Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CelebrateGoodness #GreatGrainsGreatYear
I am NOT a morning person. Unfortunately, the world (and my toddler) expects and rewards early risers. One of my goals for 2018 is to establish a routine that allows me to be more productive, healthier, and happier. This involves waking up at a normal human hour, and not going to bed past midnight. I’m working on it, and I’m slowly progressing away from my nocturnal self into a *shudder* early riser. I’ve picked up some tips and tricks so if you’re a night owl by nature like me, hopefully this helps! This is my minimum effort routine for maximum awesomeness so that 2018 can be the start of something great.
Plan Ahead
Having a productive morning means prepping for it the night before. No. I don’t necessarily mean laying out all the things you need the night before (though it definitely helps), I’m starting to take into account WHEN I need to get to sleep in order to wake up well rested the next day. Just like we do for Penny, I’m making myself a bedtime routine. Enforcing a strict bedtime is difficult for me; I find myself being my most productive and creative self at night. So I’ve started setting alarms for myself. I give an hour alarm and a 30 minutes alarm. The hour before bedtime warns me that I need to finish up whatever project I’ve set out to work on, and my 30 minutes alarm is the heads up to go take care of the nitty gritty bed time routine: brush teeth, get on pjs, etc.
No More Snooze Button
I am (was?) a snooze button devotee. I’m a queen of “just 30 more minutes.” This is such a bad habit to get into. Hitting the snooze button doesn’t guarantee quality sleep; you’re far better off just setting your alarm for a later time.
Sleep with your Shades Open!
Assuming you don’t live somewhere that you have a neighbor who can catch an eyeful of your sleeping self, sleep with your windows open! The natural sunlight (especially in summer) helps ease your body out of sleep.
Get Moving
How do you become a morning person? You get moving. Stretching and getting the blood pumping before hopping out of bed has helped me jump start my day. So instead of hitting snooze (and instead of crawling all grumpy out of bed) I take a few minutes to stretch and wake up my body bit by bit. I start by rolling my wrists and ankles in circles and then sit up at do these stretches to get myself ready to take on the day. Maybe one day I’ll figure out how to pry my butt out of bed early enough to make it to the gym, but let’s just take it one day at a time, ok?
Don’t Skip Breakfast!
I’m so guilty of this. I am a founding member of the Run-Out-The-Door-and-Don’t-Eat-Until-Lunch club, and it’s so bad for me. When I eat breakfast I’m definitely more focused and apt to tackle more of the to-do list. I’m not always in the mood to make anything complicated for breakfast, which is why I love myth Get Up and Go Three Ingredient Cereal Bars. They’re tasty, filling, and easy.
I order my cereal at Walmart.com, have them deliver to my nearest Walmart, pick it up, and make the bars at the beginning of the week and store them in the fridge for easy breakfasts. I recently switched it up and started using Post Great Grains Coconut Almond Crunch. I’m all for it because I really appreciate that it’s made of real ingredients that taste great, and has an awesome mix of flavors and textures. It tastes sweet and indulgent but isn’t guilt-inducing. 😉
(Let’s be honest, changing your cereal isn’t going to change your life. But it’s a good start. In fact, it’s a really great start. Because the start is what matters most. It’s what gets the momentum going and the ball rolling. The start is the most important part of a journey, and the fact that Great Grains gets to be a part of it, well that’s pretty great.)
Check out my recipe at the end of the post! And you can hit up Ibotta for coupons so you can make our bars even MORE wallet friendly!
But DO Skip Facebook!
Have you ever opened your phone in the morning thinking, “Oh! I’ll just check my Facebook notifications,” and come out of your trance an hour (or more) later? Yeah. Me, too. I’m instituting a “No Social Media until after lunch” policy. There’s nothing so important on Faceook that it can’t wait until noon.
And last, but not least:
Know what you need to get done!
If I don’t write something down in my new planner, I won’t do it. It’s not that I’m actively avoiding it, it’s just that I’ll completely forget it needs to be done! I love that I have a planner with slots for my “Daily Top Three”. I write the cleaning on there for the day, my schedule, and any projects I need to get completed. I wake up, check the planner, and then have a course of action for my morning.
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Wow. That was a lot more than I anticipated. Switching up my routine has been tough, but rewarding, even if change is coming bit by bit. If you’re AM-Phobic, I hope these tips and tricks (and my yummy cereal bars) help you shake off your nocturnal nature and seize the day!
Three Ingredient Cereal Bars
Prep Time | 10 minutes (to soak the dates) |
Cook Time | 10 minutes |
Servings |
bars
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- 1 Cup Great Grains Coconut Almond Crunch I love using this cereal because it already has a really delicious mix of flavors and ingredients. It saves me from having to purchase bulk supplies of other ingredients.
- 1 1/2 Cups Pitted Dates Soaked for 10 minutes
- 1/2 Cup Nut Butter Smooth. Salted is tasty, but use your favorite!
Ingredients
|
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- Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper
- Blend dates in food processor until small and smooth. The ball will clump together; that’s ok.
- Add Great Grains Coconut Almond Crunch, and Nut Butter to the food processor. Pulse until well mixed. You can add more cereal as needed to get a consistency you prefer.
- Press mixture into 8x8 pan. Place in Freezer to Set.
- Slice Bars. Store in Fridge or Freezer. I keep mine in the fridge because I like to grab-and-go. I’ll freeze (and wrap individually in wax paper) if I’m planning on packing them in my lunch.
For more recipes and ideas to start something great, check out the Post Cereals’ Pinterest Page!
#CelebrateGoodness #GreatGrainsGreatYear
Yum! But no Facebook until lunch?! Impossible! 🙈
I have faith in you! You can do it! lol
Is this cereal gluten free?
this particular one? I’m not sure! I’d check the ingredients on the box. But this recipe can be made with any cereal you prefer. This one just has a great combo of flavors, but I suppose you could always ALSO add in things like Cinnamon or coconut flakes. The coconut goes really well with the dates.
Definitely time to get back to basics!! Great recipe….can’t wait to try it.