjoy a long, hot shower. Okay, so it may not be as long as I like, but five minutes of alone time in the shower is all I need to start the day on the right foot.
Breakfast and snacks are ready.
With that bit of extra time in the morning, before the tornado toddler wakes up, I can get breakfast going and pack all the snacks for the day. Now that I am showered and dressed, my daughter is the only person I have to get ready. No small task for those of you with energetic toddlers, but there isn’t a great need to rush since most of our tasks are already done.
Mood stability.
I HATE being late, having bad hair days, and feeling sloppy. I was starting to feel like I was always rushing to get us both out of the house with little time to put on makeup and do my hair with my old schedule. No, I’m not talking about beauty queen status, but I love makeup and enjoy putting it on as a part of my routine. When I feel good leaving the house because I am not running late or not looking my best, my whole mood is lifted, and I feel like I can handle anything that the day throws at me.
The gift of time.
The whole year, I kept rationalizing that if I had gotten up an hour earlier, I would also have to go to bed an hour earlier. Well, um, yeah. My thought process was that I needed to accomplish things in the evening after my daughter had gone to bed and that I would be losing that precious hour.
When I took a long look at this precious evening hour that I was so reluctant to give up, I realized that I often sat on the couch, exhausted from the day. In essence, this hour I was losing wasn’t productive, but the hour I had gained helped me manage my day.
I’m not going to lie; the first few days were harder than I thought. I was so damn tired and had some great excuses. I couldn’t possibly find a good reason to get myself up a full hour and a half before my daughter got up when I was dragging myself out of bed, but I knew I needed to change, so I pushed through.
I like to stay in bed a little longer on weekends, but it’s okay. A more consistent exercise regimen lowers my stress level, helps me focus my mind, and makes me feel healthier. Go ahead, take the plunge!
