I am no good at waking up. In fact, I am awful at it. I have great intentions and each day I set my cell phone alarm early (say 5:30 or 6:00)...then dutifully hit the snooze button for an hour. Bill hates this habit and cannot for the life of him understand why I don't just set my alarm for 6:45 or 7:00am. But here is the thing, I really want to get up early - I just cannot get my mind and body to cooperate.
A while back - for a few weeks - I was getting up each morning to fit in a 20 minute yoga practice. And I loved it. I loved how it felt to be up early and moving. Once I started attending Revelation regularly, I stopped the getting up. And I miss it...but I am just so tired in the morning. I usually get around 7 hours of sleep which I think is pretty good. I get to bed between 10:00 and 11:00pm which may seem late but given that I get home around 8:00pm most nights, I think it is reasonable.
Now, it is not that I never get up early - I would say once every two weeks or so something will go haywire at work and I will have to be at the office at the crack of dawn. I hate those days and they exhaust me. Part of me thinks that if I were getting up early everyday, these early work mornings would not be so painful, which is another really good incentive to start dragging my butt out of bed regularly.
So I need a plan - I really like having a plan. I recently read this article in Yoga Journal online about how to wake up earlier and I plan to try and follow it...loosely. Here is the plan:
1) I should be waking up at 5:30 and not 6:30. The article suggest waking up 20 minutes before the sun...I'm not sure that that is reasonable given my schedule but I do know that my body actually responds better to waking up at 5:30 than at 6:30am, for whatever reason.
2) Splash cool water on my face first thing. I actually did this when I was doing morning yoga and it really helps.
3) Drink warm water with lemon or lime. Now, I am a coffee drinker. A serious coffee drinker. But if I want to practice yoga in the mornings, coffee will be way too harsh on my stomach. This water and citrus option seems doable.
4) Scrape my tongue. I already scrape my tongue. I'm not sure how this relates to waking up early, but I already do it and its in the article, so yay me.
And thats kind of where I stop. I do not see myself rubbing sesame oil on my ears or giving myself a massage, per the article. If I did all these things I would never make it to work on time!
Does anyone have any early morning tips?
** Please note, I set my alarm this morning for 5:30am...hit the Snooze button till 6:00am...moved to the couch till 6:45am and then finally got up. So day 1 of this plan was a big FAIL ***
Friday, July 30, 2010
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okay...so i am totally swapping my green tea for the lemon water...we'll see how that goes. you know my advice...just get up at the first bell. done. you have to just do it. that's the only tip i have! :)
ReplyDeleteget some peppermint oil...I gave some to Tam for her birthday. Put a drop in your palm, rub your hands together and then breathe it in. A drop on the tongue or on your 3rd eye works also. I do this before yoga practice or a run.
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren! My early morning tip may not be conducive to a zen-like lifestyle... but this works for me! When I need to catch an early flight after a long night, I leave my ipod on my nightstand the night before and leave it on an upbeat tune, (usually Lady Gaga) BLASTING. As soon as I hear the alarm, I immediately put in my ear buds and hit play ;o) Doesn't wake the hubs and gets my adrenaline pumping big time. Works every time!
ReplyDeleteThe most important factor in successful early morning wakening is going to bed early. Everyone needs a certain amount of sleep, and we build up a sleep deficit if we don't get enough. No matter how good your intentions, if you're sleep deprived, getting up early is going to be incredibly difficult.
ReplyDeleteIf going to bed isn't easy for you, but you're looking to change your bed time, do everything you can to get yourself up at your 5:30 wake up time (you'll be tired, and that's the point), then go to bed at the early bed time.
Getting to bed early is the only way I can make my early morning wake up time. Good luck!
Good Morning,
ReplyDeleteMy advice on how to get up early, co-habitate with a surgeon...JK :)
But in all seriousness, my hubby gets up at hours that seem inhuman to me. I too am a habitual snoozer so sorry I don't really have any advice for you LKP.
But, the warm lemon water thing, be forewarned this will get your BM going, like seriously going. That is my grandmother's cure all for constipation.
Sorry, TMI, I truly have become a surgeon's wife.
Sending you good thoughts and prayers for your tough week ahead!
xoxo, Tina