As each new year goes by, I've never been the kind of person to have New Year's resolutions. And even this year, I never had one either. Except after a couple of days had gone by in 2019, I had this motivation to start being more fit and gain more muscle. I decided that I want to be a healthier version of myself and get more fit.

From that day on, my dad and I started waking up at 5 a.m. before school started and went to the gym every alternate day to a workout class Lifetime offers. Waking up at 5 a.m. was definitely not something I was used to. For someone who absolutely loves to sleep, waking up at 5 a.m. to workout was definitely something I had to get used to. We've been doing this since the beginning of January and not going to lie, it feels good to be productive during a time where most people sleep.

The first day, waking up at 5 a.m.was actually much easier than I imagined it to be. I woke up and got ready within 15 minutes to go. I didn't get tired or sleepy during the class and after the class it felt so good and refreshing to be awake before the sun was shining. Everyone at the class were so extremely motivating and it was obvious that they were all extremely dedicated to sticking with their workout routine. Being in that environment, I could feel myself changing my daily routine, and it felt amazing to see that with a little motivation and dedication, I could do it.

Then I realized what the real challenge was: staying awake during school. It's much easier to doze off during class now that I didn't have the same amount of sleep that I usually did, but somehow I had managed to stay awake with some power naps in between. When I got home that day, I took a nap for almost three hours and felt refreshed and relaxed to do my homework, and overall, I was happy with my decision to be productive at 5 a.m.

What I realized from this change in my daily routine was that if I wanted to, I could even wake up earlier. All you need is motivation and anything can be done if you set your mind to it. Another thing I realized from this experience is that if you're trying to make a change in your lifestyle, you need to do it for yourself. Only then will you be able to stick to it. If you're doing it for other people and don't have your heart and mind into it, it's hard to stick with it and easy to let go of.