By 
Chapter 1 | The 5 am Club.
I have been following Robin Sharma who authored the book, “The 5 am Club”. Things have changed until I applied them in my life. I realised something that we can all relate from our initial under graduation days, which is,
“Practicals are always different from what we learn from books’.
Similarly, I am going to share my experience and knowledge regarding the benefits of waking up early in the morning (precisely at 5 am) added with a few points of achieving it.
Benefits of waking up early :
- When we wake up early, our brain gets a shock because we are forcing our mind to shift to a new environment. We learn to adapt and as a result, we get a head-start for the day to start things before others.
Waking up early provides us with ample time to go for a run. It is scientifically proven that while we exercise in the morning, the amount of hormones that gets secreted in our body causes a rise in energy, positivity and motivation. The hormones such as endorphins get secreted during that phase.
“How is it any different while we work out because endorphins also gets secreted during that phase of work-out?”
- While you wake up in the morning, your body gets a fresh start. Hence, your body utilizes most of the hormones that get secreted. In the latter half of the day, our body and mind get tired of our activities so you can understand why mornings are important.
Mornings are always pollution-free as compared to the rest of the day. While you work out in the open or go for a run, your body gets exposed to the open air around. It might sound a bit ridiculous now but trust me it works.
- The best part is ‘blood circulation’. What happens is, our body has no sense of morning or night. The science lies behind natural light and artificial light. Our body reacts positively to natural light which is sunlight that is available in abundance in the morning.
- Finally, do it for yourself. As you wake up early in the morning, your mind which was stopping you for days to remain awake till late finally had to surrender to your will. As the age-old saying goes,
“Our mind is a terrible master but a faithful servant”.
So, when you wake up early against your mind, you achieve your first job of the day. Your mind is programmed to follow accordingly for the rest of the day. Personally, as I wake up, I try doing 50 ‘pushups’ and stretch and then I try to meditate for 15 minutes. I wash my face well, rinse and brush which gives me a great start on the road while I go for jogging.
How to train your mind?
- Remember, your fight is not against yourself but your mind. So you have to start small, be consistent in some basic stuffs. The first rule is to avoid using your phone or any artificial screen or light, two hours before you sleep. You are allowed to receive calls or read a book or spend time alone but strictly avoid using your phone which is the most common tendency. I had the habit of falling asleep while watching videos so you can understand the agony.
Artificial light weakens our eyes. This lethargic response reaches our brain resulting in a lazy start of the morning. Did you notice that most of us who sleep late but wake up tired? I have personally started to avoid my phone after 10 at night. I try to meditate for at least 20 minutes and then head for my journal. Later, I usually retire to bed with a book in hand.
- The next step comes when you wake up in the morning. You have to avoid using your smartphone at once. Your first task is to do those pushups or stretch yourself. Then you can clean your face, meditate (or maybe not). You are not allowed to use any social media platforms, your phone should be strictly used 30 minutes after you wake up and can only be used to access your music applications and fitness application while you jog. Try doing this for a week and you shall understand the reason for me typing it down.
- So once you become an expert in step 1 and 2, head for the final step which is to have an early dinner. Hitting your bed immediately after dinner can be catastrophic for your body ( I shall cover this in detail in the next chapter).
Since your hustle is against the mind, try to avoid your attendance to social media only after 6 pm. So basically, you can only use your social media platforms (except WhatsApp for business and work) for 4 hours ( since you are advised to avoid using your phone after 10 pm). So, once you sleep by 11, it will be a cakewalk for you to wake up at 5 in the morning without a headache or a heavy heart.
Practice this for 21 days.
To be kept in mind.
- Since we have not tried this before, so remember that it is going to be tough in the first few days. Your body and mind will be forced to come out of their comfort zones and it will try to resist it. You will be sleepy, you will be tired, irritated and perhaps moody. Hence it is advisable to indulge yourself in some physical exercise to give you an ‘energy shock’. To keep you moving.
Do not give up. This is the most important step. Remember that,
‘mindset is everything’.
You have to keep doing the same thing AGAIN AND AGAIN till it is encoded in your subconscious mind. Later, it will be a habit and you will not be aware of it because you have been practising it for days and months.
I hope this shall help you live a healthier life. The 5 am club differentiates you from others on one single action,
“ Difference lies in the snooze button. Do you wake up or snooze yourself down”.
It is because when you snooze your alarm, it should be kept in mind that, that amount of sleep after you hit the snooze button is not going to help you. It is an illusion for most of us but very few realize that your sleep cycle ends once you hear the alarm. It is better to wake up, anyway. The last line is a piece of motivation for you,
“No individual in the world has ever regretted after coming from the gym”.
About the author
The guy in the picture is Dr.Arindam Ballav. He wanted to study arts but cracked Dentistry. He wanted to be a writer but ended up being a dentist. Unlike his topsy turvy life, He enjoys penning down his thoughts. Find more about him at breadandpaper_tales in Instagram.
