How I Became a Morning Person

Getting up early has always felt like swimming against the tide. Impossible. Unpleasant. Growing up, I always waited to fall sleep once the house was entirely quiet and there was no chance I was missing out on any fun so I would wake up grumpy. In college and beyond, I found myself falling asleep in 8am classes or sleeping in late on the weekends, throwing off my schedule for the week. As I’ve gotten older, it hasn’t gotten easier to get up early, but here’s what works for me (through much trial and error):

1. Drink water upon waking up. I heard this from a few friends and the formation app Fabulous. This small action made me feel better and gave me confidence that I could get up early. Pro tip: place water on your nightstand the night before so you don’t forget.
2. Work out in the mornings. Some days I’m a big grump about this, but even 10 minutes of exercise can do a world of good. I always get a rush of happy endorphins and a sense of accomplishment. What has helped me exercise when I don’t feel like it (which is all the time) is to have clear goals (reduce stress and high cholesterol), to think of exercise as moving my body (there’s not just one way to do it), and to do exercises I actually like (e.g., Pilates, yoga, walking, elliptical, Mitchell Wayne dance videos). My boyfriend likes to focus on how he will feel afterwards.
3. Get a dog. Just skip the first two steps and do this one, if you can! I had no idea how much a dog would change my life — one of the biggest changes is I’m now up every day at 6:45 because he is up, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. And seeing how happy he is to see me every day makes me happy every day. It’s a win-win.