This is it. Your last time hitting the snooze button has arrived.

If you are anything like me, you and your snooze button are like BFF’s. You spend every morning, blindly reaching out to connect with each other, every ten to fifteen minutes, until you know it is getting late and you finally drag yourself out of bed. Those extra few snoozes may or may not have done you any good, and unless you get your cup of Go Juice fast, you might be dragging for the rest of the day.

Today – we are going to try to change this habit and turn you into a morning person! Tomorrow you will jump right out of bed with a whole new appreciation for mornings and the ability to grab a little extra time in your day, and lets face it, we could all use a few extra minutes in our day.

Ok – I’ll freely admit that it is darn near impossible to make you a morning person, but hey – we can still try to get you that extra hour of time each day! Here is a small list of suggestions to get you started. Give them a try and let me know in the comment section below if you have any tips or tricks to add to this, because lord knows, I could always use a little more encouragement to get out of bed every day too!

1. Early to bed early to rise

This is not a bad way to look at it really. So, instead of watching that last show, turn off the telly, the iPad and the phones. The bedroom needs to be a dark, quiet, calm space with no electronic devices to tempt you. Set your alarm for 8 – 9 hours ahead of your bedtime. This is not the time to start rationalising with me, or anyone else, by saying you only need 5 or 6 hours a night. You need 8 or 9 hours. Trust me, your mind and your muscles need it! If your phone is your alarm clock then place it as far away from your bed as possible, so once it starts to jingle jangle in the morning you will have to get out of bed to turn it off.

2. Drink lots of water before you go to bed. 

I know this sounds like something you might already be doing, especially for hydration and detoxification purposes, so well done you! I have yet to meet a person who stays warm and snuggled in their bed in the morning with a full bladder! (Surprisingly this one works really well).

3. Get organised

If you have other responsibilities in the morning, like making school lunches (yay for summer holidays!) and helping children find shoes, socks, coats etc. then start doing this the night before. I know it is the last thing you want to do, dragging your weary bones off the couch and working before you go to bed, but this buys you soon much more time in the morning. I like to tidy the kitchen, set the coffee maker and make everyones lunches. That way I have time to mull over the morning news while waiting for the coffee which is push-button ready.

4. Try this App to get you moving

https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/step-out-bed!-smart-alarm/id673120263?mt=8

It literally makes you walk around the house using a step counter, like a pedometer, to turn the alarm off. If you are into making sure you get your 10,000 steps a day, and you know how hard that is, then this is a great little App for you!

5. So you’re in bed and sleep won’t come

I know how this is, and we can all rationalise staying up later because we have difficulty switching off; therein lies the problem. You have to teach yourself how to switch off. Maybe a few minutes practicing yoga or ten minutes of meditating mindfulness will do it for you? How about a warm bath or shower while listening to a bit of light classical music? When all else fails, and you are lying there counting sheep, try retracing your steps. Start with the morning and remember hitting the snooze button a few times. The move on to the next step, did you go to the loo, wash your hands and face? Did you have coffee or tea, then check you phone for emails and calendar updates? I am usually zonked by lunchtime as it is always difficult to recall every minute of my day. I love this trick. It works every time!

6. Waking up early deserves a reward

It truly does. So for the first few days, try planning a delicious healthy treat for your earlier start to the day. How about a lovely cup of coffee with a dash of vanilla and oat milk? Or if trying to steer clear of the caffeine, why not try one of our fabulous teas from Solaris. We have plenty in studio for you to choose from so have a peek next time you are in for a session.

Grapefruit Pom Blue

7. Don’t fast before you go fast!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I am guilty of skipping it myself, but seriously, eat something nutritious within 30 minutes of waking everyday. And when I say eat, I mean food you can chew. The Blueberry grapefruit salad is chock full of vitamins, antioxidants and fibre and will give you a fabulous wake up buzz. Or why not buy yourself a nutritious loaf of Rye bread and make some toast with a generous dollop of cashew butter, blueberries and seeds. This protein pop will stick with you till mid morning when you can top it up with an apple or another piece of fruit, staving of hunger pangs and keeping your metabolism stoked till lunchtime. ( you’re welcome!)

 

MM Brekkie Blue Butter

Ok, now you are up early, what next?

Do not waste your time playing around on Facebook or reading blogs, unless it is our blog of course. Use this time to do something creative. Write a blog post (ha, thats for me!), or meditate, maybe do a little bit of exercising and enjoy the sunrise while your coffee brews. Enjoy the peace and quiet of the house and plan your day. I have been known to use this time to get a few bills paid, or more laundry folded or even brush up, for free, on my Spanish lessons because is almost time for the holidays!

IMG_8431

Please don’t waste this time you have worked so hard to wake up for.

That’s all for now and remember …. #JustBreatheOut