I previously thought these were for crazy people - gym rats, or other strange people who "naturally" get up early. However, I recently started getting up at 5:15am on Wednesdays to go to the 6am Body Pump class (a barbell class), and then shower and get ready there and take my time getting coffee, etc., and still make it in to work before anyone else. I therefore beat all the rest of the morning commuters in the race they didn't even know they were competing in (my favorite kind)! I don't feel like I need to do that every day, but once a week shows me how much more I'm capable of in a day (as well as how much sooner I get tired!).
I have a long-time fear of being able consistently get up on time. I have recurring nightmares that I'm in college and I get to class and realize that the semester has almost ended and I've only just now started attending class. Nothing is more horrifying than the feeling that I've forgotten or dropped the ball on something I was supposed to be prepared for!
Luckily, my job is very flexible, and it's a relatively late office, meaning that usually nobody gets there until 9am. Most of us are not exactly "9 to 5-ers" because we work in the community and travel regularly throughout Hillsborough County. So usually, meetings or mounting workloads dictate the time we come in. On most weeks, I end up coming in at a wide variety of times - 8am, 9:30, 10am, and I leave anywhere from 3:30pm to 7pm. But then, because we can work from home and have so much flexibility, we are usually up at night or early in the morning doing emails or preparing for the next day - and often working a little on weekends. The non-profit life is definitely suitable for me now and allows me to do whatever I want during the week because I have nobody waiting at home! I fill my week with work in the office, meetings with adults or groups of girls at different schools, tutoring the Vietnamese family I volunteer with, and of course, working out, which I am usually able to do every day.
Having this schedule and a structure makes me feel at peace, and I know I won't always be able to control how I use my time and what I make priority, so I make sure to do it now and not make excuses! Thus, I choose to get up at the crack of dawn on Wednesdays for now.
Our Family
2 comments:
More power to ya! I still say it's unnatural to get up at that hour. I pat myself on the back when I'm able to get up at 7am, which I now have to do to catch the bus on time. Does this mean you don't do evening workouts? I've thought of trading in my evening exercise for the morning, but I don't have great faith in my ability to do so. I wish I had the flexibility you have at work (without having to falsely create it, anyway). Can I come work where you do? For the 5th time in our lives? :) I totally get that peaceful feeling you alluded to. If only I could now forgive myself for missing a day of exercise!
Uh, no, I do evening workouts all other days (except I do get up for a 9am Saturday class!). What if you just tried one evening/morning trade in? Going cold turkey never works!
And I do actually have to get up early for meetings a lot and drive all over the county. For instance, I have to drive to Seffner on Monday for an early meeting. And I have to be careful when I schedule things with high schools - their mornings start at around 7am. It's a give and take. ;)
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