Day 2 of the 5 AM Club Morning Routine Challenge

The second day of the 5AM Club morning routine challenge was a little more challenging than the first day. I never slept properly again and I found it very difficult to get out of bed. I came up with a thousand excuses as to why I should just stay in bed and get some more sleep but I ignored every one of them. So I dragged myself out on time again and quickly got ready for my hour of power! 💪

5:00 A.M. Move. After washing my mouth out and splashing some cold water on my face I jumped straight into the 20 minute routine. I sweated. It wasn’t easy, but I got my fat little body moving and I made it sweat.

I did a total of 200 pushups, 100 situps and the remaining time was jogging back and forward while boxing. I’m in a fourth floor apartment here in Istanbul and I don’t have blinds or curtains covering my windows in the living room. So I just wonder if I’m early morning entertainment for any of my neighbors 😜 I don’t see many (if any) lights on in other apartments at 5am but I’m sure it would be amusing seeing a chubby Australian guy boxing and dancing and jumping around by himself at such an ungoldly hour!

5:20 A.M. Reflect. Again I did my daily diary for most of the second segment of time. I reviewed my first day of the 5AM club morning routine and then wrote about some personal things that were on my mind at the time. Things like who am I, what am I doing with my life? I’m past the age of 40 now so I have these sorts of questions come up quite a bit. I always have more questions than answers.

The second part of reflecting was spent planning the day ahead. Mostly work related plans. I also plan to do at least 400 pushups each day, 100 situps, and more than an hour of walking, so they’re always in my plans by default.

5:40 A.M. Grow. I continued to read the 5AM Club book by Robin Sharma. And again I took plenty of notes as I don’t have my own copy yet. Here’s a couple of quick quotes..

“Becoming legendary in your industry is all about sustainability.”

“Longevity is the key to legendary.”

“Balance intense work with rest to remain fresh.”

“Peak producers are lifetime learners.”

Here’s some more Robin Sharma Quotes from a page I posted previously.

Second Day of the 5AM Club

The second day was much more challenging as I think my ego knew what was coming. The first day it didn’t know what hit it and just went along with it all. Today it was ready with a whole bunch of excuses. I ignored them though and got out of bed on time again. I went through the whole 20/20/20 routine and felt great.

Until about 8:00 when I just couldn’t keep my eyes open! I was working on the computer and couldn’t focus as my body just wanted more sleep. If I get less than 6 hours sleep I just can’t function properly. Usually I would become sleepy in the afternoon if I hadn’t slept enough the night before but today I was sleepy by 8AM!!

So I went back to bed for about one and a half hours and woke up feeling much better. Which means I really have to work harder on getting to bed earlier. It’ll take some time but I think I can do it.

Exercise: I did 410 pushups throughout the day, 100 situps and more than 70 minutes walking.
Diet: I went outside to buy a coffee during the day as I was feeling a bit low and ended up stopping at McDonalds. I had a kofte burger (which was terrible), fries and a bottle of water (better than coke I suppose). For dinner I made a salad and meatballs.

How Could I Improve?

Obviously keep away from fast food places like McDonalds. I think I was just feeling low and wanted something familiar, even if that familiar tastes crap and is bad for me! Also, I shouldn’t let myself get so hungry while there isn’t much to eat in the house. I left the house hungry and low, so it was bound to end in tears 😦

I also need to be more specific with my planning and stick to it. I should have 5 things to do that are non negotiable and the rest can be desirable but optional.

5am Club Conclusion for Day 2

It was definitely more challenging than the first day of the challenge. It’s like my ego conspired with the universe to throw up one road block after the other to stop me from doing this challenge. I think my ego can see the value in doing this morning routine and it can see that it has to take a backseat while I take control of my life.

It’s like I’m telling the idiot child in me to shut up and do what it is told. It’s now throwing a tantrum and trying to derail my plans. But I will persist and whether the storm as I’m determined to make this work. I can be more, I deserve more, I’m becoming more.

Remember I’ll be posting all the 5AM Club posts here. Let me know of your experiences with the 5AM club or a morning routine that sets you up for a successful day, hence a successful life! 😀