How often have you said, I wish I had time for _______? I talk to people constantly about the various things that they wish they could squeeze in. Many times, when people are trying to find a way to squeeze in a workout, a meditation session or a way to make their life easier, I suggest getting up earlier. The number one response to that is, “I am not a morning person though”. Neither am I! Prior to getting to do what I love, I spent 10 years working in the food and beverage industry. My work day started at 4 p.m. and many times ended close to 1 or 2 am. It wasn't until I had babies that I finally was forced to wake up before 9 a.m.

I believe that those babies taught me that, not only do you not need as much sleep as you think, but you can do anything if you absolutely must! Many times, I would get home at 1 or 2 a.m. only to be woken up by 6 a.m. so that we could watch Elmo and have Cheerios. What do you think I did? I dozed on the couch, of course! Did I live on coffee and energy drinks? Of course! Was I in my most healthy state? Absolutely not!

I'm not suggesting that you need less than 5 hours of sleep a night, in fact sleeping less than that can work against your weight loss goals as well as lead to many other serious health conditions. What I am suggesting is that it won't kill you to get up a little bit earlier.

So how much is a little bit? Depends on what you want to accomplish. If you are trying to squeeze in a workout, you're going to need a minimum of 30 minutes of actual time to work out, plus the time to wake up and get some fuel in your system, plus your usual time to shower. If you're trying to squeeze in a meditation, the same applies. If you really break it down, you do several things similarly every single morning. Ideally you get up, get your breakfast, get yourself dressed and ready for the day. The only difference in trying to fit in a workout or a meditation, is that you need to build in the time to prepare for that and the actual time participating in that activity. Bottom line, 30 extra minutes. You can handle that right?

Now what about when the alarm goes off and you really don't want to do it? This would be gut check time. This is the time when you decide for yourself how important it really is to you. I know myself well enough to know that I'm going to hit the snooze button, multiple times. So, I set my alarm early enough that I build in that extra cushion. Maybe you need to leave a note for yourself by the side of the bed. Maybe you need to ask your spouse or significant other to help in the process of kicking you out of bed in the morning. Get creative, have fun with it, but make it happen! Set yourself a fun ringtone, or an annoying one, once that song is in your head there's no way you were going back to sleep!

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Why are some people seemingly so much more productive? Because they make it a priority. Your health, your happiness, your goals are worth setting your alarm a little bit earlier. Plus, that’s why someone invented caffeine right? Cheers!

If you need an accountability partner to help you get your habit established, give me a call!