Disclaimer: The following will not guarantee you'll have a kick ass day!
Once Upon a Time, the only dawn chorus I ever heard was the sound of my own, incessant snoring. I would rue the breaking of day with some serious fervour, and quite honestly, a little fear. Don't get me wrong, nowadays, I don't exactly spring out of bed with glee; birds don't fly in my window and dress me; and no, I don't leave the house singing show tunes, giving strangers high fives, jumping and freeze framing, mid-air. Why? Well life is not a musical, but it can be somewhat easier to deal with, given a little planning, a dash of diligence, and a spoon full of......sorry I did say no show tunes—my bad.
1. Go to Bed Earlier!
For the love of all that is good and sacred, go to bed at a reasonable hour. Don't lie awake tapping through Snapchat, scrolling through hotties on Instagram, and don't even think about binge watching Game of Thrones until 4 a.m.; not if you have an early start. Because guess what, you'll look like a zombie, you'll feel like a zombie, and won't be able to spell your own name— potentially, also like a zombie. (Sidenote: as I write this, it's 12:30 a.m and I have, yes, you guessed it, an early start!).
2. Lemon & Hot Water
I cannot stress enough how much this simple habit will change your life. Boil the kettle, squeeze half a lemon into your favourite mug and chug, chug, chug. You’ll drown your weary body with a heavy dose of Vitamin C, your skin will thank you with a fresh glow, and you’ll aid digestive function—it tastes pretty good, too. Do not, and I repeat, do not start the day with sugar. So many times I've seen people on buses at 7 a.m with a Red Bull in tow. It ain't really my thing and it won't help you perform at your best for the rest of the afternoon.
3. Morning Meditation
I could never quit coffee. Ever. You'll have to pry my coffee from my cold dead hands. Aside from coffee, another way I like to start my day off is with meditation—just 10-15 mins, nothing crazy.
A dose of dawn calm will mitigate the need for that regular Starbucks you’ve become so used to. Why? Meditation activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which really just means that a 20-minute session will give a much-needed energy boost.
4. Early Exercise
What’s the No.1 reason to squeeze in a workout in the morning? You get it out of the way and don't have to worry about it for another 24 hours. Let's not split hairs here: no one actually likes getting up off their ass. We like it once it's in full swing, but not before then. Let’s call a spade a shovel here; most of us are too wrecked in the evening to drag our lazy asses to the gym, or even to the yoga mat. You’ll eat healthier for the remainder of the day, too, and you’ll have a rockin’ body to boot. Get up and move yo ass.
