Mornings are awesome. For me there is no better time of day than when I first wake up and get moving. And I’m not talking about a 10 AM kind of morning either. I mean early rising before the sun comes up and getting on the ready to crush my day.

By waking up early, I feel like I have a strategic advantage over others as I know I am getting busy with my work day while others are in there bed sleeping. So, how early are we talking here? My early morning normally starts at 3:05 AM every day except for the weekends where I will normally lay up for a couple hours longer.  Why do I do it?

RISE EARLY, CONQUER THE WORLD

Listen, for me early morning is perfect. Things are quiet in the house and the kids are asleep. I can focus on me and what I feel needs to be accomplished all before anyone wakes up.

With this being said, I’m here to give you 10 benefits of rising early and how it can change your life.

1. Gym Time! – We’ll start with my favorite. I love crushing it in the gym and look forward everyday to getting after it whether it be at my local CrossFit or in my garage with the goal of getting stronger and faster. I have trained my body to love the mornings and it’s at this time that I have the most energy. Now I’ve got my workout in and poured out sweat before the average person gets out of bed.
2. Quiet Time – Like I said before, this is the perfect “Me” time. Things are calm in the house and I have the capability to make sure I am mentally prepared for my day. This is the perfect time for me to get some reading in as well as writing. Goal-setting is a great way to spend this time of my day as well as planning out my day if I haven’t already done so the night before.
3. A Brighter Side of Life – There are studies out there that show morning people as more optimistic and satisfied compared to night owls. Traits like pessimism and depression are more likely linked to night owls.
4. No Rush, Less Worry – If you are one of those hitting the snooze button on your alarm over and over than you’ve got it all wrong. If you’re rushing out of the house every morning with sleep in your eyes trying to make it to work on time, you’ve got it all wrong. You haven’t even had your first cup of coffee and you’ve already created so much avoidable anxiety in your day and you have yet to even get it started.
5. Breakfast – My favorite meal of the day. By rising early, I have the capability to make my family breakfast every morning. I love being able to do this. Getting a quality breakfast in with some good carbs and protein fuels my workout and puts me in good position to ensure I get the daily nutrients I need.
6. More Time – By getting up just one hour earlier each day you would gain 15 days in a year. That’s 2 weeks of productivity you lose if you’re in the bed sleeping. I know sleep is important, especially if you’re trying to pack on muscle. However, you can’t sleep your life away. If you feel you need more sleep, try and schedule a power nap in your day. There is nothing wrong with that. It will only revitalize should you come crashing down in the afternoon.
7. Rush-Hour is Avoided – By becoming an early-riser you have the ability to avoid rush-hour traffic by leaving early for work. Your ride becomes more enjoyable by becoming less stressful. You get to work earlier allowing you some quiet time before things get hectic.
8. Self-Discipline & Motivation – It takes discipline to wake up early. When you aren’t used to waking up early and the alarm goes off your brain instinctively tells you to go back to bed. As you work at waking up early you will gain the discipline and find motivation thereafter to get up and begin your day early.
   
9. Improved Productivity – By waking up early you allow yourself the opportunity to complete more in the early part of the day. Come lunch, you will have accomplished so much and now you can refuel for the second half. Just think about all you will be able to accomplish.
10. Less Distraction – You’re going to get more done. If you wait until the evening to accomplish something meaningful you’re likely to not get it done. Life happens, things come up. Things are less likely to come up at 5 AM but there could be plenty of things that come up by 5 PM.

If you’re not used to waking up early but want to give it a go, start slowly. I’ll discuss later with you ways you can begin starting your day earlier so you’ll become a master of your day. Until next time, Stay Jacked, Stay Strong!

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