If you’ve followed me for any length of time on Instagram, you’ve likely seen me in the gym every single day, at 5am. I wake up this early because it allows me to have “me” time so I can show up as my best self all day. Much of our time is spent responding to other peoples’ needs and we can’t be the person those responsibilities require without pouring into our own cups first.

Now, you don’t have to wake up this early to be successful, but morning routines are an extremely powerful, life-changing tool. How you start the day is often how you will finish it and what you do each morning is seen as a benchmark of how you will go about the entire rest of your day. Healthy habits aren’t established overnight; they are built out of gradual repetition, performed consistently day after day. One of my favorite quotes is from James Clear: “We don’t rise to the level of our goals. We fall to the level of our systems.”

One of my most asked questions is “how in the world do you get up that early?!” I’m going to start with some tips but end with hard truths. I implement several scientifically-supported steps for being an early riser learned from Dr. Andrew Huberman, a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, including maximized sunlight early in the day, no caffeine or naps after 3pm, and minimized light exposure post 8pm.

Here are 5 more actionable tips on how to hit the gym early:

Wake up with intention by planning out a morning routine you look forward to

• I love time blocking and scheduling. I do the same thing at (basically) the same time every morning. This way, my workout isn’t up for debate. It’s built into my morning routine with as much importance as brushing my teeth and walking my dog. My mornings are thoughtfully filled with lots of little things that make me happy and excited for the day ahead. Something as simple as making coffee at home and enjoying it while I read brings me so much joy. I look forward to my morning routine every single day!

Find a workout you actually want to do and wake up for

• Don’t force yourself to do a certain type of workout just because that’s what “everyone” does. You have to discover what time of movement works for you! I also recommend always going in with a plan. When I go to bed, I already know exactly what I’m doing in the gym the next morning. My coach Shelby at FitBody Fusion writes all my workouts.

Lay out everything the night before

• Not only will this make the morning less painful and more seamless, but it also makes you more likely not to press that snooze button. I joke I’m like a fireman because I have my outfit, meals, gym bag, and my dog’s food all laid out the night before so I can wakeup and be out the door quickly!

Get an accountability partner

• This makes waking up early more enjoyable while creating a negative impact if you don’t follow through.

Remind yourself what you’re grateful for

• The absolute game changer! I do this every single morning and it sets my day on such a positive note. It can be as big or small as you want. Mine range from “I’m grateful my dog didn’t throw up in the middle of the night” (dog parents get it) to “I’m grateful my body allows me to do the physical activities I love.” Don’t forget, having an able body that can workout is not something everyone has and can be taken away from us in a second. I’ve injured myself enough times to make sure I never take a workout or my body for granted.

Remind yourself why you’re awake before the rest of the world. it’s not easy. if it was, everyone would do it. thankfully we can do anything we set our minds to <3

Now for the tough love…

Unfortunately, there’s no magic motivational secret. You just have to do it. At first, it’s going to be really hard. It’s not easy to rewire your brain and create new neural pathways. Once the habit is established and you start seeing progress, that will be your motivation! Start making decisions with the mindset of “is this getting me closer to or further away from where I want to be?” Shift from looking at how far you have to go to focusing on being just 1% better daily. Do this for a year, and you’ll be 37x better by the end of it. Habits create freedom, not restrict it.

It’s easy to overestimate the importance of one big defining moment and underestimate the value of making small improvements daily. Anyone whom you admire as “goals” didn’t get that way in one day, one workout, one healthy meal. They started somewhere too!

Master a schedule.

Master a commitment to “boring.”

Master doing it even when you don’t want to.

Now…who’s ready to join me at 5am?