Back on it! 5am wake up. Feeling a little tired and sluggish. But I think to myself, “Just run through my routine and everything else will take care of itself.” That helps me get moving. Then it’s the actual process of running through my steps that wakes me up.

So what are the steps? Easy. Here you go…

Alarm goes off and I silence it. Turn on the lights. Sit up and put my feet into my slippers (I find that helps trigger my brain to wake up. I think it’s because I can’t get back in bed without taking them off, plus it’s a life-long cue that the day has started).

Walk to the kitchen. Turn on the lights. Pour a cold glass of water, about 16 oz. Add at least a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to it. Check the electric kettle for water. Fill it and/or turn it on. Grab a coffee filter. Put it in the pour-over thing. Grab the coffee, almost always decaf (except on those days I absolutely need the caffeine). I usually use two tablespoons because I like the strong bitter taste. A sprinkle of cinnamon.

Drink my water.

Walk to and use the restroom. Wash my hands. Then wash my face. I make sure to gently splash nice cold water into my eyes. I find that refreshing. Dry my face. If I’m still tired, I wash and dry my face again. Usually that’s enough to wake me up even on the toughest days. I’ve only had one day when I’ve needed a third face wash, lol.

Walk back to the kitchen. Hot water has boiled by then. I pour the hot water over the coffee. Fill it all the way to the top so that I get a nice full cup of fresh coffee. The smell alone triggers me to wake up a little more. But it’s way too hot to drink right away.

So I walk back to my room and get dressed. (Side note: Always, always have your workout clothes out. Make it so that’s the easiest thing to put on.) Once I have my workout clothes on it’s game over for sleepiness. (Side note: Yesterday, was the only day I missed since I started this routine. That was the one difference. I put on jeans and a t-shirt instead of workout clothes, so I couldn’t go straight to the gym.)

Here’s where my routine gets hard for me and I’ve struggled. I’m supposed to do at least one set of sit ups right after putting on my workout clothes. More times than not I’ve missed on this step. But I’m still trying. I won’t give up on it. By the time I’m done with my sit ups my coffee has cooled just enough to drink. Lately, I haven’t even been drinking the coffee. I just head out to the gym and I drink it when I get back.

Once I drink my coffee or decide I can do without it, I grab my keys, phone, and ID. Walk out the door and head to the gym.

That’s pretty much it. I’ve done some version of this over and over again now for a few months (since June). But I’ve been doing it as an early morning (4 am or 5 am) and writing about it 22 days straight. I find that writing it out explicitly reinforces it and systematizes it. It helps make the process closer to automatic.

The only exception is that I always take Sat & Sun as my rest days. I think that’s important for recovery. That doesn’t mean that I don’t work out those days. I just try to switch things up or at least be more flexible with myself. If I’m tired, I sleep in. If I want to lay around until noon, no problem.

That way when Monday comes back around I want to get back on my routine. And I’m consistent from Monday through Friday. By Friday, my body is tired and it’s asking for a recovery. Finishing that last Friday workout feels GOOD!

So that’s my early morning wake up routine.

Once I’m at the gym I alternate and combine cardio exercise (Treadmill, elliptical, bike) with strength and resistance training (free weights, body weight, resistance bands). Yoga (trying to do more of this) and walking or hiking on weekends.

Today I ran 30 minutes on treadmill, 20 minutes on the elliptical, and rode 10 minutes on the bike. That’s all. I barely got through it. It was a tough session.

Think I might have been a bit dehydrated. That’s another thing I’ve learned staying hydrated gives you more energy. Being dehydrated zaps your energy like nothing else and makes you lethargic.

Gonna drink a big glass of water and get ready for work. Shave. Shower. Get dressed and head back out the door. Ready to fight for justice. I love working in Public Defense!

I hope you have a great day! 🙂