Morning Time for Mom

I am not a morning person.

I forget when this was, but a couple of years ago my son noticed my general demeanor and told his sister, “Mommy hasn’t had her coffee yet. Don’t bother her.”

I like to sleep in. I love snuggling under the comforters until I absolutely must get up. I’ve never been a morning person, despite many efforts to get there.

However, there’s a grim reality I have had to face. It is this: I have scheduled my life in such a way that if I don’t work out in the morning, it’s not going to happen. By the time I get home, cook dinner, coordinate homework, projects, committee meetings, practices, laundry, baths and bed time, I am worn out. The DVD in the player doesn’t get played for another day, another week, another month, another year.

That means that work outs have to happen in the morning. You have no idea how painful it is to admit that. But one of my favorite motivational speakers made a good point—there’s very little you can do early in the morning besides work out or sleep. The likelihood is that your kids and spouse are likely in bed at 5:30 a.m. It’s the only time you will have uninterrupted, assuming you make the decision to get up and go work out.

Ugh.

It’s a valid point, though. When the alarm goes off at 5:05 three days a week, I try to get up, get ready and go to the gym. No one else is awake. They are all still in bed when I get back. I have a few moments alone to make coffee and get my to-do list written. I’m still working on this habit, but I am getting there.

I have no illusions about becoming a morning person, but I am working toward my goal of losing weight and getting healthy. I’ve made good, visible progress toward that goal already, so this newer habit is kicking it up a notch.

Maybe in time I will be less resentful of the early hour. In the meantime, I am focusing on the benefits. Each time someone notices my progress or compliments me on recent changes, I am more motivated to get moving. Even if it is early in the morning.

That doesn’t change the fact that you still shouldn’t talk to me before I had my coffee. Where did I leave that mug?

Reace Alvarenga-Smith is a Mom of two in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.