

I used to hate cooking until stay-at-home orders hit. Right now, I’ll do an at-home workout or go for a one to three-mile run, and I’ll opt to work out outside so that I can get some fresh air.Ģ. While the idea of a late-night workout excites me, I try to exercise before dinner so that it’s easier for me to wind down afterward. I’ve found that, as with most things, my workouts are most productive after a workday when I’ve used the day to hydrate and I’ve consumed at least two meals. I truly cannot count the number of times that I’ve set my alarm two hours early to workout and decided, in the early hours of the morning, that REM sleep is cooler than squats. Here are the eight habits that have made my evenings productive and have helped me to embrace the fact that I am, in fact, a night owl: The early bird gets the worm, but the worm that sleeps in doesn’t get eaten, am I right? I’ve felt guilty for “failing” at morning routines for far too long, but after curating an evening routine that fits my peak energy time and makes me feel like a superhero, I’d like to argue that night owls are just as badass as the humans who work out, clean, meal prep, meditate, and do a 57-step skincare routine before they log on for work. PSA: You don’t have to be a morning person to live a healthy, productive life. At this point, I’ve come to accept who I am: a night owl who would rather get shit done in the evening than during the morning. No matter how many tips and tricks that I’ve tried in my efforts to become a morning person, I just can’t hang before 10am. If you speak to me before my morning coffee, there’s a 99 percent chance that what you said did not register. I have an affinity for hitting my snooze button anywhere from four to nine times a morning (I wish that was an exaggeration). I have a reputation amongst my friends and family to prioritize sleeping in over most things in life. One thing they most definitely wouldn’t say about me? That I am a morning person.

They might label me as a “good listener” or a “good friend.” They might give accolades to my ability to send highly relatable memes to their DMs at any point in the day. They may mention that I am in a committed relationship with McDonald’s chicken nuggets. They might describe me as friendly, laid-back, and down for a good time. If you were to ask any of my friends about me, I’d like to think that they’d have a lot of nice things to say.
