Do a Little, Get a Lot

The notion that good health can come in small tidbits is not really new. Research is showing that making small changes can add up to a big difference.

One small change could be waking up a little earlier, the top 5 benefits I have found to getting out of bed early are:

Quietude Mornings are truly a magical time just for this quality. No kids yelling, no babies crying, no soccer balls, no cars, no television noise. I truly enjoy that time of peace, that time to myself, when I can think, when I can read, when I can breathe.

Breakfast Rise early and you actually have time for breakfast. I’m told it’s one of the most important meals of the day. Without breakfast, your body is running on fumes until you are so hungry at lunchtime that you eat whatever unhealthy thing you can find. The fattier and sugarier, the betterier (probably not the little thing that could improve your health). Plus, eating breakfast while reading my book and drinking my coffee in the quiet of the morning is eminently more enjoyable than scarfing something down on the way to work, or at your desk.

Exercise Best time to move and stretch to feel good is first thing in the morning, and when I exercise first thing I hardly ever cancel it because something ‘came up’.

Commuting and Appointments No one likes rush-hour traffic. Commute early, and the traffic is much lighter, and you get to work faster, and you can save yourself more time. Or better yet, commute by bike.(Or even better yet, work from home.) Also it’s much easier to make those early appointments on time when you get up early.

Goal time. Got goals? Well, it’s a good way I have found to approach life and get what you really want to experience from it. And there’s no better time to review them and plan for them and do your goal tasks than first thing.

How to do it – When I first started waking early I decided I was wonder woman and set my alarm to 5am…I almost broke the alarm… the best way I found to change was slowly! And I now find I wake up naturally at 6am.

• Don’t make drastic changes. (Start slowly, by waking just 10-20 minutes earlier than usual. Get used to this for a few days. Then cut back another 15 minutes. Do this gradually ,gently).
• Allow yourself to sleep earlier.
• Put your alarm clock far from you bed. (If it’s right next to your bed, you’ll shut it off or hit snooze. Never hit snooze. If it’s far from your bed, you have to get up out of bed to shut it off, and your less likely to throw it at something. But my favourite way to wake up is to some great invigorating music- currently Michael Bublè-Feeling Good )
• Do not rationalize. (If you allow your brain to talk you out of getting up early, you’ll never do it. Don’t make getting back in bed the best option.)
• Have a good reason.
• Make waking up early a reward.
• Take advantage of all that extra time. Don’t wake up an hour or two early just to read your blogs and answer your email. Don’t wake up early and waste the moment. Get a jump start on your day! I like to use that time to get a head start on preparing my thoughts (or it could be the kids lunches?), on planning for the rest of the day, on exercising or meditating, and on reading. By the time my day starts, I’ve done more than many people do the entire day.

Now that’s a lot of benefit from doing one little change in your day , think of the possibility!