​Contrary to popular belief, we do not have infinite supplies of will-power. And the morning is the time of day when we have our highest levels of it, so getting your mornings right is key to adopting new and healthy habits. (Remember it takes around 21-30 days for a new behaviour to become habit).

Getting a good night's sleep will help us feel ready to get up when the alarm goes off. But what if we still struggle to prize ourselves out of bed? The old 3-2-1 trick (or the 5 second rule as popularised by Mel Robbins) is a simple way to send a signal to your brain to trigger the fast acting part of your brain as well as limiting the influence of the slow acting part of your brain. This method is simply counting down from 3 or 5-1, once we have made the decision to roll out of bed.

And really key to winning in the morning, is preparation the night before. Before bed, lay out your clothes or work-out gear.  Having something appropriate and comfortable to hand first thing in the morning, takes away the energy required for decision making (what shall I wear? What's the weather doing today?) You can even check the forecast or have 2 options ready, if it could go either way. 

A breakfast high in (healthy) fats and protein is just perfect for sustaining will-power. But perhaps you feel you don't have time for anything other than a slice of toast on the way out of the door? Prep your nutritious breakfast before bed, ensuring you opt for high protein, high fats. There are some great plant-based recipes for breakfast on this site. To up the healthy fats, add half an avocado or a small handful of nuts. If you are working out first thing, start the day with lemon water or black coffee. Or both, in that order. Save your breakfast for after your workout.

Proper relaxation before bed is very underestimated, but can be a great stress-buster and help with insomnia and hypertension. Firstly, a screen ban for 60 minutes before bed is really helpful; therefore any alarms on your phone might best be set early evening- or be radical and buy an old-fashioned alarm clock!

An old fashioned book at bedtime can do wonders for your sense of inner peace and tranquility, lowering blood pressure among other benefits such as improving memory and analytical thinking.

Some people like to do a relaxing practice of meditation or yin and/ or nidra yoga before bedtime, for their benefits for stress and anxiety.

Whatever you choose to include in your bedtime routine, have your productive early morning start as your goal: whatever you can do before bed to maximise your chances of a better morning, is worth doing. 

Finally, if your mind is still buzzing when you are ready to sleep, take a moment to recall any thoughts that may be weighing heavy on your mind. One helpful strategy is to recall the thought in your mind''s eye, as if  you are seeing it appear on a screen. Then swipe it away, and watch it disappear. This act of recalling and swiping away, allows the mind to relax. Often those thoughts and worries that come to us late at night, and seem so important, are often on waking, not as important as we thought. 

​Rising early can be life-changing. It's no exaggeration, that a few small tweaks to your routine can be an absolute game-changer. Just think of all those adages; the early bird who gets the proverbial worm; early to bed, early to rise and the payback for our health, wealth and well, wisdom. And if you think we are over-egging it, consider this:  

Isn't it easier to push through a bit of pain or suffering first thing in the morning for the first few days, than to wake up every day, and feel a tinge of dissatisfaction with where we are in life?

Perhaps you are not a morning person and no matter how much you try, mornings are not for you. But mornings can be for you. Although waking up early may find you grumpy at first, once you get used to it, you will have more energy to take on the day and be better at making decisions, be more productive and clearer thinking. What's not to love!

You are also more likely to have a healthier breakfast, setting the tone for the day. Win, win! It could even help you lose or maintain your weight more easily, as a happy side effect of this new habit.  

Waking up early gives you an extra hour to live! And why not spend this time exercising? Exercise wakes you up and gives you all of these benefits and more. 

An earlier start to the day gives us quiet time, with no one or very few people around. Perfect to roll out of bed and practise 5-10 minutes of yoga or meditation to set us off on the right foot for the day. 

And of course, with all this exercise and and clear thinking, come bedtime you will drift into much more effortless and deep sleep!

Remember: success in any field or pursuit, comes from the cumulative effect of daily habits, perseverance and a spot of digging deep in times of perceived weakness. You can do it!

Give yourself a little love this Valentines by taking some time to notice your surroundings and savour your experience. 

How often do we savour the moment? If we are remembering to practise mindfulness, we may be well versed in savouring the chocolate tiffin or even routinely return to our senses in moments of high stress. But what if now is a difficult period in your life. What is there to savour in grief? In boredom? What are we really trying to run from when we try to escape these? Must we always be filling our heads with thoughts?

Editor-in-chief of mindful.org, Barry Boyce recently challenged himself to a week of savouring; and what he learned was fascinating. He used the experience to open up the more difficult feelings in life, and see them as a chance to realise we are really alive. And through meditation he learns (once again) to really savour the freedom we can sense from the need to always be stimulating our minds. You can read more here.