Rise and Shine (Even When You Don’t Wanna!)

Posted April 9, 2008 at 04:00 PM by Caroline Shannon

Section: Her Health, Her Motivation, tip for today

It has been said that classical music genius Mozart did not like to get out of bed and get his daily tasks started.

But his mother learned to remedy the situation by playing an incomplete scale on his piano. This would, of course, drive him crazy and he would feel compelled to get out of bed and finish it.

Now, while the rest of us my need a little more incentive than a piano to rise and shine, experts have identified several ways to help women jump-start their day. Check out the following four tips to learn how to get up and get going – even when that pillow feels oh-so-good against your face:

1.) Lean on friends and family – Sometimes, all you need is a good kick in the pants from the people who know and love you the most. Ask your closest gal pal or you mother to help drag you out of bed by giving you a call in the morning, or make plans to meet a friend for an exercise date. You will feel more obligated to get out of bed knowing that someone is there to support you or that your buddy is relying on you for a power walk. Then, you will begin to create a healthy habit, and that is a win-win situation for both parties involved in the get-your-motor-running pact.

2.) Be prepared for the day – Doing things the night before, like packing your lunch or picking out your clothes, will make your morning run much smoother and will not make rolling out of bed seem so daunting. Not only will preparing a healthy lunch help you skimp on added calories that often go hand-in-hand with takeout, but a stress-free morning will also put you in a better mood.  What’s more, an organized morning leaves room for activities, such as exercise or a relaxed breakfast.

3.) Get your beauty sleep – We know you’ve heard it plenty of times before, but this one bears repeating because research shows getting your zzz’s is vital to getting up on the right side of the bed.

“Sleeping too much, too little or poorly can have a major effect on the way that you feel in the morning,” said Susan Zafarlotfi, PhD, clinical director of the Institute for Sleep/Wake Disorders at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J.

Zafarlotfi recommends aiming to get about seven to nine hours of quality sleep every night. According to an article published by Weight Watchers, a woman can assess her sleep needs by going without an alarm clock for two weeks; the amount she sleeps, on average, is most likely the amount she will need on a regular basis.

4.) Look forward to your morning routine – Make sure that you’re sunrise schedule consists of activities you enjoy. For example, I benefit from waking up to get a bit of early work done while drinking coffee and visiting with my kittens. Knowing that I have a leg up on my morning, makes me feel better about the rest of the activities I have planned for the day. Your morning pick-me-up may be reading the newspaper or a run at daybreak – whatever it is, make sure you are able to look forward to your early pleasures by having the paper delivered to your home or laying out your running gear.

Simple changes to make your morning more pleasant will make putting both feet on one side of the bed that much easier!