Rise and Shine!

I’m usually up at 5 AM every day, but it isn’t until around 9 or 10 that I actually begin speaking to people and making eye contact. I’m just not an early bird.

I simply prefer to do my quiet, solitary things for the first few hours of every morning. I take care of my pets, meditate, have coffee, my breakfast, perhaps even go for a little walk – all before 8 AM. Around that time is when I begin to feel less solitary and more social. Around that time is when I usually start talking to people, and this includes people who live in the house with me (just ask my sister, or Mr. Rinaldi, or my former roommate).

There was a time in my life, for about six years, that I didn’t have much choice – I was forced to live the life of an early bird. I worked with clients on the East Coast in the insurance industry so I had to be at work at 6 AM, fully conscious, dressed and ready to speak coherently. It was tough, but I managed.

Here are some of the tools I had to use to make it happen.

• Lighten up. Since I was waking up well before the sun came up, I got in the habit of turning on as many lights as possible as soon as I got up. Whether electric or natural, exposure to light stimulates your brain to stop producing melatonin (your sleep hormone).
• Move it. Even if for only 15 minutes, a quick morning workout will help you get the endorphins going and the adrenaline pumping, which brings you to a wide-awake state very quickly. I live in a tri-level home, so before I left the house every morning I was up and down at least three flights of stairs by feeding the pets, taking towels to the laundry, and getting my breakfast.
• Make it easy. By having my clothes laid out the night before, my lunch prepared, my bath taken and my breakfast decided upon, all I had to do was get up, wash my face, brush my teeth, do my hair and makeup, grab my breakfast and go. Simplification allowed me to get an extra 40 minutes sleep without having to rush around like a crazy person in the morning. I was still a night owl going to sleep at 1 or 2 in the morning, but I had to be out the door by 5:30 AM.
• Take your vitamins. A multivitamin and B12 supplement will help keep you energized throughout the day. You will start your day less tired with the supplements on board.
• Hydrate. You’ve probably gone 6 to 8 hours without any fluids, so a big glass of water will help clear the cobwebs and get you moving in the morning.

How do you get up and get going in the morning?