GOOD morning!

Make This the Year You Become a Morning Person.

Mornings are tough. Waking husbands and kids, churning out breakfasts and packing lunches, braving morning traffic on school runs and work commutes, all while running through daily schedules and planning evening meals – it’s no wonder we want to pull the covers back over our heads for ‘five more minutes’.

While those extra five minutes are very tempting, it’s been proven that morning people are able to achieve more. Tabitha Hume, clinical dietician at the Four ways Sports Injury Clinic, says there are many benefits to becoming morning-ready, and has some solid suggestions when it comes to changing our lifestyle to that of an early riser. ‘The more sleep we have before midnight as opposed to after midnight, the more we prevent fat gain,’ says Tabitha. Going to sleep early and waking early gives us sufficient sleep. It allows for more regeneration of cells and better performance and metabolism the following day. If you find it easy to wake in the morning, it means that the body is working in sync with its natural biorhythms, which correspond to the time the day begins. It’s a great indicator that you’re healthy!

Problems being morning-fresh often point to deeper issues such as night waking and difficulty falling asleep. Both of these can be symptoms of depression. Other things that could affect your morning productivity are insufficient oxygen levels to cells; sleep apnoea; smoking; drinking too heavily; dropping sugar levels at night due to insufficient carbohydrates at the evening meal, or lack of sensible night-time routines. The lack of night-time routines often stems from playing on the internet or watching TV until past the appropriate bedtime.

Be prepared