#005:
3 Habits to Adopt for a Powerful Morning Ritual
July 29, 2013
______
Introduction
● The 5 am Miracle - Episode #5
[INTRO SONG]
● Good morning and welcome to the 5th episode of The 5 AM Miracle.
● I am Jeff Sanders and this is THE podcast dedicated to dominating your day before breakfast.
● My goal is to help you bounce out of bed with enthusiasm, create powerful lifelong habits, and tackle your grandest goals with extraordinary energy.
● In today's episode I discuss 3 habits to adopt for a powerful morning ritual.
● But first, today’s episode is brought to you by The 5 am Blueprint - a NEW customized coaching product that I think you will find very valuable. I’ll share more about this new opportunity at the end of the episode, so stick around.
● Also, if you have not yet joined my awesome email newsletter, you can become a part of our stellar community - also known as The 5 am Club - and get a free copy of my eBook, also titled, The 5 AM Miracle.
● Just head on over to 5amMiracle.com
● Now, let’s get started with today’s feature segment!
-7.5 db
[MUSICAL INTERLUDE]
Feature Segment
I want to start today’s episode with a quote that I read in a book recently.
● The book is “Zebras and Cheetahs: Look Different and Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle” by Michael Burt and Colby Jubenville
● Here’s the quote: “Don't wait for opportunity. You should wake up every morning and use a specific growth strategy to take on the jungle that is based on the highest value of your time driven by a dominant focus you want to manifest.”
● This quote serves as a great lead-in to today’s feature segment because all of us really need a dominant focus that drives us to get up early and start our day with gusto!
● So, now let’s discuss: 3 Habits to Adopt for a Powerful Morning Ritual. These habits are applicable to just about everyone and I believe they will help you focus and tackle your dominant focus, whatever that may be.
# Zero: Go to Bed Early if You Want to Get Up Early
● Sleep matters.
a. Benny Franklin was right: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”
● The #1 reason I DON’T get up at 5 am is because I went to bed late.
a. If you want to impress your friends and survive on a severe lack of sleep - good luck.
b. You’re only hurting yourself, your quality of work, your creativity, your energy, . . . you get my point.
So, How do you guarantee an early bedtime?
1. Set a hard boundary and tell other people about it.
c. Other people will respect your decision if you do.
2. I set a limit to STOP all work by 8 pm. Between 8 and 9 pm I read and prepare for bed.
3. Also, you can easily improve your quality of sleep if you exercise every day.
a. 4 hours of great sleep is better than 8 hours of tossing and turning.
NOW - 1st Habit to Adopt for a Powerful Morning Routine
1. Hydrate
● The first thing I do after I wake up is drink 1 liter of water
● Water is purifying, clean, and very necessary after dehydrating yourself while sleeping all night.
● The average person is chronically dehydrated.
● If you are not using the restroom multiple times a day - you need to drink more.
● Not to get too graphic - but clear is better than dark yellow.
You Don’t Need Coffee
● Even if you drink coffee, you don’t need it.
● Water is incredibly energizing and it clears your mind and body for doing great work later in the day.
● If you do drink coffee, always drink water first.
● The worst thing to do to your body first thing in the morning is dump acidic caffeine into an empty stomach.
30 Days of Water
● As with all of my personal experiments, I love 30-day trials.
● For 30 days, try drinking 1 liter of water every morning within a few minutes of waking up.
● You don’t have to chug the water, but drink it within the first 30 minutes of getting up.
● It may take awhile for your stomach to adjust to that much liquid - so take it slow at first.
Plan your liquid Intelligently
● I have easy access to bathrooms at home, work, and even while running errands because I know where all the bathrooms are located in every store in town.
● If you take water seriously, you will also need to locate every bathroom nearby and make plans to use them.
● Plan your morning commute to work around drinking a lot.
Benefits of Hydration
● The first and best part of being hydrated is the elimination of physical ailments
○ So much of our diseases, illnesses, and pains can be relieved by simply staying hydrated.
● The next best part is mental clarity - which leads to improved creativity, decision making, and getting more done all day.
● Don’t forget about easier digestion and feeling awake naturally - without the jitters of coffee.
2nd Habit to Adopt for a Powerful Morning Ritual
2. Exercise
● My best mornings ALWAYS include exercise
● It doesn’t matter if it’s lifting weights, running, practicing yoga, or anything else - exercise makes me feel more alive than anything else I do.
● Now, even when I say that - I still don’t exercise nearly as often as I should.
● So, let’s discuss the lies we all tell ourselves our working out.
Lie #1
● No TIME
● Most people claim there is never enough time for exercise - which is impossible.
● We all have 24 hours in a day - but our unintentional priorities take control of our lives.
● If you want to have time for exercise - you will have to create the time.
● Rearrange your schedule and create the space you need.
● The good news is that you don’t need a lot of time.
● I normally workout for 20-40 minutes on average.
● That’s it.
● You don’t have to workout for 90 minutes or more to get the benefits.
● Strive to complete your workout within the first 90 minutes of waking up.
● For example - I try to get back home from my morning workout by 6:30 am.
● If I want to workout for a longer time period - I just get up earlier.
Burst Training
● I would recommend A 20-minute Burst Training session if you want to accelerate your growth quickly.
● I will link to a great video in the shows notes that will show you how to implement Burst Training today.
● Dr. Josh Axe created a short video where he runs through a burst training routine that most people can easily do now.
● Over time you can increase the number of repetitions, but you can start burning fat and building energy today.
● And - the best part of burst training is that you can do it at home. No gym or equipment required!
Lie #2
● I can’t afford a gym, or workout clothes, or equipment, or the fancy DVDs, or the blah blah blah that I HAVE to HAVE to START.
● You don’t need any of that stuff.
● You don’t need money - you need to exercise.
● If you let money stop you from working out - money will run your life.
● Workout anyway.
● Use what you have and just go!
Lie #3
● I’m not in great shape and working out is hard!
● This lie is also known as: I’m looking for any excuse to not break a sweat.
● Here’s the great news. You don’t have to work hard.
● You will have to give some effort, but you exercise that is painful is a sign that you are pushing yourself too hard.
Let me give an example from my marathon training:
● I implemented a heart rate training program last year that keeps me exercising in my endurance zone.
● What that means is that my heart rate is only slightly increased.
● The average person could get their heart rate into the endurance zone with a brisk walk.
● So, if you want to start a morning exercise routine today - you could walk quickly for 20 minutes.
● Over time you would gradually increase the intensity only as your heart gets stronger.
● Therefore, you will be getting a better workout and getting in better shape without having to work so hard it hurts!
● I will link to a great book in the show notes that outlines how this process works.
● I also wrote a blog post about this topic that goes into more detail about Heart Rate Training.
Benefits of a Morning Workout
1. You will actually do it
a. If you workout in the morning - you are more likely to exercise consistently
2. Big Energy for the rest of the day
a. The best thing you can do feel great all day is workout in the morning
b. Cardio work is better than lifting weights for long-term energy - but both are great for you.
3. More Confidence as you tackle big projects
a. I’m always amazed that my self-confidence increases as I workout more.
b. It’s a direct correlation.
c. The healthier I am the better I feel about myself the better I am at just about everything I do.
● If you’re not convinced yet to start a morning workout routine - do it anyway.
● The best motivation is always personal experience.
● Don’t take my word for it. Get out there and do it yourself. I think you’ll love it!
3rd Habit to Adopt for a Powerful Morning Ritual
3. Be Intentional
You Need a Plan
● I know a lot of people who run through life without a plan for anything and they think they’re doing okay.
● The reality is that they are doing okay - but they’re not doing great and they are certainly holding themselves back from being at their best.
● Jim Rohn, the former personal development author and speaker, said that most people spend more time planning a vacation than they do planning their lives.
● I think that’s very true.
Plans make things work
● If you want a specific outcome - why not do whatever it takes to make that happen?
● Plans don’t have to be complicated.
● In fact, they should be really, really simple.
● I like very short lists with specific activities that are well planned.
● That’s all it takes.
Ideal Morning on Paper
● Here’s an example of a morning routine that could get you going tomorrow.
The night before
8:30 pm - Review your goals for the next day and write down a morning plan
9:00 pm - Go to bed
5:00 am - Wake up, get dressed in workout clothes, and drink a liter of water
5:15 am - Eat a few bananas while reading or checking your email
5:30 am - Leave for a morning workout (at the park, the gym, or in your basement)
6:30 am - Shower, get dressed for work, eat breakfast
7:30 am - Work on household chores, walk your dog, kiss your wife, leave for the day
● This simple morning routine is based on the idea that you schedule what is important to you.
● If working out sounds awful, but you really want to spend time knitting a sweater - then knit a sweater like a pro from 5:30 to 7:00 am every morning.
● The best part is that these morning hours are your’s to do with what you will.
● You have control of your day when you decide to take control.
● The whole reason I started this podcast and titled it “The 5 AM Miracle” is because I saw an opportunity to empower people with their own abilities.
● We all have the ability to change our lives but we have to acknowledge that power and put it to use.
● If you truly want to change your life - I believe it begins with planning exactly how you want your life to go - starting with a powerful morning routine.
[MUSICAL INTERLUDE]
Tip of the Week
● And now it’s time for the Tip of the Week
● Today tip is a strategy I use all the time to overcome a lack of discipline and guarantee my own success with challenging goals: Put yourself in an environment where success is likely to occur.
● Here’s an example:
● How likely are you to eat healthy food while waiting in line at a fast food drive-thru?
● How likely are you to exercise while laying on your couch after work with a beer in your hand?
● Now, consider this:
● How likely are you to eat healthy while visiting a farmer’s market?
● How likely are you to exercise if you are standing in a gym while wearing workout clothes?
● These rhetorical questions have obvious answers, but what lies beneath the obvious is the hidden reality that when you in an environment that produces success, you succeed.
● When you are surrounded by people and institutions that promote bad habits, you are considerably more likely to adopt those bad habits as well.
● So, the trick is to think about putting yourself in situations that guarantee success more often.
● For example, when I wake up early in the morning and I have a run planned at the park, I don’t think about running. I think about getting dressed and driving to the park.
● The biggest hurdle is getting myself to the park - NOT running.