The benefits of waking up 1 hour earlier - Febraury Challenge

It’s officially February which means we’re full on into 2016. If you set some resolutions for the new year, then just like many of us, you may have noticed these start to phase out. The key to setting resolutions and goals that are going to last and you’ll see through to the end is to break it up into manageable parts. That’s where 29 day challenges come into play.

Getting in the habit of waking up early now will help you in the long run after graduation because you’ll be more alert and awake in your full-time job. Another benefit according to a 2008 Texas University study, “college students who identified themselves as “morning people” earned a full point higher on their GPAs”. The study also suggested that if you wake up earlier and stay consistent with it, you will raise your GPA and have a higher academic performance.

February’s 29 Day Challenge is to start your morning 1 hour earlier to do something that you feel like you never have time to do. If you’re not sure what you could do with this extra hour, here are some ideas.

Exercise
Take the time to actually cook breakfast
Read a book (for fun, not for school)
Mediate
Stretching or yoga
Make yourself a green smoothie or juice at home instead of buying one for $8 at the store
Take your time getting ready for class or work and even make your bed
Learn something new
Do something you don’t want to do so you don’t have to worry about it the rest of the day.
Plan your day
Journal writing
Prepare your lunch

If you feel like you need a little extra motivation waking up an hour early and seeing all of the benefits that come from him, check out the book The Miracle Morning: The not so obvious secret guaranteed to transform your life (before 8am) by Hal Elrod. The Miracle Morning breaks down 6 activities into 10 minute sets for you to do the first hour that you wake up. They range from physical activity to gratitude and journaling so that all parts of your brain and body are stimulated so that you can take on the day for higher levels of productivity and achievement.

Here are some tips for actually getting out of bed when you’re alarm sounds:
Don’t hit snooze…seriously, don’t
Drink a glass of water or lemon water as soon as you get out of bed
Figure out what time works best for you to be in bed by and stick to it
Stay consistent, even on the weekends. Don’t sleep in more than 2 hours later than your weekday wake up time
Leave your curtains open enough to let the natural light flow in
Hold yourself accountable to getting up like having a workout class scheduled where you’ll get fined if you miss it

Are you ready to take on the February challenge? If so, what do you plan to do with your extra hour? What tips do you have for getting yourself up one hour early?