Morning routine: how to become an early morning person
In the morning everything is quiet until the alarm goes off.
From that moment on, only two scenarios can play out: those who push back their wake-up time, relying on the second or third alarm they cautiously set, and those who get up without any trouble at all.
This behavior is just one of many that shape a person's life and it is determined by several factors, including your relationship with sleep and your ability to bring out your best energy in the morning rather than in the evening.
It can all be summed up in a single word: chronotype.
The clock inside us
Many people, especially early risers, often open their eyes in the morning just before the alarm rings. This is easily explained by what is known as the circadian cycle: our body is regulated by hormones. The amount released and the moment it is released follow very precise patterns that also depend on exposure to sunlight. This is why people often suggest sleeping with the shutters or blinds closed and opening them as soon as you wake up. One of the main hormones involved is melatonin, which, stimulated by the night hours, makes us fall asleep as soon as it reaches its peak.
Plenty of research explains how important it is to wake up early in the morning, making the most of that stretch of time when there are fewer distractions and you can get more done, both at work and physically.
While knowing that putting people into categories inevitably creates some generalizations that may not match each individual case, Early Morning Person is the term normally used for all those people who prefer to get up early in the morning, who perform strongly in the first hours of the day and, inevitably, crash in the evening.
Belonging to this category is a matter of genetics and environment and, last but not least, lifestyle. So is it possible to become an Early Morning Person?
How to become an Early Morning Person
If your genes don't help, you can certainly work on other available parameters, changing a few lifestyle habits without too much stress so that you're up and running from the first hours of the morning! Here are some practical tips that can help you customize your daily routine so you no longer dread the alarm.
- No medications, excess caffeine or sugar.
The body needs to be trained gradually for change and shouldn't be forced to keep up a pace it could never sustain. It's better to avoid outside aids. - Keep regular hours.
Whether it's a weekday or a holiday, whether or not you have commitments, it's essential to always go to bed and wake up at the same time. This will help our body regulate hormone production in a way that fits our new schedule better and better. - Show up prepared.
One of the main reasons getting up early is useful is to make the best use of your time, so it's worth preparing everything you'll do first thing in the morning the evening before. For example, the clothes to wear could already be laid out where you'll put them on in the morning, breakfast could already be ready or, if that's not possible, you can measure out the night before the portions of what you'll use. If you need a backpack, a laptop, a change of clothes, those should be ready too, so that in the morning you don't have to think about anything and can devote yourself only to what you consider most important. - Work out.
It doesn't matter how much time you have, you can do effective workouts even with just 20 or 30 minutes. The type of workout and its intensity depend a lot on how much time you devote to it and how many times a week you want to train. The lower the training frequency and the time spent, the higher the perceived effort during the workout should be.
Circuits that include both strength and aerobic phases are very useful. This way the body's various energy systems will be fully stimulated, giving us a real boost of energy. - Eat breakfast.
Talking about breakfast is not as simple as it seems. There are a thousand factors to consider: will you work out in the morning or not? What type of workout will you do? What did you eat the night before? Will there be time for snacks? How long will you have to go without eating anything else?
The questions are endless, just as each person's days are different. The key point is that you can't in any way overlook the need to give your body the right nutrients, especially if we expect it to perform well from first thing in the morning. To clear up any doubt and get personalized answers you can download the Eathlon® app, which, thanks to its team of experts, can provide precise answers that are above all sustainable over time. - Planning.
It's impossible to make the most of your time if you spend dozens of minutes wandering around the house without getting anything done. Especially at the beginning, it's essential to organize the various activities to be done in the morning down to the detail, sticking as closely as possible to what you've planned.
Getting up early in the morning doesn't mean not resting properly. Of course sleep has to be made up somehow: some people rest in the afternoon and some go to bed a little earlier in the evening. If you keep more or less the same hours of sleep you'll find that waking up early isn't such a hard feat; in fact, before long you'll find yourself at the time you used to wake up with your workout done, breakfast eaten and maybe a few chores already out of the way. The boost you get from the feeling of already being well into your daily to-do list, with the whole day still ahead of you, is priceless.
After all, they always say the early bird gets the worm, but we forget to add that it also brings energy to the whole body!
Author
FABRIZIO MONTICONE
A federal instructor and FIPE – CONI certifier, he specializes in exercise biomechanics and trains instructors and personal trainers. He collaborates as a Master Trainer for major international companies including Technogym.
