Mornings

Ask anyone who knows me and they'll report that I've never been a morning person. My morning routine has always been about getting as much sleep as I possibly can and leaving as little time needed to get ready and get to school/work. In high school my Mom literally had to drag me out of bed in the morning with threats of no breakfast but more importantly no ride to school. (She even left me at home once...) I think I learned my lesson after that incident.

But recently I've had a shift in thinking about mornings. I read a blog post recently that talked about reveling in morning routines and taking that time for yourself each day. Initially, I laughed and said oh it'll never happen for me. But then it got me thinking... could it work? Could I start to enjoy getting up early and reveling in that daily me time? Hmmm... worth a try I suppose.

So... this week I started setting my alarm for 5:00 a.m. The trick for me has been putting my cell phone a.k.a my alarm clock across the room so that I actually have to get out of bed to turn it off. Up at 5:00... on the elliptical at my gym by 5:30... home by 6:40... Most mornings I was hitting snooze for the fourth time at 6:40 a.m. Not only is it a wonderful feeling to have my hour workout completed before it's even light outside but I have really enjoyed my mornings. I have found that I've had more energy, been a little happier, and feel more prepared for my life. Hmmm... all of these years I've been sleeping, snoozing, and rushing around to get out the door assuming that with extra time I would just sit around and do nothing when I could be sleeping.

I really am reveling in this morning routine and this time to myself. Granted, I will enjoy the walk to my car in the morning a little more when it's not 40 degrees outside. But it is nice quiet/alone time for me during what is a very busy life that I lead.

So for those of you that are sleepers, snoozers, and rush around all morning long... think about a change in your morning routine. I'm now a believer and dare I say... a morning person!