46 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • NOVEMBER 2017 46 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • SEPTEMBER 2017 46 LONGISLANDPRESS.CO M • SEPTEMBER 201-----------TUTU111
BETTER YOU
Early to rise: creating a brighter you
Wake up before sunrise? That’s
right. Just when we thought our
days couldn’t get any longer,
research is encouraging us to hop
out of bed before the first sign of
daylight and reap the benefits.
Your reaction to a 5 a.m. wake-up
call might be to roll over, cover
your alarm clock with a pillow
and simply scoff at the notion of
starting your day hours before the
school bus arrives or your daily
commute begins.
But what if those couple of hours
could give you more time — more
energy, more productivity and
more peace so that you could
accomplish your day with a better
attitude and outlook on life … all
because you started your day in the
dark?
So just what can you accomplish by
not hitting the snooze button?
Get fit and stay fit. Early risers are
on the move! Busy parents, especially,
often find exercise to be the
most challenging “activity” to fit
into their day. Working mother of
three, Carrie Yuli from Bay Shore
has discovered that exercising at 5
A.M. has freed her from unwanted
weight, lack of energy and diminishing
self-esteem.
“I didn’t feel like myself and I
wanted to put some time into me
before my kids woke up and to fill
my own cup before I could take
care of everybody else,” says the
first grade teacher at West Islip
Elementary School. Who is also
a Beachbody Coach. “I actually
gained so much more energy because
I was fueling my body every
way by doing it.”
Work towards a goal. Elizabeth
Aiken, an East Northport mother
of three and school librarian, who
is training for her seventh New
York City Marathon. As her time
improves, so does her approach
toward life.
“Getting up so early has been a
rough adjustment but it has made
a huge impact on the success of my
day. I get more done; I’m not rushing
to the last minute getting us all
out the door.”
It has given her more patience with
her little ones, too, she says.
Be social. Who knew that you
could catch an ice-hockey game
so early in the morning? Long
Island salesman, and married
father of two, Timothy Devine,
meets up with 20 of his friends
two days per week before the
crack of dawn to play ice hockey.
No guilt, he says.
“I like getting up at that time and
squeezing in an activity that doesn’t
interfere with my family life.”
Gain inner peace and wellness.
For nearly 50 years, Dr. Alan Sherr,
founder and director of the Northport
Wellness Center, has woken
up before sunrise to accomplish
readiness, meditate, heal and give
thanks.
“The morning is the best time of
day when the body is most at peace
and in a more optimal place to
support growth and development,”
he says.
Get your “me time.” Married,
mother of two and pediatric occupational
therapist Lori Flynn of
Montauk treasures her time alone
in the morning. She rarely misses a
sunrise.
“I drink coffee and just sit and
journal or read. Everyone else but
my dog is sleeping,” she says.
Witness Mother Nature’s Magic
firsthand. Perhaps catching
that first glimpse of sunshine is
what inspires us to plow through
whatever it is we aim to achieve in
the day.
“It’s uplifting and a little magical
in a way,” says Aiken. “There really
is something about seeing the light
first hit the sky or highlight the
clouds that gives me something to
look forward to.” It has a “renewing
effect.”
Tomorrow is a new day. Set your
alarm clock just a couple of hours
earlier and meet a better you!
By MICHELLE GABRIELLE CENTAMORE