Why Mornings Matter: How Waking Up Early Revived My Mindset
Photo by AnnaSaguinsinHow do you start your day? We all have different methods that fit our lives best. Some start with a bang: out of bed, out the door...hustle, hustle, hustle. Others need time, coffee, and calm to ease into the routine of another 24 hours.
I roll out of bed much earlier than I have for a great many years. Back when I was a teenager, I rose in the wee hours to suit up and head to the pool for early morning workouts. Throughout my high school days and part of my college years, this remained the same. I may have grumbled about it from time-to-time back then, but I knew that was necessary to keep up in the competitive swimming world.
Of course when my children were babies, I experienced all of those odd hours of waking and sleep deprivation that parents of little ones live through. But as they grew older, my wake up time grew later too; always up in time to sneak in some exercise and see the kids off to school, though nothing like those swimming years when I would pull out of the driveway when it still dark outside.
Until about six months ago, that is. It was at that time that I stepped up the exercise activity and reassessed some goals. This little increase included adding in an hour of running with Mr. Steve. When we began our jogs, we would head out when he got home from work in the evenings. But trying to cram in dinner, tidbits of work left to do, helping the kid with homework, and the normal chaos of the eve proved a little tricky. We enjoyed the activity so much though that we still wanted to include it on a consistent basis; and so we devised a plan to get up earlier. A LOT earlier.
Photo by FuzzyYellowDuckling
Since I do a little weights and pilates routine before we bundle up for our run, that puts my alarm clock buzzing time at around 3:45 a.m. nowadays. I know that plenty of people get up MUCH earlier than that, so it's not a record-breaker, that's for sure. But let's just say that it's a lot darker outside the window than I have been used to for quite some time.
Here's the kicker though...I actually like getting up early. I mean, I really like it. Yeah, I know it seems a little loopy, right? But I really do. In fact, I look forward to that time every night before, and am surprising myself with just how much I've taken to it.
There is something about the peace and stillness outside when we head out the door. Hardly any cars are out. The lights in most houses are still off. The morning is calm and our voices are the only sounds around. It's so fantastic to have this uninterrupted time to just be able to talk to each other, with no distractions, no phones, no emails, no noise. In fact, the effort of the run is much less demanding because the whole adventure itself is so enjoyable.
Photo by BradKessler
Who knows how long we will continue this morning routine. I hope for a long while, because on the few days when we can't keep our pattern in place I feel like I'm being gypped out of this fabulous little portion of my day. It works for us and it's been an eye-opener into what great benefits shifting priorities can sometimes be. You never know what rewards hide behind doors that you are hesitant to open.
What is your morning routine and why do you dig the way your dawn goes down?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 10:31AM
Reader Comments (9)
I get up early, stretch and tickle both of the kids so we begin the day with laughter.
You wonderful smile is what gets me out of bed every morning.
The best part about my morning is showing some type of affection to my partner. It starts it off with a smile, slows me down and starts me off being thankful for the love in my life. I used to rush to be to work on perfect time but not anymore it wasn't worth it and didnt start off my day as they are now. I think it's wonderful you open yourself up to new things and keep those that make you feel great. That is what life is about experiencing and enjoying :)
thanks again jinx
Funny... I was just contemplating this... this morning. I woke up two hours earlier than I typically do. I didn't go for a run but I did enjoy the stillness, the silence and my morning java.
i get up pretty early w/ my oldest grandson, make his breakfast, get the coffee goin, take care of the dogs, and then begin my day. i'm going to try to get up a lil earlier so i can get in some uninterupted silence and work out time. having some peaceful time just for me sounds fantastic. glad you're lovin your new routine.
I start the morning by waking up to Sam and Clayton's kisses and cuddles. Clayton always sneaks into bed (in between us of course) at night and thinks it's fun to wake up mommy.
I was never much of a morning person before I got married-so I still need a lot of coffee to get going-but their smiling faces and all the puppy kisses from the kids (who act like they haven't seen me in 100 years when I come downstairs in the morning) makes it worth it :)!
xoxo
i usually get up early cuz i have 2 work w/ my parents at around 4a.m. hehe sometimes i dont even sleep until u wake up :)
I get up early and sit on the deck with a cup a joe and relish the peace and quiet. I think so much more clearly in the morning. The best time of the day for me!
I wish that I could enjoy the mornings. I know that when I actually get myself up, I also love the stillness. It's just that my routine's been so off that I feel like it's close to impossible to actually get myself up in the mornings. I'm like a zombie!!!