How to overcome the call of the snooze button
The battle inside my head…
The alarm goes off and I roll over.
What’s 5 more minutes?
I hit…..... SNOOZE . Some mornings I truly just want to stay in bed.
You know the feeling- the covers are heavy and cozy and sooooo comfortable and there's just that tiny possibility of catching the tail end of that delicious dream if you just roll over for another minute. Or two. Or ten.
So I hit the snooze button and the battle begins:
“ What if I stay in bed just a little longer today?”
“So what if I’ve made plans to meet Allison and Dave to work out? I’m tired. They’’ll understand.”
I only made a promise to myself and to her and breaking commitments always leaves me feeling awwwwesome. Oh, and I'm always suuuuper proud of creating habits around letting people down, especially myself. I mean, I’ll feel great knowing I've slept in, missed my workout, and hit snooze again and again until I’m running late and feel groggy and anxious.
Ohhhhh, wait...sarcasm.
Because none of those things feel awesome or great at all, do they?
If you are anything like me, they actually feel pretty dang awful.
The battle is REAL. Man, oh man, our minds can be brutal to deal with sometimes!
Here's the thing- I have never, not one single time EVER, regretted getting out of that cozy bed and getting my morning workout in. Not ever.
It just takes a single moment of commitment to myself, a single moment to resist the lure of the snooze button, and then…
1….2….3…. SNOOZE…. is down for the count and I am up for the day.
Why I wake up early to workout (and you should, too…):
Look, I know you might struggle with mornings. Especially working out first thing.
You aren’t alone.
The thing is, for most of us, our schedules don’t get easier or more spacious as the day goes on.
Life is full of hiccups. Meetings run late. Kids get sick. The project you thought would take and hour ends up taking three instead.
And the first thing that tends to get pushed for most people is their self-care, including their workouts.
Whomp, whomp.
So, in addition to knowing that my workout will get done before the day has a chance to derail me, here are my personal top 5 reasons to skip my snooze button and get to the gym:
I made a promise to myself, and I don’t believe in making promises that I don’t intend to keep. Not to others and not to myself. It’s a matter of integrity.
I always feel 100% better after my workouts. Seriously. Every single time. Let me just say it again- I have NEVER regretted a single workout. I have never once wished I’d hit the snooze instead. Never.
I get to see the sun rise. Call me corny, but there is something powerful about being present as the day begins. I love it.
I begin my day by hanging out with some pretty cool people who inspire me. Even if my own motivation is flagging, being around people who are committed to their goals and have shown up to do their part fires me up and renews my own passion.
I honestly just can’t think of a better way to start my day. Again, call me corny, but the simple act of showing up for myself in this way means that I start my day with a pretty big win. Which helps me approach my entire day with a better mindset. It’s pretty awesome, actually.
Sooo…. HOW do I stay committed, you ask?
I get asked this question a lot, and honestly, I almost wish the answer was more complicated so that I could feel like I had some super-duper-unlock-the-secret-code thing to say, but the truth is that my “secret” is actually pretty simple.
Here are the 3 things that I do that are key to staying on track:
Schedule gym time (and rest time!). I schedule my workouts into my calendar. For me, Sundays are the best day to set my week up. I make sure all of my clients and classes and commitments are scheduled in first. Then I put my running, yoga, and strength days in. I also make sure I’ve scheduled a rest and recovery day- this is easy to overlook, but critical for long term success.
Have an accountability partner. Accountability is crucial to most people’s success, including mine. When you have someone counting on you to show up at a certain time each day and you motivate each other, it seriously makes all the difference. Make sure it’s someone who is equally committed and will truly be a good partner. If you don’t have someone like that in your life, hiring a personal trainer is an excellent idea. I happen to know one who can absolutely be counted on to keep her clients motivated and engaged (*cough*). I hear she’s amazing (*double cough plus a wink*). For real though- a good accountability partner is your secret weapon against snooze buttons (and boredom and all the other reasons our workout habits fall apart)- get one and reap the benefits!
Create morning success rituals. Almost all successful people have intentional morning routines. Tim Ferris, Marie Forleo, Oprah, Tony Robbins, major athletes- the list goes on and on. They all have certain things that they do to set up their day for success, things that they do to ensure they have a positive and productive day. It's most often the small things done daily that create the biggest results in our life. Morning routines don’t have to be complex to be effective. (I shared a few of my favorite morning success rituals in Oxijen Living’s May email newsletter- if you’ve missed it, email me at jenn@oxijen.life and I’ll send you a copy!)
Look.
I know that mornings can be tough and snooze buttons are oh-so-tempting.
I also know that if you can push through that single moment and step out of that bed, you won’t be sorry. (Seriously, I promise! You really, really won’t!)
Wellness is a lifestyle. One that is the result of a million decisions large and small that we make every day.
You know I’m in your corner, rooting for you every step of the way.
I know that you can live your healthiest, best life, and I will continue to provide all the support I can from this blog, my monthly email newsletters (don’t forget to sign up!), and my social media.