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Can I Become a Morning Person? (Ask Amanda)

Ask Amanda, BlogAmanda Walter | Maple Alps1 Comment
Ask Amanda: Becoming a Morning Person | www.maplealps.com
 

Question: Help! How can I become a morning person? Do you have any tips?

 

 

If you have been following Maple Alps for a while both here and on Instagram, you know that I am a morning person. So many of you have asked this question in the Ask Amanda, that I figured I’d best get onto answering it!

A little bit of background before I go into this: I was not always a morning person. In fact, I hated getting up in the mornings because I was not getting enough sleep. I would stay up all hours of the night with thoughts running through my mind on full speed. As a result, my sleep was not restful, and mornings were a drag. I could sleep in for hours if allowed to. I could even sleep through the most dramatic of situations and fall asleep anywhere.

It wasn’t until I was forced to unplug from everything that I finally trained my body to wake up early. Now, I know that sleep is a pretty complicated thing and not everyone is designed to be a “morning person” but here are some things that helped me get a handle on waking up earlier and more refreshed on a regular basis.


Create Routines around Bedtime and Waking Up

Having evening and morning routines can trick your body in profound ways. Waking up at the same time - even during vacations and on the weekend can help! I read somewhere that even if you went to bed late the night before, you should wake up early the next day. I’ve been doing this for years and find that I’m greatly productive in the mornings - especially on the weekend because I’m less stressed about my usual schedule. Eventually, like me, you won’t even bother setting your alarm anymore because your internal clock knows what’s up!

Do Something Positive or Productive

I like to start my day out spending time with Jesus. It sets the tone for my day and helps me be productive later. Once I’ve spent some time meditating on the Word and noting what I’m grateful for, and journaling and praying, I feel more ready to take on my day. In fact, once I started doing this, I began getting up even earlier because I wanted more uninterrupted time to do it. 

Make Your Sleeping Area Your Haven for Relaxation

My parents always told me that I shouldn’t study or read or work in my bed so that my brain would associate my bed with sleep. They must have been talking to some experts about the insomnia I was suffering from. Turns out they were pretty much right (okay, okay, see parents?). While I am guilty of even typing out this post from my bed right now, I have experienced the benefits of making sure my bedroom is a haven for relaxation. Making your room cozy and having your brain associate it with relaxation will make for better sleep. 

Sleep When You’re Tired

Listen to your body at night when it tells you it’s tired and go to bed. If you wait too long, you won’t be tired anymore. Kind of like when you take Melatonin and stay awake too long and force your body up and it’s not effective anymore. No one else? Just me? Okay. 

Try a Smart Alarm

I’ve had little success with smart alarms - alarms that wake you up during a specific frame of your sleep cycle rather than at a specific time of the day - but I know others who have. Doesn’t hurt to try it and see if it wakes you up feeling more refreshed than usual! I’ve also heard of alarms that wake you up with light

Get Up and Out

When that alarm goes off, get up and out of your room ASAP. Go grab a drink of water or take a shower or exercise, but since your brain is going to be associating your warm bed with sleep now, you have to tell it that it’s time to get moving! 

Don’t Stress

Life happens. Don’t stress when you can’t sleep when you want to. From experience, it keeps you up even longer. Don’t stress when you sleep a little later than you wanted to. Even if it makes you late. Life happens, and taking it in stride will make you happier and healthier.

 

 


How do you make early mornings more desirable?


 

If you have a question, feel free to leave one below for a future segment of "Ask Amanda!"

 

Finding the Time

Ask Amanda, BlogAmanda Walter | Maple Alps4 Comments
Ask Amanda: Finding the Time and Balance to Blog, Teach, and Have a Life | www.maplealps.com
 

Question: How do you find time to be a wife, teacher and blogger? Is that even possible? Can we have a glimpse into a day in the life of Amanda?

 

 

Honestly, I ask myself this question all of the time, so it is no wonder that it is the most common question I get! I wish I could say that I teach during the day and blog at night, but it really is not that simple. Teaching and blogging both require so much behind-the-scenes work and sometimes I wonder if I can manage it all! 

 

Learning how to say no has been the one thing that has helped me accomplish so much in these areas of my life. Choosing my priorities carefully has been important, as has to accept that both teaching and blogging are passions of mine.

 

We actually have more time than we think. A lot can be accomplished in 24 hours (including getting 7-8 hours of sleep!) when the time is used carefully and intentionally without distractions.

 

Blogging tasks are usually done over the weekend, and sometimes in the evening if I have some spare time. Long weekends and breaks are also used productively for those tasks (for example, this last summer, I queued 4 months worth of content). During periods that I have less time for blogging, I like to repurpose or update content so that I’m still keeping things fresh and up-to-date. Sometimes I’ll perfect a recipe. All of that being said, my teaching tasks always come first. Thankfully, I’ve got a knack for being productive and motivated most of the time. We all have days.

 

As for being a wife, it is sometimes hard to be intentional about that. Last year, my husband and I struggled to find enough time to even just sit down and talk (both for fun and for important things like the budget). The pastor/teacher duo is not always the best since his work starts getting even busier once I get home. There are always constantly meetings in the evenings between the two of us, and I try to go to bed early most nights to ensure I have enough energy for the next day. Also to ensure my immune system stays functioning.

 

We have started setting aside one evening a week for a “date night,” which really just means we spend the evening together. It could be playing board games, cooking together, or going out to eat, but we make sure to connect deeper than just a passing “hey!” We used to joke every Sunday, “see you next week!” We would literally not see each other for more than a few minutes a day depending on the week, so I hope to not have that as a reality this next year. I should also mention that my husband is fantastic at sharing chores around the house, which makes keeping things tidy much easier!

 

Finding time for personal and spiritual and professional growth is most important for me on top of all of the other things I do. One way I make sure to meet all of these needs is getting up extra early by 4:30 am to ensure I have time to pray and read my Bible. Another thing I like to do is to use my 40-minute driving commute to listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Sometimes on my way home, I'll call friends or family.

 

Exercising is another thing I try to find time for. Since exercising at ridiculous times in the morning is not for me, I have in the past chosen  to do it after I come home. There has never been a time where it hasn't perked me up and made me feel good - even if it's a short 30-minute walk around the neighbourhood, even if the motivation is hard to find after a long day sometimes.

 

It's all about using time wisely. I take one day per week to rest and recuperate and to focus on my relationship with God and others - one day where I do not do any work at all! It sounds counterproductive, but it truly is our original design and is a blessing!

 

If you struggle with making time for the things that matter for you, I highly recommend printing off or buying a weekly timetable and marking off all of the things you have to be at or do - including sleeping and eating! You may be surprised at the time you have left off, and the things you can fill those slots in with! Or with what you can shift to make a manageable timetable!

 

 


What are some of the ways you manage your time with tasks?


 

If you have a question, feel free to leave one below for a future segment of "Ask Amanda!"

 

Confessions of a Meal Planner

LifestyleAmanda Walter | Maple Alps36 Comments

I had attempted meal planning several times over the years, but it never stuck. It takes time and effort - two things I didn't always have. Since I work full-time now, I need to be very intentional to make good decisions. Meal planning is one of those good decisions. 

I've been meal planning three years now, and though I've yet to really perfect it, I would say I'm getting there. There is such a satisfaction I find in it that I've never known before! This may come across quite strong for a topic such as meal planning, but I don't know how else to express myself right now!

Meal planning helps me with so many things. I'll let you see for yourself: 

Updated June 2019

Confessions of a Meal Planner | www.maplealps.com

Saves Time

I aim to make as few trips to the grocery store as possible. Once a week max! Having a list that keeps me on track not only reduces the time I spend in the store, but the number of extra trips to go because of forgotten items. It’s all in the plan. 

 

Saves Money

Because I'm making less trips a month to the store, I'm spending less! How? Well besides gas money, if I go to the store to pick up one thing, my eye might catch something else that I end up buying. My quick stop ends up costing much more than intended, and that adds up over time. In the same way, if I forget something, I'm more likely to have to pay a visit to a convenience store where prices are much higher. This is also why I bring a shopping list with me, and why I leave my husband at home :) 

 

It Helps Me Be Decisive

This has to do with time, but I decided to make it an extra heading. I am extremely indecisive. You would not believe how long I could stand in the kitchen staring at nothing to decide what I should make for dinner. I am the most indecisive person I know! If I didn't meal plan, by the time I would decide on what I want to make, I would already be starving, too lazy to cook, and prone to have trail mix for dinner - or nothing at all. Which would be the best case!

 

Related: How I Meal Plan

 

I Feel More Prepared & At Ease

As much as I love cooking, I do not feel like doing it every day of the week. I am a busy teacher and the last thing I want to do after a long day at school is to be in the kitchen the whole evening. I like to prepare freezer meals that can be put into the crock pot or in the oven on days I know I will be busy or unmotivated (or not even home for dinner!). I include these in my meals plans! They are also great in a pinch when life throws the occasional curve ball. Because it’s life. Of course curve balls will be thrown!

 

I Can Make Better Food Choices

I will admit that I'm not always the most motivated person. If I didn't meal plan, it would be easier to just grab high caloric foods to satisfy my hunger, as opposed to choosing foods that also satisfy my nutritional needs. Meal planning allows me to be intentional about what I feed myself and others, making sure what I eat will benefit my body and life!

 

Grab my free meal planning guide if you want help starting out with a food plan. In it, I include my basic shopping staples list (which is pretty and functional) and even a sample meal plan.

 

So there you have it: a few reasons I choose to meal plan.
What about you? Do you meal plan? Would you like to start?

In this post here, I talk a bit more about meal planning and my process. 


 
Meal Planning