Last month i completed the #21EarlyDays challenge advocated by Filipe via TedTalks. For those who don't know what it is - it's waking up for 21 consecutive days at 4:30am. 

Sounds crazy right?  Why would anyone want to wake up so early and what to do at 4:30am in the morning? 

If you look at all the morning rituals of all the most successful people in the world - whether it be Obama, Ellen, Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, etc. All these people have one thing in common and that is they wake up early, treat their body well and feed their spirit and soul before seizing the day. 

The benefits of waking up early sets the tone for the day and leaves you with the right mental headspace, which allows or creativity and ideas to occur along with a better ability to deal and handle situations throughout the day.

Waking up early has allowed me to get more done in the day.  I have time to meditate which means i'm not as stressed and it helps clear my mind so i can face the day feeling like it's a brand new fresh day. 

What many people don't know is that waking up early is a breeze. Going to bed early on the other hand is more difficult. 

So here are my best ever personal tips for waking up early: 

1. Set the alarm as far away as possible - Yes make it so you literally have to walk and jump out of bed to shut off your alarm. AND remember, "You snooze, you lose" 

2. What you eat and drink matters - This means no caffeine at all. If you still prefer your coffee/tea, make sure it's not after 3pm. Stick with herbal teas after dinner and don't eat at least 2 hours before bedtime. You want your body to be well rested for bedtime and not still bloated or digesting food from your meal.

3. Ambience is key - I cannot stress enough how important ambience is. If i can find a restaurant with great food and even greater ambience, it's a win. I love soft bedside lamps which create a soft mood for relaxation. Candles are just as great and if you love all natural scents, i cannot recommend enough how great an essential oil diffuser is for the bedroom. A few drops of lavender essential oil in the diffuser and you're off to dreamland. 

4. Have a glass of water - First and foremost. A nice cup of warm water with a squeeze of lemon juice. If you're going to skimp on the lemon water, at least have a standard glass of warm/room temperature water. It's true what they say "When you drink a glass of water and hydrate yourself, your wake-up motivation level increases". I swear by this. 

5.  Just do it - By this i mean, just start your day or go to sleep and do it. Don't over think.  You may be thinking what is there to do at 4:30am... just start your day. Make your coffee. Go for a run. Meditate. Clean your room. Get started on that thing you've been procrastinating for ages. Just do it

6. Be realistic and get enough hours of sleep - Life throws us social events that we must attend and some don't fit well in the lifestyle of early risers so if this happens and you find yourself unable to get to bed before a reasonable time, don't try to wake up at 4:30am the next day because this will just defeat the purpose of what waking up early is really about. Lack of sleep is not a good thing and the last thing you want is making poor decisions, being run down and even getting sick. Sleep is the foundation for your body and health. 

So there you go guys. What have you go to lose?!

xoxo, 

Annie