How to wake up earlier, exercise daily, and all the other tough things you avoid doing...

How many of you started the #Last90Days Challenge last week?!Y’all I am LOVING it so far! I feel like I’ve been so much more intentional with how I am spending my time and I’m also feeling laser focused on my goals. Of course, we are only 1 week in to the challenge, but as Ms. Rachel Hollis says, stop breaking promises to yourself. And these little goals I’ve created for myself I am not willing to break!I don’t know if you all saw it or not, but she also posted a 5 to Thrive...These are such simple changes you can make to your life, but sticking with it can be the tough part.  (Another reason why I really, really like this challenge!)I wanted to take some time to talk about 2 of the things that I pretty much get asked about or people come to me about more than anything.  And that is…How do you wake up an hour earlier each day?ANDHow do you get started running (or exercising, in general) every single day?Here is the one thing you need to ask yourself before doing either one of these things…

Is it a priority to you?

Look, you’re not going to stick with ANYTHING if it’s not a priority to you. I’ve talked in the past about how being too busy is a bunch of BS, but seriously. If exercising, if time to yourself, if your health + well-being is not a priority to you, then you’re NOT going to do it.PERIOD.So, first thing’s first - what’s your goal? Is it that you want to train for a race? Is it that you just want to get in a habit of exercising for 30 minutes every day? Is it that you want to lose 10, 20, 30 pounds?Maybe this is just coming from my Type 3 on the enneagram, goal-oriented personality, but you NEED to have a goal to work toward. I’m a runner - always have been, always will be, until I physically CANNOT do it anymore. It doesn’t matter if I have a running goal set or not. I know that running is my time to myself and good therapy for me each and everyday. It’s literally my drug of choice. It’s an addiction really. So, my goal is simply to run 5 to 6 days per week when I’m not training.When I am training for a race - like I am currently - my goal is to not just get up + run everyday, but I know that I want to make sure I also have 1-2 speed workouts each week as well as a long run, because those are the things that are going to push me to that goal.So, I highly encourage you to SET A GOAL. Where do you want to be in the next 90 days? Do you need to register for a race, or do you just need to set the intention to get up and move for 30 minutes every day? And then make it a PRIORITY.OK, let’s talk about that one that is a lot more difficult for most people, especially those of you who are self-proclaimed “night owls.” I get it. Not everyone enjoys waking up before the sun comes up. But, this is a mental issue really. No one is technically a morning person or a night owl. My day is no different than yours - I just wake up at a different time than you and go to bed at a different time then you. You might need more or less sleep than me, and that’s OK.But, let me drop some factoids on you…Morning people are MORE PRODUCTIVE than night people.I can give you my own case study from my own household and I promise you, I get much more done in my day than my husband and it’s not because I work from home.It’s a simple fact, but there is research out there to prove it. Front load your day. Start by waking up 15 minutes earlier every single day for a few days, then 30 minutes, then 45, then 60.  But, again, you need to set a GOAL for what you plan on doing during that time.For me, that’s my daily workout time. Some people don’t like to workout first thing in the morning, which is perfectly fine. I know I run better in the afternoon, but I also know that I’m going to make excuses to not run later in the day, which is why I do it first thing in the morning.How can you spend your time? Maybe it’s by getting the reading done that you always intend to do but never get to. Maybe it’s working on your business so that you can spend more time with your family later in the day.Whatever it is - set the goal + make it a priority to YOU.Because if it’s not a priority, you’re never going to stick with it.