The Superpowers of Early Risers

Starting the day earlier, can make you superhuman...

Waking up early has several benefits that can help you lead a healthier and more productive life. It's a daily habit of many highly successful individuals, and it can be easily added to your daily schedule in incremental periods of time, until you reach your desired wake up hour.

1. More 'me' time. Waking up early can give you some much-needed time for yourself. You can use this time to sip your tea or coffee slowly while flipping through the paper, catching up on news, journaling, or just enjoying the silence. This can help you prepare to face your day with a sense of calm and control.

2. More time to exercise. A healthy body equals a healthy mind. If working out is important to you, but you often struggle to find the time, getting up early could be the ticket. Getting your exercise in first thing remedies the temptation to skip workouts because of exhaustion or other commitments later in the day. Getting your daily dose of movement in the morning initiates a surge of those feel-good endorphins that can improve your mood, lower stress and anxiety, and increase energy levels.

3. Less time in traffic. Getting up and out of the house early can help you beat the usual traffic. Less traffic doesn’t just save you time and money, it can also help protect your health and mental wellbeing. Research has linked sitting in traffic to stress, depression, aggression, rage, and respiratory issues. Plus, if you have the option of flexi-time, you can find yourself with more free hours in the afternoon by starting work earlier.

4. More efficiency. If you need a little extra time, getting up early gives you a distraction-free chance to take care of things you might not otherwise be able to do. This can help you be more productive and efficient throughout the day.

5. Better quality sleep. Research suggests that people who wake up early tend to go to bed earlier and enjoy longer, better quality sleep. Getting enough quality sleep comes with plenty of benefits such as improved mood, better concentration, and a lower chance of obesity and other chronic diseases.

6. More energy. Better quality sleep equals more energy. If you’re going to bed earlier and getting better quality sleep, you’ll wake up feeling more rested and refreshed for the day ahead.

7. Improved performance. Waking up early can help you get a head start on your day and give you more time to complete errands or work. While we all have the same amount of time in a day, high performers have access to more of these hours by waking up early to study, write, research or complete any task that gets them ahead of the game.

8. More meditation time. While there is no wrong time of the day to meditate, meditating in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. It helps in centering the mind, managing stress, and enhancing overall emotional wellbeing. It may also help you manage feelings of worry, anticipation, and anxiety on particularly stressful days.

9. More cooking time. A growing body of scientific evidence supports home cooked meals as an effective medical intervention for improving diet quality, weight loss, and diabetes prevention. By waking up early and using this time to prepare your meals for the day, you can control portion size, meal value and cost, and nutritional quality.

10. More play time. Waking up early equals more daylight, which is perfect for spending quality time doing your favourite things with your loved ones and pets. This could be more time in your garden, more beach time, or whatever it is that makes you happy.