Goodbye 5am Club

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz; ‘do you hear that?’ that’s the sound of my alarm vibrating next to me on the nightstand at approximately 4:45am every weekday morning. Why? Because I was crazy…

Now don’t get my wrong here, this is probably the good kind of crazy. The kind that gets you ready for the day in the best possible way, puts you in a better mood, and skyrockets your productivity. Waking up that early used to do that to me too. I had a goal of being in my workout space at exactly 5am ready to jump into whatever I had planned for the morning. Prior to my daughter being born (and shortly after she was) I would even be at the gym attending a class that early with adrenaline high, kicking some major workout butt.

And then one day, I woke up, laid there and said to myself; “why?”. Why am I doing this to myself? Yes, it’s true I’m the kind of person that if I do not get my workout in during the morning hours it probably wont happen for me at all that day. Yes, it’s true that I used to have to drive into an office and be at my desk between 8am-8:30am. Yes, its true that I have a kid and once she’s up all bets are off so I better beat her wake-up time. Yes, it really does put me in a better mood if I wake up early and get it going.

But with this seemingly good habit also came the bad:

• not getting enough sleep
• drinking coffee on an empty stomach
• working out on an empty stomach
• putting my body through vigorous intense exercise
• did I mention stress?

All of these things added up over the years leaving me drained, tired and not at my best. I decided to opt for more sleep and a slower morning. These days I make sure to eat, even just a little, before drinking that cup (or two) of coffee. If I happen to wake up early enough on my own, when the stars align, and if there is enough time before I have to be at my desk now situated in my home office upstairs then I squeeze in 30 minutes of something, or even make it to a 6am class some days.

But, not without something to eat first!... and of course. COFFEE! (Half Calf:)

Thank you for reading,

Coach Julia