Top 10 Reasons to Wake Up Early

By Victoria Moran

I don't always bound out of bed with great expectations about the day ahead, but when I can hear my grandmother saying, "This is the day the Lord has made: I will rejoice and be glad in it," it helps. And when I get up on the early side of morning instead of the snooze-alarm side, ah, what a difference!

And the first reason to wake up early is...

Victoria Moran, a Beliefnet blogger, is an inspirational speaker, spiritual-life coach, and author of ten books, most recently of "Living a Charmed Life: Your Guide to Finding Magic in Every Moment and Meaning in Every Day." She lives a charmed life in New York City and writes the Your Charmed Life blog for Beliefnet.

Expanding the Day

It stretches out the morning. You could even see it as a way of living longer.

Meditation Time

There's no excuse not to meditate.

Working Out More

Or go to the gym.

Taking Care of Little Things

You'll be sure and make your bed before you leave the house. Just remembering that you did that gives you a better day.

Eating Better

There's time for a real breakfast.

Getting New Perspectives

You get to see your city or town when it's fresh and new---just you and the street cleaners and the paperboys.

Being Calmer

You don't have to rush to get to work.

Time to Settle In

You can get to your desk with time to spare to straighten things up a bit, check personal email, and maybe start the coffee so the person who usually does that gets a pass.

Riding Your Natural Rhythms

You're starting your day in rhythm with nature. According to the time-honored Indian healing system of Ayurveda, there's a wake-up energy in the early morning from 5:30 to 7 o'clock or so, and a slow-down-and-help-you-sleep energy from 9 to 10:30 at night.

Following in Smart Footsteps

You join forces with giants. The bulk of great thinkers past and present were early risers. They didn't miss anything the day had to offer. Get up with them and you won't miss anything either.