Annoying alarm clocks. Sprinting through a shower. Dragging myself out of my warm bed. Skipping breakfast. My associations with morning are usually less than positive. As a mom of two early risers, making the necessary adjustment from night owl to (very) reluctant morning person hasn't been easy. But, like most things in life, just because it's hard doesn't mean it's impossible. In my quest to better my attitude about early rising, I've learned a few tricks to help myself wake up faster. And the best part is, they're all relatively easy and don't involve drinking the entire pot of coffee by myself (Though I've admittedly resorted to that once or twice).
Morning hours can be some of the most productive hours of the day, if you let them. The trick is changing your perception of morning from one of dread to at least acceptance, and maybe even excitement. Whether you have an early morning commute, an energetic toddler, or just want to accomplish more with your day, training your body to wake up early is a healthy habit to establish. Making a few small tweaks to your a.m. routine will not only help you get on with your day quicker and more awake than usual, but might even help you shed the label "not a morning person" once and for all.
1
Move Your Alarm Across The Room
This simple act is one of the biggest game changers to your morning routine. Being unable to hit snooze will force you to do the hardest thing for non-morning people, and take that first step out of bed.
2
Make Your Breakfast Ahead Of Time
Prepping a healthy meal the night before will not only give you something to look forward to in the morning, but will be one less thing on your morning to-do list.
3
Go To Bed Early
Ensuring you get the magic seven to nine hours of sleep each night will help you wake up feeling well rested, instead of groggy from too much sleep or exhausted from too little.
4
Let Some Light In
Opening your curtains at night just enough to let some light in when the sun comes up will make your room feel less like a dark cave and the outside world seem much more inviting.
5
Make Plans In The Morning
Make plans that you look forward to each morning, anything from a breakfast date to reading your favorite book for a few minutes. This will help you change your mindset about waking up on time.
6
Be Consistent
Fast Company suggests waking up one minute earlier each day, to slowly improve your a.m. routine.
7
Don't Rush
Allow yourself plenty of time. Setting the alarm a mere 20 minutes before you need to be out the door will not only set you up for a morning full of stress, but will never help you become a morning person.
8
Drink Some Water
Women's Health notes that drinking a little bit of water before bed and then a few glasses first thing in the morning will help wake your body up and energize you for the day ahead.
9
Stop Telling Yourself You're Not A Morning Person
Labeling yourself as "anti-morning" only makes things harder for you. With a little bit of mind power you can change your associations with morning from ones of despair to excitement.
Images: LorenKerns/Flickr; Giphy (9)
