Why I Quit The 5am Club.

And live seasonally instead.

One night around three years ago, I said to my boyfriend “I’m going to wake up with you tomorrow” his alarm went off at 5am and something in me felt compelled to be on the same agenda as him, perhaps it was guilt? But anyway, for the next six months I woke up at 5am and harboured a very admirable morning routine of pilates, drinking matcha, reading and completing 10k steps before the world had woken up.

To be totally honest with you, I really enjoyed it for a while. It felt invigorating and I guess a sense of pride to have accomplished so many small tasks before the day had even begun.

I valued myself highly because I had set myself something which felt difficult, but I was achieving it. There really is something to be said about fulfilling things that you set for yourself, it does wonders for your personal self worth, no matter how big or small.

After 6 months spring warmed to summer and slowly the dark night’ started to draw in. With winter arriving, although I still woke up at 5am, the positive morning slowly slipped away. The bright sunshine replaced with a blanket of black sky. I no longer opted for the pilates class, instead I spent an hour scrolling mindlessly on my phone, simply moving from my bed to the sofa. My morning walk became few and far between with the excuse that it was too dark to walk on my own (very valid point there) the invigoration and pride that I once felt had vanished. My mind felt groggy, I found it hard to focus because I was so tired meaning I reached for more snacks and caffeine which resulted in a 3pm crash. But… at least I still woke up at 5am.