Becoming an Early Riser 006
I may be losing my resolve. I got up and turned off the alarm at 5:15, headed back to bed and told Siri to set an alarm for 6:00 a.m., which the virtual obedient 'she' did. 45 minutes later, I'm still exhausted, turn it off and laid back down for 7 minutes, forgetting there was a snooze button. I'm up now, but I worry I am wavering.
I sure didn't get up at 5:15 over the weekend. The research I've read, research being maybe one scholarly article and the rest blogs and articles, say consistency is a key component to success in changing a life long habit. On the contrary, I read an article or two last week that said it's in our DNA, which I posted about, and don't bother trying to change what's likely inherent in one's nature. Maybe that works for some folks, but I have at least five more years of work ahead of me before I can retire and have the luxury of rising with the sun, which by slipping back into bed this morning, I did.
It's so much easier to rise with the light, speaking of which, I thought I'd set a timer on my bedside lamp to have it come on at 5 a.m. so my brain would see the light and wake easier. It didn't come on. I'll have to check the settings.
This is our last week on contract, so after Thursday, it's going to be a real challenge to be consistent, especially since I'm going to the coast for the weekend with my friends/teammates. The one thing that will get me up is my patio project, that and I have to work a couple of days next week, paid of course, but off contract pay, not as lucrative, but it's money I can use to offset the cost of the patio materials. You may be puzzled that installing a patio will inspire me to get up before dawn. Well, if you live in Texas, or anywhere in the South/ Southwest, you know how hot it gets down here, even as early as 10 a.m. So, rising at 5:15 and busting it outside to dig up grass, laid down sand, timbers, and mulch, is definitely more attractive than doing it after 10 a.m. Oh, I may be able to squeeze in an hour or two after 6 p.m., since the sun typically doesn't set until after 8 p.m., so long as I lather up with Picaridin mosquito repellent...yeah, those little blood-suckers are brutal here and ruin any summer evening outings if you're not protected. Luckily, Picaridin is a 6-7 hour fix. It's never let me down, and that's saying something because they love my sugar-laden blood.
One more slip-up I've been making is getting in bed at 10 p.m. instead of the 9 p.m. I originally intended and started with. That's got to be rectified as well, with the intention of actually going to sleep, not reading until 10:30 p.m. like I have been. I need at least 7, preferably 8-9 hours, to feel completely rested and more research this weekend revealed getting adequate sleep is beneficial to lowering one's blood pressure, which I definitely need to do.
So, yesterday is gone, today is a new opportunity for change. Bed by 9 tonight, rise and STAY risen at 5:15 a.m. in the morning. One more commitment to hold me accountable...post in the morning...that way I'll know, and if anyone ever reads this, they'll know by the time stamp that post 007, (hahaha, James Bond), was written pretty much an hour earlier than this one (006).
I sure didn't get up at 5:15 over the weekend. The research I've read, research being maybe one scholarly article and the rest blogs and articles, say consistency is a key component to success in changing a life long habit. On the contrary, I read an article or two last week that said it's in our DNA, which I posted about, and don't bother trying to change what's likely inherent in one's nature. Maybe that works for some folks, but I have at least five more years of work ahead of me before I can retire and have the luxury of rising with the sun, which by slipping back into bed this morning, I did.
It's so much easier to rise with the light, speaking of which, I thought I'd set a timer on my bedside lamp to have it come on at 5 a.m. so my brain would see the light and wake easier. It didn't come on. I'll have to check the settings.
This is our last week on contract, so after Thursday, it's going to be a real challenge to be consistent, especially since I'm going to the coast for the weekend with my friends/teammates. The one thing that will get me up is my patio project, that and I have to work a couple of days next week, paid of course, but off contract pay, not as lucrative, but it's money I can use to offset the cost of the patio materials. You may be puzzled that installing a patio will inspire me to get up before dawn. Well, if you live in Texas, or anywhere in the South/ Southwest, you know how hot it gets down here, even as early as 10 a.m. So, rising at 5:15 and busting it outside to dig up grass, laid down sand, timbers, and mulch, is definitely more attractive than doing it after 10 a.m. Oh, I may be able to squeeze in an hour or two after 6 p.m., since the sun typically doesn't set until after 8 p.m., so long as I lather up with Picaridin mosquito repellent...yeah, those little blood-suckers are brutal here and ruin any summer evening outings if you're not protected. Luckily, Picaridin is a 6-7 hour fix. It's never let me down, and that's saying something because they love my sugar-laden blood.
One more slip-up I've been making is getting in bed at 10 p.m. instead of the 9 p.m. I originally intended and started with. That's got to be rectified as well, with the intention of actually going to sleep, not reading until 10:30 p.m. like I have been. I need at least 7, preferably 8-9 hours, to feel completely rested and more research this weekend revealed getting adequate sleep is beneficial to lowering one's blood pressure, which I definitely need to do.
So, yesterday is gone, today is a new opportunity for change. Bed by 9 tonight, rise and STAY risen at 5:15 a.m. in the morning. One more commitment to hold me accountable...post in the morning...that way I'll know, and if anyone ever reads this, they'll know by the time stamp that post 007, (hahaha, James Bond), was written pretty much an hour earlier than this one (006).
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