Recently, a reader asked me about my habit of waking at 4.30am each day and to write about the health benefits of rising early
“Put no trust in the benefits to accrue from early rising, as set forth by the infatuated Franklin ...” - Mark Twain
Recently, reader Rob asked me about my habit of waking at 4:30 a.m. each day, and asked me to write about the health benefits of rising early, which I thought was an excellent question.
Unfortunately, there are none, that I know of.
However, there are a tonne of other great benefits.
Now, let me first say that if you are a night owl, and that works for you, I think that's great.
There's no reason to change, especially if you're happy with it.
But for me, switching from being a night owl to an early riser (and yes, it is possible) has been a godsend.
It has helped me in so many ways that I'd never go back. Here are just a few:
1. Greet the day
I love being able to get up, and greet a wonderful new day. I suggest creating a morning ritual that includes saying thanks for your blessings.
I'm inspired by the Dalai Lama, who said, “Everyday, think as you wake up, 'today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others, to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as I can.'”
2. Amazing start
I used to start my day by jumping out of bed, late as usual, and rushing to get myself and the kids ready, and rushing to drop them to school and come in to work late. I would walk into work, looking rumpled and barely awake, grumpy and behind everyone else. Not a great start to your day.
Now, I have a renewing morning ritual, I've gotten so much done before 8 a.m., my kids are early and so am I, and by the time everyone else gets in to work, I've already gotten a head start. There is no better way to start off your day than to wake early, in my experience.
3. Quietude
No kids yelling, no babies crying, no soccer balls, no cars, no television noise. The early morning hours are so peaceful, so quiet. It's my favourite time of day. I truly enjoy that time of peace, that time to myself, when I can think, when I can read, when I can breathe.
4. Sunrise
People who wake late miss one of the greatest feats of nature, repeated in full stereovision each and every day - the rise of the sun. I love how the day slowly gets brighter, when the midnight blue turns to lighter blue, when the brilliant colours start to seep into the sky, when nature is painted in incredible colours.
I like doing my early morning run during this time, and I look up at the sky as I run and say to the world, “What a glorious day!” Really. I really do that. Corny, I know.
5. 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.
But eat breakfast, and you are sated until later. 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.
6. Exercise
There are other times to exercise besides the early morning, of course, but I've found that while exercising right after work is also very enjoyable, it's also liable to be cancelled because of other things that come up. Morning exercise is virtually never cancelled.
7. Productivity
Mornings, for me at least, are the most productive time of day. I like to do some writing in the morning, when there are no distractions, before I check my email or blog stats.
I get so much more done by starting on my work in the morning. Then, when evening rolls around, I have no work that I need to do, and I can spend it with family.
8. Goal time
Got goals? Well, you should. And there's no better time to review them and plan for them and do your goal tasks than first thing. You should have one goal that you want to accomplish this week.
And every morning, you should decide what one thing you can do today to move yourself further towards that goal. And then, if possible, do that first thing in the morning.
9. Commute
No one likes rush-hour traffic, except for Big Oil. Commute early, and the traffic is much lighter, and you get to work faster, and thus save yourself more time. Or better yet, commute by bike. (Or even better yet, work from home.)
10. Appointments
It's much easier to make those early appointments on time if you get up early. Showing up late for those appointments is a bad signal to the person you're meeting. Showing up early will impress them. Plus, you get time to prepare.
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