Five ways to escape your duvet in the mornings

The struggle of getting up the mornings is quite annoying, since I’ve only developed this problem over the past few months. I used to get up as soon as I heard a peep from my phone and never used the snooze button.

With the weather expected to be cool for the next few days, I have a feeling it will be even harder to escape from the tangle of pillows, blanket and duvet on my bed.

In an attempt to get up early and have enough time for exercise and a relaxing breakfast, I researched ways of making the whole experience easier. Here are the top five:

Put your alarm clock on the other side of the room

This is probably some of the oldest advice in the book, but it works well as it forces you to get moving immediately.

If you sleep with your phone next to the bed and use it’s alarm clock feature (like most of us do), this may be a bit harder to do. Just ensure that the alarm clock is out of arm’s reach but still close enough to reach for in an emergency.

Grab some coffee or chug down some water

Coffee-addicts probably already follow the routine of making themselves a cup of coffee as soon as they wake up. If you have a coffee-maker, time it for around your wake-up time.

If you’re more health-conscious, keep a bottle of water next to your bed and take a sip after you wake up. A glass of lukewarm water with lemon on an empty stomach is also highly recommended by health experts.

Get moving

Exercising in the mornings gives you more energy during the day and getting your heart pumping makes properly waking up that much easier.

If you don’t fancy a jog around the block and don’t have a treadmill or exercise bike, why not try pilates classes on youtube or get some Tae-bo or Zumba exercise videos to follow? I recommend fitness expert Cassey Ho’s free (and fun) pilates videos on youtube. Check out her channel here.

Light it up

Switching your bedroom/bathroom/bedside light on in the morning sounds obvious, right? Light can actually help you get up easier and feel better as it stimulates the production of serotonin, the happiness hormone. Open your curtains to let the natural light in or make sure you’re exposed to sharp light once you’re up.

Put on some music

Motivate yourself to get up with a great song as your alarm or even a radio-clock, which switches to your favourite radio station when the alarm goes off. Switch on the radio and sing along as you get ready for work or listen to the morning news. If you prefer TV-programs, why not tune to a breakfast program like Morning Live or Expresso on SABC 2 and 3?

If you already have a foolproof way to make mornings easier, please share!