How 5 AM Changed My Life

It's 5:00 AM and my alarm goes off. It's pitch black outside, and I'm wondering why on earth anyone would be awake at this time. However, I've made a commitment to myself to get up, so I sit up, and start getting dressed with the workout clothes on the floor next to me that I laid out the night before. With difficulty, this routine became a habit of mine after about a month.

Since January of 2019, every morning by 7:00 AM I've worked out, had my protein, meditated, planned my day, and showered. I never realized how important it would be to take time alone before I began my day as a mom and working-mom at that.

Time alone in the morning allows me to work on myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I can't make this stuff up you guys, it has changed my life.

So who cares right? Am I the only one who wakes up at this time? I'm not actually, and to name a few others...

• Tim Cook

• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

• Indra Nooyi

• Howard Schultz

• Jack Dorsey

• Jeff Weiner

What do these people have in common? Success in response to hard work. When you take care of yourself first, you can take care of anything else.

You're probably thinking, "this sounds great and all, but there's still no way I'll have the energy to do ANYTHING at that time." I get it, and it does take time to feel like a coherent person at that hour. Lucky for you I have some tips to help!

• Set a bed time and stick to it. The recommended amount of sleep for EVERYONE is 7-8 hours.

• Sit up right when your alarm goes off. If you snuggle back in bed after turning off your alarm, you're toast.

• Set out your clothes the night before. Mine are at my feet, so right when I stand up I'm stepping on my workout clothes.

• Enlist a buddy. I'm grateful my husband also wakes up at the same time as me. Try to convince your significant other/family member/friend/roommate to be up with you! Even if you don't sleep with them, seeing a text in the morning they're up as well can help.

• Have a plan. If you wake up and have no idea what your next move is, you might as well be sleeping. I always plan my workout the night before, then know what I'm doing right after until Hugh wakes up.

• Anticipate the growing pains. You will not begin waking up early and be totally fine during the first couple of weeks. You just need to remember, "the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph," (Thomas Paine).

Maybe 5 AM is too large of a leap right now, and that's ok! Start your morning journey by waking up even one hour before you normally do. I think you'll be surprised at the difference it can make in your day.

I hope this helps!

Photo by Moose Photos from Pexels

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