How I transformed from hardcore night owl to healthy early bird...and how you can too!

“Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will       happen to you the rest of the day” –Mark Twain
 
This particular quote really resonated with me the first time I heard it. It was a time when I was just barely becoming consciously aware of the benefits of having more productive mornings. I’ve since applied this concept not only to my health goals but also to the way I operate at work.
 
For as early as I can remember it’s been a struggle to drag myself out of bed in the mornings. I’ve always loathed the sound of my alarm clock, no matter how seemingly benign the tone sounded. Whatever tone I chose, over time I began to hate the sound of it. I’ll never again appreciate the sound of wind chimes the way I used to!
 
Waking up early in high school was even more of a struggle. It was so bad that even my principal seemed to have thrown the towel in. Getting me to my first period class was such an impossible feat that she simply found it easier to allow me to drop that class entirely rather than try to find innovative ways to force me to attend. Waking up on time (let alone early) was simply not something I did. Being a night owl was embedded into my identity.

The turning point
But all of this changed when I had no choice but to start waking up earlier, hours before my scheduled work time. Sure, I spent years waking up at 5:30 a.m. to make it to my hospital jobs on time. And I can proudly say I wasn’t late to work a single time to my hospital gigs. But I still never allotted for myself a nice cushion of time that I could utilize, to make myself productive before work.  That is, up until a new neighbor upstairs moved in. What initially felt like a nightmare situation soon became a life-changing blessing in disguise.
 
Suddenly I was being forced to wake up at 5:30 every day. My dog developed a new phobia of footsteps coming from above. And this was no light-footed person that moved in. Predictably, my dog wouldn’t let me sleep as soon as our new friend got up. We had no choice but to adapt to our new neighbor’s early bird schedule.
 
My dog became the most effective alarm clock I’ve ever had. My job didn’t start until 9 a.m. so there I was, suddenly finding myself with 3 & ½ hours of free time. Cursing out my new neighbor in my head got old fast. So I decided to start researching what “normal” people did when they woke up super early to follow healthy morning routines.  Back then of course, I thought these “normal people” were kinda crazy to be honest. But now I feel like I’m in on their little secret…
 
My research quickly demonstrated that getting your blood flowing early in the day is really beneficial. Exercise is something that many of us dread, myself sometimes included. So I wouldn’t allow procrastination to be an option anymore. I started to build exercise, and other new pursuits into my schedule, with all of my newfound time. Who knew that all along, the time was there? That I had simply been overlooking these golden hours? How sad I felt when I realized how many beautiful sunrises I had missed in my life already.
 
I had an awakening. My misguided priorities combined with my mismanaged time had been robbing me of doing the things that were most important to me and to my health. It wasn’t my full-time job that had been stopping me from engaging in healthier pursuits. It was myself all along.

What does a healthy morning look like?
First see where you can open up time. Maybe you can start by decreasing screen time whenever possible. Make an agreement with yourself to protect your early morning hours by not checking work emails, or the depressing news for that matter. Make the time sacred. Prioritize it. Make it a time to pursue those activities that nourish your soul and endless possibilities will open up.

What your mornings look like really depends on your individual health goals. What works for me may or may not work for you. Having said this, I will share what’s been working for me. These simple morning pleasures are what have me for the first time in my life, springing out of bed and eager to get my day started.

I personally see (and feel!) a tremendous benefit from getting moving soon after waking up. Take the time to warm up your joints and muscles a bit and then just get moving soon after. It boosts your circulation, perks you up and it makes you feel good for the rest of the day. You’ve already accomplished something great for yourself before the workday has even begun.

It doesn’t have to be anything intense either, especially at first. The idea is not to dread a long, boring, difficult workout when you first get up. That’s a surefire way to relapse into your old snooze-button ways. Just find something that you find tolerable (or dare I say…enjoyable!) and do that for a little bit.

Then ask yourself what other goals you’d like to meet this year that you can work towards slowly, each morning? You’d be absolutely amazed at how much you can accomplish with 365 early mornings. Personally, my early mornings have become a key time to develop AndiamoFit and to work on my blog. It’s also been a time to study Italian in the form of brief modules every morning, something I had been delaying for years.

Oh, and don’t forget to hydrate upon awakening! All my life I’ve hated lemons. Lemonade was only made palatable with excessive amounts of sugar added. But recently after finishing a 14-hour fast, the taste of cold lemon water after a brief workout in the morning has started to taste divine.

I also like to take some time to practice some form of mindfulness or meditation. You don’t need to be religious to do this. Just be in the moment. Carve out a little time in the mornings to still your mind. It doesn't have to be long. Maybe watch the sunrise with a quick cup of coffee. Think of a few things to be grateful for. Thank the universe for another opportunity to start anew.

I also usually take just a few minutes to prioritize my day. Which tasks are most important today? Map out your day. When you begin your day with a proactive rather than a reactive state of mind, I promise you that your life will change.

After all these mini tasks have been accomplished, I like to venture outside for a little fresh air before being tied to the 9-5 for the rest of the day. This is my official transition time between my morning and my work. It’s when I clear my mind, get my head in the game for the day to come and when I bask in the pleasure of knowing I had another great morning.

Nowadays I feel horrible if I miss out on my rewarding mornings. Morning has become the highlight of my day. I feel more alert, I feel less reactive during the day and I feel more able to meet the day's challenges. My drive to wake up is no longer external. It’s become intrinsic and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Takeaways
Just as is the case with completing a workout, you will never regret having woken up early to pursue the things important to you. There may be some days when you need a little more sleep. That’s okay too. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Always listen to your body. But you also may find that soon enough, your body doesn’t want to sleep in!
I’m fully aware that I am fortunate to have the ability at this point in my life to carve out some “me-time” to make all of this happen. Because of family obligations and the many time constraints imposed on us by our modern world, not everyone is able to set aside a few hours to recharge and to meet goals each morning.

But one does not need several hours to have a healthy, meaningful start to the day. It’s just about having a routine and discovering how to make time for what really matters to you. It’s about starting the day with a proactive rather than reactive mindset. It’s about letting life happen for you, not to you.

Remember that good health is not just about physical health. It’s about emotional, spiritual, social, intellectual health too. Maybe your early mornings are spent connecting with your loved ones and engaging more meaningfully with them.
Trust me when I say, time is a precious commodity. The biggest regrets people have on their deathbeds are not the things they did, but the things they didn’t make time to do.

Begin your day with something healthy, something pleasant and something meaningful. This will have a domino effect on the rest of your day. Your choices throughout the day will stem from the positive momentum of your beautiful start.