How Waking Up at 5am Changed My Life in One Week

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Waking up at 5 a.m changed my life in one week! 

No kidding, guys.

I’ve come across a number of articles where the writers claimed waking up at 5 a.m. changed their lives, and I’d roll my eyes.

Firstly, I used to believe there was nothing magical about waking up at 5 a.m. 

People run different schedules and should decide whatever time they want to wake up.

I’m a late sleeper, so waking up at 5 a.m was not appealing to me. 

Secondly, I believed productivity is not attached to a specific time. You can choose to wake up at any time and still be productive.

However, about three weeks ago, a Facebook friend shared how a neighbour complimented her looks because she had lost some weight owing to her morning walks.

“Oh, I can walk in the mornings too!” I said to myself like I just had an epiphany. 

I’d been struggling with staying physically active because I work on my PC all day. 

I’m well aware of the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle. 

Even though I want to lose some weight, staying healthy and fit is more crucial to me. 

So, the following morning at 6 a.m., I hit the road to begin my morning walk with my headphones on. 

Let’s just say that my life didn’t remain the same since that day! 

It’s been three weeks now, and I’ve only missed my morning exercise just twice! 

I had to start waking up at 5 a.m. because I used to have my quiet time at 6 a.m., we have our family devotion at 6:45 a.m., then prep the kids for school from 7 a.m.

Now, I wake up at 5 a.m. for my quiet time (I’m a practising Christian, I believe spending time to pray, meditate, and read the Bible or any spiritual material is essential to my faith), I go for my morning walk at 5:50 or 6 a.m. and try to get home by 6:45 a.m. for our family devotion. 

During the weekends, my morning walks or jogging could span two hours.

How has waking up at 5 a.m. changed my life?

Waking up at 5 a.m changed my life in these ways:

HOW WAKING UP AT 5am CHANGED MY LIFE IN ONE WEEK

1. BUILD DISCIPLINE

Waking up at 5 a.m. helped me build discipline in one week! 

It requires great discipline to wake up when your body wants more sleep. 

Discipline is doing what you have to do even if your body is telling you to do otherwise. 

The first few days weren’t easy but I got through them. 

Now, I find it easier to wake up at 5 a.m., even earlier, sometimes. 

If I didn’t set a target to wake up at 5 a.m., I would let my body dictate my waking times, and you can’t have a productive life that way; because the body likes easy things. 

You can’t go far in life and in achieving your dreams if you want to do easy things only. 

Now, my body is getting used to waking up at 5 a.m. even without the alarm blaring in my ears. 

 

2. DEVELOP A ROUTINE

Honestly, before now, I didn’t have a routine that guided my daily activities. 

I just took each day as it came. 

Now I realize how much that didn’t make sense. 

Waking up at 5 a.m. has helped me to develop a routine that works for me and my family, and also guarantees a productive day. 

The importance of having a daily routine cannot be overemphasized. 

Let me share some of the benefits of having a daily routine with you:

 

Benefits of a Daily Routine

1. It guides your daily activities 

You are not clueless about what you should be doing per time. 

If you’re constantly bored, you probably lack a routine. Otherwise, you’d know what you should be doing per time. 

 

2. It gives a sense of purpose and direction 

You can’t live with a sense of purpose and direction if you’re clueless about how your day should go. 

 

3. A daily routine gives your life a sense of stability 

While it’s okay to be spontaneous, you can’t live your life every day on spontaneity. 

You need some level of stability in your life to function as a wholesome individual. 

 

4. Routine balances your life 

This is one of the best, if not the most important benefit of having a daily routine. 

With a daily routine, every (major) aspect of your life is taken care of because it’s planned for. 

People say they don’t have time to read, exercise, check up on loved ones, rest etc. 

Fact is, you only have time for what you make time for. 

People who live a balanced life and seem to have time for everything have the same 24 hours in a day like everyone. 

The difference is in how they plan their day to accommodate the things they have to do. 

Because I have a routine, I have the time to exercise, work, be active on social media, read, and even watch a movie. 

I no longer have to deny myself of things I love to do because there’s now a place for them in my day. 

 

5. Time management 

This is a given. 

Having a routine is you managing your time because you assign time to tasks. 

Time is life. When you manage your time, you’re managing your life, and when you waste time, you waste life. 

Your ability to manage time will determine your level of success in life. 

 

6. Enjoying the moment 

One way to enjoy life and make the most of it is to live in the present and enjoy the moment. 

Having a routine helps you to achieve this because your activities are timed. 

You won’t be working on your PC while you’re watching a movie with your family, you won’t be watching a movie when you’re supposed to be reading etc. 

Your routine helps you to focus on the task of the moment because you’ve allocated time to tasks. 

With these benefits of having a routine written above, you can’t afford to live your life haphazardly. 

 

3. MORNING WALK

Like I wrote earlier, I’ve been walking (sometimes jogging) every morning for 45 minutes to an hour. 

As I write this, I’m taking a break from walking and sitting beside this beautiful water fountain in a garden. 

I discovered this place three days ago and I find the sound of the water so calming. 

I started walking today at 5:20 a.m. because I was feeling sleepy during my devotion. 

I didn’t know the route I took would lead to this place. 

Lucky me! 

I’m enjoying the beautiful scenery and the tranquillity of the water fountain as the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries and coffee wafts into my nostrils. 

What a beautiful way to start the day! 

I’m kind of getting hyper at this point because I never thought in my wildest imagination that I could be that person walking/jogging on an almost lonely road. 

Waking up at 5 a.m. helps me walk/jog in the morning and enjoy the following benefits:

Morning Walk Benefits

1. Better Health

I don’t need to lecture you on the health benefits of being physically active. 

As a writer, I’m on my PC for many hours of the day, so I hardly have time to be on the move. 

So being able to walk in the morning is like gold to me. 

Walking is the easiest exercise and has been discovered to be effective in reducing body fat, increasing muscle strength, improving cardiovascular health, and aiding weight loss. 

I’m enjoying some of these benefits already. 

I noticed I feel lighter than when I started my morning workout, unlike before when I huffed and puffed after walking a short distance. 

The scale also shows that I’ve dropped a few kilos. 

My dresses even fit better and generally, I feel good in my body despite the soreness my body feels because of the workout.

But it’s all good. No pain, no gain, right?

 

2. Personal Development 

I listen to podcasts especially Christian sermons from my favourite preachers while I walk/jog. 

This is one of the highlights of my walk and my morning. 

I gain insight and increase in wisdom in the morning when my mind is fresh and yet to be encumbered with day’s events. 

In fact, the time passes so quickly and I don’t feel like I’m exercising. 

These great minds I listen to are my workout buddies. 

It’d have been fun and romantic for me if my husband was my workout buddy but he has to stay with the kids as there’s no one else at home with us. 

But gaining knowledge and increasing in wisdom during my morning walk is personal development for me. 

I write the insights I gain in my phone’s notebook app. 

When I say waking up at 5 a.m. changed my life in one week, I’m not exaggerating. It’s not clickbait. It’s true. 

 

3. A Happier Mood

Sometimes, I listen to danceable music after listening to an inspirational message or listen to music all through my morning workout. 

I dance, walk or jog to the rhythm of the songs, not caring who’s watching. 

This puts me in a really great mood. 

Starting my day in such great spirits helps me maintain a positive attitude and behaviour throughout the day, thereby having a super-productive day. 

Jeff Keller is right. Attitude is Everything. 

Even when I come across upsetting situations during the day, I’m more mentally, emotionally, and physically equipped to deal with them because my day started great. 

 

4. Zeal to Live

Usually, I look forward to the breaking of the day because every day is an opportunity for me to do what I love and achieve my goals. 

This is why I sleep late and wake up early. 

In fact, I sleep because I need to, and not because I want to. 

However, my morning walks seem to have increased my zeal to start the day. 

No kidding. 

These days, I can’t wait to get out of bed and hit the road to work out after my quiet time despite the soreness I feel in my body. 

This alone makes me happier and motivated about living. 

 

4. A PRODUCTIVE DAY

My days are more productive now because I wake up at 5 a.m.

Win the morning, win the day.

When I start my day early, I’m able to carry out some tasks without distractions and interruptions. 

Also, I feel like I have more time to do things I should do. 

 

5. FULFILLMENT

I feel a sense of fulfilment when my day is productive.

Uncompleted tasks make me feel guilty and unaccomplished. 

I’m not saying I do everything I should do every time. But on most days, I tick off my to-do list and I’m happy!

This is how waking up at 5 a.m. has changed my life. Can you relate? What time do you wake up?

 

 

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