What if I told you there is a way to increase productivity, lessen stress, improve your health with exercise, and look better every day? Would you be willing to try it?
According to Women’s Health, “A growing body of research demonstrates that early risers have advantages when it comes to their energy levels, moods, and workout habits.”
All you have to do is get up an hour earlier every morning. I know, I know—you aren’t an early riser or maybe you aren’t getting enough sleep as it is. However, once you experience the benefits of rising early, you will see it’s worth the effort, even if you aren’t naturally an early riser. And, you can start going to bed earlier so that getting up earlier isn’t so hard.
The NIH offers Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep. In their article, they assert that it’s important to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day. So, let’s look at the positive benefits of getting up an hour earlier every day. Once your body gets use to this rhythm, getting up will be easier.
1. You’ll be mentally prepared
When you know you have time on your side, your brain can slow down and stop racing. You will have time to plan out your day and organize your thoughts. You can visualize what your day will be like and mentally prepare yourself for what kind of day you will have. You start your day with dominion, instead of feeling harried and mentally disorganized.
2. You’ll get your exercise in
There’s nothing worse than having a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you know you haven’t done something yet. When you know you are getting up earlier to exercise, you can lay out your clothes for your workout the night before and have a plan for what exercise to do. When you wake up with time on your side, you can grab your workout clothes and get your exercise done before your day gets away from you.
3. You’ll be able to actually eat breakfast
We all know breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When we are in a hurry and don’t time have time for breakfast, we might grab something unhealthy or skip breakfast and go hungry. Being up earlier allows time to eat a good breakfast, which could have a positive effect on your whole day—not to mention the energy you’ll get from having a good breakfast.
4. You won’t have to fight the crowds
If you commute to work, traffic gets busier as the morning goes on. It’s much less stressful to drive early in the morning when there’s less traffic. It’s the same for if you want to grab a latte or cappuccino—the lines will be much shorter the earlier you get to the coffee shop. Parking is also better the earlier you get there.
5. You’ll look better
You’ll have more time in the morning to get ready. It shows when someone looks really put together. You’ll have the time to find the perfect outfit or to do those extra things: pluck your eyebrows, actually blow out your hair, shine your shoes, floss your teeth, etc. It shows. You present to the world a more put-together image. You feel better and look better.
6. You can work uninterrupted
Whether you work from your home or at an office, working when no one else is around has definite advantages. There is no noise and no interruptions, just the opportunity to be more productive in a shorter time. We all want to feel more productive and that we are using our time as wisely as we can.
The hardest part to getting up an hour earlier is the first few moments when you are tempted to go back to sleep. If you set your alarm across the room and don’t allow hitting the snooze button to enter your mind, you can stumble through the first few minutes and then realize that you do feel awake. It’s pushing through those first few minutes that makes all the difference. Once you do, and you become awake, the opportunities for you to experience something wonderful is there for the taking. Why not try it? It could make a huge difference in your day and life.
Featured photo credit: Ed Gregory via stokpic.com
