Do you wake up with the sun, or are you snoozing your alarm clock 10 minutes before you have to leave the house? Believe it or not, I wasn't always a morning person, and I was always running out of the house. However, during the last couple of years, I have discovered how much I love mornings and getting into a routine! Here are some of my tips to becoming a morning person.
1. Get Enough Sleep
Now don't let me mislead you. I sometimes dread waking up if I didn't get enough sleep the night before. While you have probably heard this many times before, make sure you get enough sleep. No matter how redundant this may seem, the average person needs about 7-8 hours of sleep. That's when I feel the most rested, but it's not exactly easy to achieve, which leads me to my next tip.
2. Go to Bed & Wake Up at the Same Time Every Day
Getting into this routine everyday (even on weekends) will make it a lot easier for your mind and body to fall asleep and wake up. When I start getting into routine for a couple of weeks, I start to wake up before my alarm even goes off. Just one late night and late morning can throw off your sleep schedule, so try to keep it as consistent as possible.
3. Wind Down
So you turn your lights off and hop in bed, but spend hours tossing and turning, and staring at the ceiling because you're not tired. Trust me, I've been there. My mind keeps turning at night and I can't seem to shut it off. To counteract this, give yourself anywhere from 30-60 minutes to wind down and get ready for bed. Find something relaxing that you like to do. This can be anything from taking a shower to reading a book.
4. Avoid Screen Time
So you're going to spend 30 minutes before bed catching up on social media. Before you know it, it's 1:30 in the morning and you're wide awake. I've also made this mistake. Try to avoid looking at any screens (phone, computer, TV) during that 30-45 minute span of winding down. They tend to keep me awake and delay the process of actually falling asleep.
5. Give Yourself Time in The Mornings
While it's tempting to only give yourself enough time to get ready, do your best to avoid this and wake up with more than enough time. Nobody likes to be rushed first thing in the morning. This will give you more time for you, leading me to my next tip.
6. Do Something You Love in the Morning
I used to dread waking up at 5:30 a.m. to do fasted cardio and for good reason. But if you have something to look forward to in the mornings, you will be more likely to wake up ready to start your morning. Now I like to start my mornings making a healthy breakfast, going for a walk, doing yoga, planning out my day etc. These activities make it easy for me to roll out of bed.