Trading Swim Lanes for Sea Turtles and 5 Other Reasons to Wake Up Early

What a place to swim at 6AM

So I traded my 5:30 AM swims at Dynamo for swims at Magen’s Bay in St. Thomas for the next two weeks.  This also means that my early morning runs are on the beach or on the quiet roads around Magen’s (which is one of the top 10 beaches in the world!).

I started with a nice easy run, as it was still a little dark to hop in that big ocean.  I stopped wearing headphones some time ago (thanks Chad!) and was just listening to the early morning sounds of nature and enjoying being in the moment.  It was an AMAZING swim. Instead of a chlorine filled pool with folks in swim caps, lane lines, and black markers on the bottom, I got to look down at sea turtles and a few sting rays – not to mention all of the rocks, coral and fish.

My swim coach will be happy as I can practice my sighting with the sail boats quietly sitting out in the ocean. There is something peaceful about looking out there seeing those, with very few waves, and a pristine beach on the other side when working on alternating my breathing from left to right.  I think there were maybe two other people in the ocean and only a few folks running on the beach.

In my opinon, there is definitely something to be said about getting your work-out in early.  I know we already talked about it some, but getting out there pre-dawn is a thing of beauty. When your swimming, running, walking, or doing any other type of exercise outside and can see the sun come up, its never a bad way to start the day. There are a few reasons why I now get up before the sun comes up.

Its just me - It seems like we are always around other people. At work, at home, trapped in our cars in traffic, online. When is the last time it was just you by yourself? It may seem odd but being alone can be a nice feeling. I think we all need to have personal time where its just you. I guess some people meditate, others read a book, but something where its just you by yourself. I like exercise as it allows me to focus on myself. There is no music, tv, or people with me, just me.

It puts you in a good mood -I think waking up early gets a bad rap. I can not think of the last time I woke up early and was not in a good mood once I got up and moving around. Think about it. Traffic is lighter, so its less stress to get into work. The line at the coffee shop is shorter. When you do get into work its quieter and you have less distractions allowing you to get a great start to the day.

You feel ahead of the game - If you can get up early, say 1 hour earlier than usual, you can get a great jump start on the day. Maybe you spend that hour doing your workout. Maybe it is spent getting ahead on a project, emails, or other work related task. Even if its an hour to just watch the sun come up, you will be ahead of everyone else.

You go to sleep earlier - I have seen quite a few studies that link things to sleep. One of the main things is stress. People that get more sleep have less stress. They also feel better and are able to keep in good shape. At first waking up early sounds like you are taking some of that precious sleep away, not true! If you start getting up earlier, you can naturally start going to bed earlier. The great side effects are you watch less night time TV if you go to bed earlier. Do you really need to see that episode of How I met your mother?

I eat better - People rush breakfast, or worse skip it. I can not believe people can not grasp the fact that it is an important meal. How do you expect to get things done if your gas tank is empty? Getting up earlier allows you to take some extra moments and have a real breakfast. Not a bar in your car sitting in traffic. You set your day up for success when you eat a good breakfast. Also since you start to go to sleep earlier you start to eat dinner earlier which is a good thing. I find myself eating much better on the days I get up early.

I think 4:30AM is my magic number. For me it works as I can get up, drink some coffee and eat a light breakfast while reading a book. This is my alone time. I then can head out to swim practice at 5:15 to make it there and in the water by 5:30-5:45. With swim and even a short run, I am able to be in the office well before 8AM. I feel like I have accomplished a good bit and most people are just rolling in, groggy and with a coffee stain on their shirt from hitting a bump while trying to drink that, do their makeup, talk on the phone, and drive.