How to Break the Snooze Habit

This morning I woke up to the sound of raindrops not so gently tapping on my bedroom window, just moments before my alarm started blaring in my ear. That alarm is the obvious sign that I need to get up and at ‘em and meet my buddies for a run. But you know what, the rain, cold and pitch black outdoors beat me today and instead I turned the alarm off and snuggled back into my doona. This doesn’t happen very often but when it does, it is inevitable that when I do eventually wake up and get stuck into my day, I beat myself up about not doing my daily exercise. I am not a very nice person to be around if I don’t get my body into some fitness action to start the day. And the thing is, if I miss my morning workout, with three young children and a business to run, the opportunity to get out and exercise doesn’t present itself again that day.

I know lots of people experience the same problem with the good old snooze button. Your arm gets a good workout but not much else. The question is, how can we ditch the dithering, avoid the snooze button and get away from our happy place under the blankets?

• Put your alarm out of arms reach. Whether it is an alarm clock on your bedside table or on your phone, put it far enough away that you have to physically get out of bed to reach it. It’s way too easy to get your arm into snooze action if your alarm is close and handy. Placing it by the bedroom door is probably the best place so that you can just keep moving on out and get your gear on.

• If you are a serial alarm avoider, have you heard about the alarm clock that runs away and hides to get you out of bed? You can choose from either the Clocky or Tocky, both runaway alarm clocks that are super durable and can jump from a 3 feet high nightstand. It just keeps up the alarm until you get yourself out of bed to find it – destined to become your best friend or worst enemy.

• Set your alarm for the ACTUAL time you need to get out of bed not the time that allows you to hit the snooze button 50 times. This is one of my own downfalls because my alarm repeats every seven minutes and I often factor in a couple of these intervals before I get up. The reality is, the quality of this interval sleeping is never good and it much preferable to just get up already!

• Have your exercise clothes and equipment at the ready the night before. It can be rather difficult to find ones exercise gear when still in the slumber zone (especially if its still dark), so don’t place that hurdle in front of yourself.

• If you need to have small snack or drink before your workout, prepare it the night before, eliminating any need for using sharp instruments when your body is not yet functioning – because lets face it, that cannot end well.