We've all had those mornings where you just want to throw your alarm clock out your window, roll over and get some more shut eye (rewind to Monday this week).
However, maybe we need to be setting our alarm even earlier than we thought to ensure we have great productive days and feel even more energised, let's take a look at why this may be the case.
Better Productivity
Getting up early gives you a kick start for your day. You obviously have more hours to get work done, but it also improves your speed and efficiency. Studies have found that getting up early makes us more energetic and takes us less time to complete tasks that otherwise would take much longer. We also have more clarity around making decisions, planning and achieving goals.
More Positivity
Waking up early reduces our stress levels. It eliminates the need to rush around and allows us to start the day in an optimistic manner, this positivity often then stays with us throughout the day - leading to a more fulfilling and successful day.
Better Sleep Quality
Early to bed, early to rise. Once in a routine of getting up early, you'll find that you start going to bed earlier as your body's internal clock adapts to your new routine. This shift away from late nights often means less screen time, less junk food/desserts, better hormonal balance and overall a better night's sleep.
Healthy Eating Habits
People that wake up early generally eat breakfast, whereas late risers rush out the door and grab something unhealthy or miss breakfast altogether. The problem with missing breakfast is that it leads to unhealthy choices later in the day (that chocolate bar in the tea room is very tempting if you're hungry mid-morning).
Time to Exercise
Ever used the excuse of 'I don't have time to exercise'? Yeh me too! Well if we set our alarm an hour earlier than normal, we now have an hour to exercise. First thing in the morning will kick start our metabolism (rate at which we burn calories) for the day and ensure it stays at an elevated level all day (yes, we can burn fat all day long thanks to that morning session). Not to mention you'll boost your energy for the day, clear your head for all the tasks that lie ahead, and be ready to tackle any obstacle knowing you've already achieved a little goal to start the day.
So, we can see how waking early can really propel our progress in all areas of our life by being more productive, having more clarity around our goals and being energised to tackle them each day.
My suggestion is to start slow with this process if you're not getting up early already. Aim to wake up 15 minutes earlier next week, then 30 minutes the following week, and so on until you find that sweet spot of being well rested and waking up with energy.
Set an alarm and put it on the other side of the room so it forces you up and out of bed.
Get moving - begin the day with some light exercise to wake up all your senses and give you that energy boost.
Lastly, be disciplined with your bedtime routine - no screens 30 minutes before bed, read or meditate before bed, take a magnesium supplement to enhance sleep, aim for the same time each night, don't eat too heavy before bed, limit alcohol and coffee around bedtime.
Good luck
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
