I was absolutely determined to get up and moving nice and early today. I know I’ve mentioned it to you all a few times recently, but I have been having the hardest time getting up with my alarm. Snoozes of 30-45 minutes have been the norm…so not cool.
Apparently, I was quite motivated to get up for those early morning workouts before. Take those away and I’m a lazy bum.
Okay, kidding. I’m not lazy…all the time. Or at least not today, anyways!
I rolled out of bed first thing this morning, threw on my workout gear and headed out to the kitchen. I put on a pot of coffee, got a few items ready for baking, then went into the living room for a little yoga session. Forty minutes later, I was already feeling so much more energized and ready to start the day.
First up on the list for today? Cupcakes.
Two dozen down, two dozen to go. Three dozen to be filled. All four dozen still to be frosted…but that’ll probably wait until later tonight or early tomorrow so they’re nice and fresh for tomorrow evening.
Once I had my first batch of cupcakes in the oven, I poured myself a mug of coffee and got to work on prepping some breakfast.
I figured I’d continue to work on that whole clearing out the fridge thing, so I put together a yogurt bowl made with pineapple Greek yogurt, strawberries, half of a peach (which you can actually see sitting in the fridge all the way in the top left corner), pineapple, and a mini bag of Love Grown Foods granola.
Delicious, and a nice change of pace from what my usual breakfasts have been as of late.
Alright, my friends…I’ve gotta jet!
Question for the Morning:
What motivates you to get out of bed early in the morning? A workout? Free time before the day starts? A natural morning person?
Caroline @ After Dinner Dance says
I still don’t understand how anyone can be a natural morning person. The only thing that really truly motivates me is if I have something really exciting going on that day, like vacation!
Janae @ Bring-Joy says
Free time before the day starts (aka, whenever the first little person wakes up)!
Ellie@Fit for the Soul says
hahaha ohhh man that’s one of those things I’m always wondering how I’ll handle once I become a mom. The lack of sleep is what intimidates me! :P And what gets me up in the morning is some morning devotional with God and breakfast breakfast breakfast!! haha–I’m such a bfast person.
Parita says
Honestly…the thought of breakfast! Works like a charm :)
Becka @ simplybecka says
I too have been having a really hard time getting out of bed, snooze is my friend. I am even running late to work lately. UGH. I am motivated to get out of bed if I have nothing “scheduled”. Then it seems so much easier to wake up on my own terms. I think I am begin resistant to work lately. LOL Who doesn’t do that sometimes. Have a great day. ^_^
Lindsey says
I love mornings but wish I had more time to enjoy them! Silly work gets in the way ;) My coffee and yummy breakfast gets me up!
Suzanne @ Fit Minded Mom says
My motivation to get up early is my kids….mostly because they are ready for breakfast at 6am(the joy!!) and I don’t dare let them get it themselves for fear of what my kitchen would look like afterwards, lol.
Hope @ With A Side Of Hope says
I never used to be a morning person until I started getting up at 5 for work. Now even on the weekends, I can’t seem to sleep past 8 or 9. I like the thought of starting my day off early with a warm cup of coffee. :)
Lauren @ Chocolate, Cheese and Wine says
I am motivated by free time. I get to slowly wake up and get ready rather than being rushed.
Claire @ Live and Love to Eat says
Starting work at 7 (with an hour commute) gets me out of bed at 5 am every day.
Elaine says
I struggle every morning. I’m definitely more of a night person. And in the winter…forget it. The snooze button gets overused on cold, dark mornings. Unless I have work or an appointment, I will sleep in as late as I possibly can. So I feel your pain!
Ellie says
This is totally silly but I actually pump myself up for the day the night before. I think of all the fun and cool things I will get done the next day as I am going to sleep and it totally helps me get out of bed.
It works I swear
Carolyn says
I love my morning quiet times, coffee, bible study, working out. I have three little boys so I have to get up early (before 5) to really enjoy and get it all done but once I am out of bed I never regret it!
I am LOVING your blog, I don’t comment often because most the time I am reading it from my phone but I look forward to your posts everyday. Also, I didn’t comment on your last HA post but I thought you did an amazing job of letting all of us know how you were feeling and why you were working so hard to listen to your body. I’m praying for you!
Courtney says
Thank you, Carolyn!! :)
Stephanie @itrainthereforeieat says
I don’t like getting up early but I DO like having time to relax and prep for the day without rushing…So I usually force myself up earlier than I really need to, that quiet time with my coffee is sometimes the only “me” time I get during the day!
Lisa @ Jogging on Coffee says
I am definitely not a morning person so the only thing that motivates me to get out of bed is knowing I get to have a cup of coffee!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
It used to be workouts for me (it still sometimes is, but not like it used to be), but it’s mostly just for some alone time in the morning before heading to work. I love the peace and quiet of an early morning!
Courtney says
I agree!
P.S. – we need to chat again soon! It’s been DAYS lol ;)
Beks says
This week, breakfast has had me getting up. I started making Tina’s (CarrotsnCake) 2-ingredient pancake, and it takes awhile to make. So worth it, though! Watch a little Netflix on my phone while I cook and get my food ready, and take my pancakes to go. Still totally zonky when I actually get to work, though.
Alex @ Alex Tries it Out says
I am not a morning person at all, so pretty much the only thing during the week is the fact that if I don’t get up, I’ll be late for work! On the weekends, when my time is MINE, getting up to get my workout in for the day is great motivation.
Yellow Haired Girl says
I haven’t even been hitting snooze … I”ve been shutting it OFF and going back to sleep! A terrible idea, I can assure you. Must. Stop.
Stephanie @ StephSnacks says
I’m not so sure that the workout motivates me to get out of bed as much as how I’ll feel AFTER the workout!
Julianna @ Julianna Bananna says
do you make the cupcakes to sell or just for fun/to share with friends?
also, that yogurt bowl looks amazing!
Courtney says
Both! :)
Jessamy @ The Rambling Asian says
Nothing. I hate mornings, I would prefer 3am workouts. Plus the benefits of working in the afternoon is that I can snooze in a little. Yet I would prefer to get my workout done in the morning, so only one shower; but still not enough to motivate me.
Though sometimes bacon is a motivator!!! ;)
Rachel says
Great looking yogurt bowl!! I haven’t had granola in forever lol I workout every morning before work, so that motivates me to get up :)
Megan (Braise The Roof) says
I’ve been having a really hard time dragging myself out of bed lately, too! I have made getting up fairly early a habit- I don’t necessarily enjoy it, but I know I’ll be fine once I get up and at ’em so I try not to think about it when the alarm goes off!
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie says
I have been loving the yogurt bowls lately! My workouts have been motivating me to get up lately…hopefully it continues!
Shannon says
I’m not a morning person at all. Once I lay down in my bed at night, I’m so comfy that I don’t want to wake up the next morning. What’s getting me up at 7 am is that I need to get back to my school routine- I have to get up at 6:30 Monday thru Friday to catch the bus a little after 7. I’m going to try for 6:45 tomorrow, then 6:40 Friday, 6:35 next Monday, and then 6:30 next Tuesday. Baby steps and time will help me succeed. I also like to watch Good Morning America right at 7 in the morning. I’m hooked to Robin, Lara, Josh, George, and Sam- they make such an awesome news team, and their friendships are real, compared to most TV journalists’ fake friendly attitudes. I’m going to miss watching once school starts! :(
Courtney says
Good idea with slowly getting up earlier, Shannon!
Jennifer @ Peut Butter and Peppers says
I am such a morning person! My best motivation is the sun and enjoying the weather. I like ot read my e-mails with a cup of coffee, then exercise and then make a fun breakfast, well thats my weekend routine!!!
Jodi @ I Run for Food and Wine says
having quiet to drink my coffee and a workout. I’m so much more productive during the ENTIRE day if I workout in the morning
Khushboo says
Usually workouts motivate me to get out of bed otherwise I just end up frazzled while getting ready for work short on time. Would it be terrible to admit that my most effective motivation is breakfast ;)
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
I’m definitely a natural morning person. I still have my fair share of snooze button issues, this morning included. I was hoping to get in a run this morning but then I decided that since my body was feeling so sore and tired, it was probably best for a rest day. I start moving today, so it’s really only KIND OF a rest day…there will be LOTS of stairs.
Sam @ The Real Pretty says
My puppy motivates me… err should I say forces me out of bed. He is deaf and sleeps in a crate, but he sure does know when I seem to be stirring because as soon as I do, he starts to whimper and wont stop until I get up. I’m not complaining though… I love that little booger.
Debbie (Accidently Delish) says
Funny you mention this today. I have a new class schedule which requires me to get up earlier. I am typically your early morning work out person, and now I have more free time in the afternoon, but I still find myself needing/wanting to get up early to work out. I really like getting it done and out of the way and it totally energizes me for the day! Also I find if I wait until later to work out, I tend to find a ton of excuses to NOT work out. So it’s nice to get it done and out of the way! But I like to think I am a natural early riser as well :)
(Can I ask you a silly question? I can never get my comment love to work. I enter my post URL and it always links to the comment? Any hints or suggestions on what link I should be entering?)
Courtney says
That’s really strange…I’ve never had that happen before?! I wish I had a better answer for you! :(
Jamie says
I don’t comment very often, but I just have to let you know how much I LOVE your blog!
I am a natural morning person, but even if I wasn’t, my daughter wakes me up BRIGHT AND EARLY, always =) So that’s pretty motivating, if you can call it that ;)
Courtney says
Thank you, Jamie! :)
Jolynn says
I’ve been having trouble getting up lately too but I almost always get up no later than 630 so I can get ready, eat breakfast, then watch Good Morning America.
Katherine @ The Fit Lady Sings says
Woo, that’s a lot of cupcakes!! I’m motivated to get up and get to the gym… if it doesn’t happen in the morning, it probably won’t at all!
Carrie @ Lift Eat Repeat says
I can get up early even if I’ve stayed up late the night before- not sure what it is, but I feel like sleeping in wastes the day away (IMO of course!)
Good luck with all the cupcakes! For my brothers wedding my mom and I made and frosted over 500 cupcakes in 1 day- Chocolate, Lemon with Lemon Filling and Red Velvet. Let me just say, I will never be doing that again!! I think we still have frozen cupcakes in the freezer.
Courtney says
WOW – now that is a LOT of cupcakes! Haha
Danielle@cleanfoodcreativefitness says
CrossFit has always been my motivator to get up and out in the morning but I still do love my snooze! Lately it’s been my new puppy motivating me to get up to get her every morning! No sleeping in for me!
Nicole says
I am sooo like you with the snooze bar! I used to be anti-snooze bar until about 3 years ago, now I can’t break the habit of getting an extra 20-40 minutes of sleep! I set multiple alarms, even alarms in my bathroom, on the other side of the bedroom, etc. that force me to get up and MOVE….but no, I just hop back into bed and snooooze.
The only thing that can get me up and moving is knowing I have someone waiting on me to be somewhere – like, if I’m planning on meeting a friend at the gym or if I have an early work meeting. Otherwise, I’m a snoozebar victim!
Caitlin says
It’s funny, some mornings I am so ready to be awake and some I could lay in bed forever. I almost always do my “phone errands” in bed when I wake up. I think it helps get my brain moving and the light from the phone screen is helpful to get me up too especially in the winter when it’s still dark out when I wake up. Also, I used my last mini bag of Love Grown from HLS last night and it was TRAGIC.
Alyssa says
I need to get back into the habit of morning workouts again. I have been doing them in the evenings all summer, but I enjoy getting them done in the morning and feeling more energized all day!
This post reminds me – I need to clean out my fridge, too! ;)
Alex @ Healthy Life Happy Wife says
I love getting up early to have a little bit of me time in the morning. Also, working out in the morning makes me feel great all day!
Lauren @The Homeostatic Mindset says
I LOVE days that start out on a roll like yours. Makes me feel so proud of myself lol ;)
Annette@FitnessPerks says
I am totally a morning person. Always have been! It’s no problem for me to wake up & hit the gym or the pavement!
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles says
Workouts definitely get me going in the morning…otherwise I would never stop hitting the snooze button.
Awesome breakfast, I can’t remember the last time I had a simple yogurt bowl!
Brandi says
That is the one button that I never use! ;) My body always seems to know that my alarm is about to go off and it usually wakes up 20 to 30 minutes before. Ahh, oh how I love the weekends when I don’t have to set it. :)
What motivates me to get up?? hmm…. work, coffee, breakfast, bible study, a great workout, coffee…:)
Stephanie @ Steph's Miles says
It’s good to know I’m not the only one who struggles with the alarm. I set up multiple alarms and it still takes me sometimes an hour to get up! Then I get super frustrated because I wish I had enough time for a productive morning instead of rushing. Hopefully I’ll get into the routine I want some day!
Lea @ Greens and Coffee Beans says
I’m a big morning person! My friends think I’m weird because most 21 year olds sleep like sleeping until noon, but I am up before 7:30 every morning, even on the weekends!
Chelsea @ One Healthy Munchkin says
I’m a natural morning person! I love how calm and quiet they are. And I usually use that time to read blogs because sometimes it’s the only time in the day I have to read them.
Sara @ The Foodie Diaries says
I’m not gonna lie, food motivates me to get out of bed in the morning ;)
Ashley @ Sweat for Sweets says
Hmm.. going to work definitely motivates me to get out of bed in the morning. I hate being late or super rushed to get ready!
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake says
I’m definitely all about having some quiet me-time in the morning! It’s rough getting up earlier, but worth it!
Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut says
I LOVE the snooze button. Probably more than I should. The only thing that really seems to motivate me is when I NEED to get up like for school or work. Otherwise I get up “early” at 9am to eat breakfast. :)
Bek @ Crave says
If the sun comes through my window usually that gets me up, or my workouts- I’m pretty lucky and generally sleep till 8am on usual workout days..but it’s 5:20 on days I have to teach at 6am!
evenings says
i love the snooze button!
Avery @ Texas Teen Keeps Lean says
I was just thinking about what to have for breakfast….Yogurt bowl it is!