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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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The Realistic Guide to Becoming a Morning Person

June 2, 2017 by Taylor Leave a Comment

How to Become a Morning Person (The Realistic Version) - Espresso and Ambition

Mornings are wonderful. There’s something about being awake and getting work done before other people even get out of bed that just makes you feel so productive and energized. I’d definitely classify myself as a morning person, but I certainly wasn’t always one.

Throughout high school and my early college years, I struggled so hard with getting up early. I’ve never been the type of person to sleep until noon, but getting up at 7 or 8 am seemed to be next-to-impossible. Sometime over the past two years, I’ve made a transition to being a morning person. More often than not, I’m awake at 7 or 8 am and, with the addition of a cup of coffee or two, I’m fully ready to go first thing in the morning. While I didn’t have some perfect formulaic transition, I think there are definitely some tactics I used to make this transition.

 

1. Go to bed early

I know, I know, this is lame. Wouldn’t it be great if you could go to bed super late and still manage to be chipper first thing in the morning? Yeah, it doesn’t work that way. We’re not superhuman and we can’t function on 5 hours of sleep. Don’t stay up all night watching Netflix, as tempting as that is. Budget yourself 8 hours of sleep—if you want to wake up at 7, go to bed at 11.

 

2. Figure out your “magic number”

Remember how I just said “budget 8 hours”? Yeah, that’s really only an approximate. Once you start playing with your own sleep schedule, you’ll start to see how much sleep you need to feel your best. For me, it’s closer to 7.5 hours—it all just depends on you.

 

3. Find something to wake up for

It’s ten times easier to wake up early if you have something to look forward to. For me, this is usually some sort of workout (once again, I’m some sort of weirdo that gets joy out of working out). It can also be something fun, like catching up on your favorite blogs (*hint hint*) or making something delicious for breakfast.

How to Become a Morning Person (The Realistic Version) - Espresso and Ambition

 

4. Ditch the snooze button

Snooze is a fickle friend, isn’t it? Hitting the snooze button a million times seems so rewarding when you’re doing it, but in reality, you often don’t get any decent quality sleep afterward and instead you wake up even more exhausted. Put your alarm across the room or find one of those annoying ones that make you chase it or do some mental task to prove you’re fully awake.

 

5. Get some light in there

Flip your lights on first thing when you wake up. Even better, ditch the blackout curtains and let the sunlight stream in in the morning. The light triggers part of your brain that “hey, it’s time to get up” (there’s definitely a scientific explanation for that, but I don’t study science so I got nothing).

 

6. If all else fails, literally force yourself to get up early

Want to build a habit of getting up early? Make it so that you have no other option. Sign up for classes in the morning or schedule your job so that you work first thing—anything that forces you to get up early. Once you continue that for long enough, it’ll become a habit that you won’t have to force yourself into.

 

How to Become a Morning Person (The Realistic Version) - Espresso and Ambition

Yay for mornings, productivity, and actually sticking to a reliable sleep schedule!!

xo, Taylor

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 life + fitness
✨ nasm certified personal trainer
🎥 new vids weekly!

Instagram post 2195844312121366575_7729751 it’s not a real mirror selfie unless it comes with a free where’s waldo game of my cats 😸😸 they’re truly excellent little photobombers, lol
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shop this look by following me on @liketoknow.it or by copy-pasting this link into your browser: http://liketk.it/2I02c 🖤 #liketkit
Instagram post 2192513994027168715_7729751 ⏩ swipe ⏩ to see a magic trick! ✨ok ok, not actually magic, but @teamiblends butterfly tea DOES change color when you add a squeeze of lemon, thanks to pH-sensitive butterfly pea flower 🌸 so maybe it’s not ~magic~, but it is ~science~ 👩🏼‍🔬
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get your own (and get experimenting) with the code taykay20 for 20% off an order of $24+ or taykay30 for 30% off an order of $34+! 🤑 #teamipartner
Instagram post 2191777887535233534_7729751 full workout, one machine!! 😛 smith machines are honestly great, and they don’t get enough love - they’re excellent when you’re first starting out with lifting and need that extra bit of stabilisation that comes from keeping the weight on a fixed track, and there are a number of exercises i find i like better on a smith machine than anywhere else - especially some of these!
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ready? let’s go:
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1️⃣ 3 sets of 6 sumo squats to narrow squats (so 12 squats total) - the narrow ones are death for your inner thighs in a way that no other leg exercise can match ☠️
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2️⃣ 3 sets of 10 curtsy lunges per leg to 10 good mornings - drop your hips back and keep your spine flat as you get as close to parallel with the ground as possible, and really focus on contracting your hamstrings to bring yourself upright again
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3️⃣ 3 sets of 10 kneeling kickbacks per leg - i forgot how much i love these they are just so!! good!! - into 10 single-leg incline glute bridges per leg

4️⃣ 4 sets of 12 half squats to finish this off - mind muscle connection is key here, really focus on squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement to make the most of this one! also if this hurts your knees skip it altogether - sometimes these aren’t for everyone and that’s perfectly ok!!
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🎧 woah - neffex
Instagram post 2188165587741361151_7729751 nobody likes you when you’re 23 🤷🏼‍♀️
Instagram post 2187385382881912295_7729751 got a whole lot to be thankful for this year (including but not limited to these pants) 🌟
Instagram post 2185989836220911104_7729751 that dead lil plant in the corner is a mood. i don’t know what kinda mood, but it’s a mood. ☠️
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new youtube video just went up on my channel - it’s a fun core + cardio workout that you’ll def wanna try! link is in bio ☺️
Instagram post 2184435918311263145_7729751 world’s cutest cover photo amirite?? 😅 ok but what IS actually cute is all these exercises targeting your gluteus medius, which is the muscle on the sides of your booty that play a crucial role in hip movement and also can help give the illusion of wider hips (which is super helpful if you’re built like me and have no natural curves whatsoever!! fake it til ya make it babyyyyyy)
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do all four exercises back to back with no rest, then rest for ~1 minute, and repeat 2 more times! throw this in the middle or the end of your leg day ☺️
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1️⃣ 12 lateral leg lifts - even though you’re holding the plate with your arm, it shouldn’t be lifting the weight up at all, that alllllll should come from the legs. also make sure you’re not swinging your leg and are really focused on feeling it on those side glutes (and also a little in your obliques, bonus ab work!!)
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2️⃣ 5 4-step squat walks - so two steps to the left two to the right is one rep. resistance band isn’t 100% necessary but man oh man does it make it 10x harder 🔥
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3️⃣ 10 fire hydrants with a pulse at the top - focus on keeping weight equally distributed on both hands so that you don’t sink into the opposite hip too much. also maybe don’t use an extra heavy resistance band for this one because i was DYING SO MUCH and i couldn’t even get my leg up to 90 degrees 😂
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4️⃣ 15 frog pumps - feet together, knees out, you look like a weirdo but it really is an excellent exercise i swear
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#legday #legdayworkout #workoutsforwomen #glutes #glutesworkout #gymlifestyle #exercisemotivation #exerciseroutine #gymworkout #musclebuilding #fitlifestyle #bootygains #bootybuilding
Instagram post 2182074781179766218_7729751 my very good and obviously 100% correct logic: if i wear long sleeves and long pants it’ll obviously make up for the fact that i’m literally wearing a crop top and i won’t get cold even though it’s like 40 degrees out!! 🥶
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shop this outfit (and maybe buy a jacket to go with it) by following me on the @liketoknow.it  app or by pasting this link into your browser: http://liketk.it/2HaPV ❣️ #liketkit #LTKunder50 #LTKholidaystyle #alsoidkwhyimstandingsoweird #whereismyspine
Instagram post 2179321133647360332_7729751 first of all, can someone please tell me where the HECK the first half of november went?? i’m lost 🥴 but i’ve got an ABSolutely stellar ab circuit for you on this fine sunday (will i ever not use that pun? doubtful), be sure to bookmark and save for your next gym session!
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1️⃣ 10 plank walk outs to commandos - focus on keeping your core tight throughout this entire movement to really maximise the effect!
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2️⃣ 10 3-part mountain climbers per leg - leg goes outside, across, then straight, and that’s one rep!
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3️⃣ 15 pause sit-ups - sit up approximately ¾ of the way (so that there’s still tension in your abs) and hold for 1 second before finishing the movement
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4️⃣ 10 single-leg hollow crunches per leg - these are SO MUCH HARDER than you expect them to be omggggg. if this is too tricky, use the modification at the end of this clip and put your feet on the floor.
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5️⃣ 12 1-1-2 leg lifts - drop one leg down, then the other, then lift both up at the same time! make sure to only go down as far as YOU comfortably can without your lower back lifting off the mat - going past that point will actually make the exercise LESS effective for your core. 😉
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cycle through this 2-3 times for a 10/10 burn 🔥🔥🔥 .
shop this workout outfit by following me on the @liketoknow.it app or by entering this link into your browser: http://liketk.it/2H0H3 ❤️ #liketkit
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