From Night Owl to Early Bird: How to Master Mornings, Even If You’re Not a Morning Person

Do you consider yourself a night owl or an early bird?

Until the last couple of years, I described myself as a die hard night owl. These days I am usually asleep by 10pm and wake up by 5:40am. And I have to admit, I really love it!

This change didn’t happen overnight. In January 2022, I signed up for a 7am virtual yoga class three days a week and started setting my alarm for 6:40am.

Then a few months later, I tried waking up at 6:15am so I could do the daily FASTer Way workout before yoga. I was much more successful at doing this when I had a friend coming over to work out with me than when I was working out alone.

This past August, one of my FASTer Way clients said she thought it would help her consistency if she had someone to work out with, so I offered to work out with her over Zoom at 6:15am weekdays, and I started getting up at 5:40am to be ready for that. A few of my other clients have since joined us and we are all loving it! Some mornings I end up working out on my own, but knowing there might be someone there is a great motivator to get myself up.

Here are some of the things I’ve discovered as a result of this shift:

• The not so secret secret to making it easier to wake up early is getting myself to bed early. Most nights I get myself ready for bed with our 3 younger kids, read for a few minutes after they are settled, and usually my light is out by 10pm (sometimes even earlier).

I used to work in the evenings or watch a show after the kids went to bed and that would give me a second wind. With my current wind-down routine, I have no problem falling asleep quickly. My sleep isn’t perfect every night, but it is SO much better now than it used to be.

• I actually really love the early morning quiet time! I even sometimes wake up before my alarm. After I get dressed, brush my teeth, wash my face and throw my hair up, I make myself a coffee and get my water (usually with a Greens powder and creatine mixed in) ready. I put away dishes in the few remaining minutes. It may sound strange, but that little piece helps me feel so much more in control of the morning once the kids get up. 

I used to sleep until the last possible minute and then frantically run around getting myself and the kids ready. Our mornings are so much more relaxed now (well, relatively more relaxed may be more accurate), which is a positive change for all of us.

• It feels so good to start my day with a completed workout. Previously there were many days I would put on my workout clothes and then go through the day doing everything else but. It never felt good, but I kept doing it. Now that I have been doing this consistently since August 19, I don’t want to break my streak, and I often wake up looking forward to my workout, versus dreading it. Working out first thing has also changed the feel of the rest of my day for the better.

• Having a supportive community makes it easier to be successful. My initial motivation was the virtual yoga class. Then it was having a friend coming over to work out with me. Then it was knowing I had someone expecting me to get on Zoom. And vice versa for the ladies joining me. We didn’t want to let each other down. We are social beings and there are so many health benefits from feeling part of something larger than ourselves.

Waking up and going to bed at the same time every day is something that has been shown to be physiologically beneficial. I read somewhere that every hour of sleep you get before midnight is worth 2 hours after, and in my experience, I feel that is true. 

 We sleep more soundly when our melatonin production is higher, and that naturally rises when it gets dark outside.  If you push past that sleepy feeling, then you start producing more cortisol and adrenaline, which can then give you a second wind (like I experienced in the past when I worked in the evenings).  Elevated cortisol makes it more difficult to fall asleep, and can result in waking more frequently during the night.

Successful change comes from consistency.  Days can end up not going as we plan, and if you have kids, there is a lot that often gets packed into the time after school, so mornings may be the best time to fit in your own exercise routine (unless you’re like my husband who can work out at 9:30pm, take a bath and then fall asleep right away).

If you’re looking to make some positive changes with your fitness and nutrition, I encourage you to join my next FASTer Way group starting soon!

 If you up for trying it (don’t say it’s because you aren’t a morning person!), join me at 6:15am EST weekdays to start your day off with a workout win. If working out at a different time of day works better for you, then you can do that, and I will still be there to check in on you and cheer you on to reach your goals!

Here’s what one of my current new clients shared in our Friday wins after only 3 weeks: “I'm feeling great, I'm starting to really focus on my food intake and have (created) a routine that includes my workouts. I have actually lost 3 pounds, but not only that I'm getting stronger and feeling much more energetic.”

You may feel like you have tried everything and are skeptical of trying one more program. This approach is different. I will teach you how to lead a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.

As Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right". I know you can do anything you put your mind to!!